Mental Health Awareness Month: 3 Ways to Show Employees You Care

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s an important time for employers to assess how they’re showing up for employees and take steps to implement programs that prioritize mental health and wellbeing where necessary. Though we’re seeing more awareness around mental health and commitment to making it a priority, we’re still in the throes of a mental health crisis. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness and less than half received treatment. Gallup data from 2023 noted U.S. depression rates were hitting an all-time high. The data is staggering.

While it’s not entirely up to employers to solve this problem, it’s certainly in their best interest to contribute to the solution. Depression, alone, is estimated to cost U.S. employers approximately $187.8 billion a year due to health care costs, absenteeism, and productivity losses. Healthy employees are able to be more present, more productive and overall more satisfied in and out of the workplace. In today’s blog, we share three active ways to show employees you care about their mental health and wellbeing.

Provide resources that make an impact.

It’s not enough to say you care about the mental health and wellbeing of your employees. It’s not enough to provide pamphlets or even to offer wellness paid-time-off (though this is also necessary and appreciated). At the end of the day, what makes an impact is to introduce well-being programs that give employees the personalized tools and regular support they need to thrive – and encourage them to seek out additional help when needed.

Health coaches provide exactly this – what we call supplemental, non-clinical mental health support – and their involvement has been statistically proven to catalyze better mental health outcomes. For example, a recent study on nearly 1,500 participants in the US suffering from moderate levels of anxiety and depression showed a marked decrease in symptoms when working with a mental health coach. Similarly, a study on wellness coaching for improving the quality of life of 100 employees, found that 12 weeks of wellness coaching led to improvements in overall quality of life, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress levels.

Not only this, but regular, one-on-one health coaching sessions make it easier to spot when an employee might need to seek additional mental health treatment and health coaches can give them the encouragement and resources to seek that out from a therapist or physician, often already included in the benefits provided by the employer. We’ve seen the impact individualized health coaching has had on individual employees, teams and workforces through our ongoing partnerships and firmly believe every employee deserves access to the right health coach.

Lead by example.

It’s not enough to introduce impactful mental health programs like health coaching. Employees need to know their mental health and wellbeing is important. The most effective way to make that possible is for leaders and managers to actively demonstrate a commitment to their own mental wellbeing and openly support the mental health of their employees. This means showcasing a healthy work-life balance; creating a supportive environment that mitigates or manages workplace stress; and making use of employee wellness resources like health coaching to showcase their value.

Create a wellness culture.

Creating a culture that prioritizes mental health and wellbeing in the workplace involves intentional actions, programs and policies that promote wellbeing, support, and open communication. This absolutely applies to how leaders value mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, but also needs to be palpable at the more macro level. Is your commitment to creating a healthy work environment evident in your company values? In your paid-time-off policy? In your employee health & well-being resources? In your performance evaluation process?

Consider how workplace design, flexible working arrangements, and regular mental health training contribute to a supportive environment. Are there safe spaces where employees can take a break or decompress? Do leaders actively participate in and promote well-being initiatives and resources like real health coaching? Creating a truly supportive culture means embedding these priorities into every aspect of the organization, from daily interactions to long-term strategic planning, ensuring that mental health is a foundational element of your company’s ethos.

Mental Health Awareness Month is meant to serve as a reminder, or perhaps a checkpoint to re-invigorate corporate priorities around mental health and wellbeing. Employee mental health should be a focal point all year long. If you’re a progressive employer who’s interested in learning about how we can partner together to give your employees access to validated, verified, and dedicated real health coaches who can provide impactful non-clinical, supplemental mental health support, send us a note to [email protected].