How Prudential, Walmart, Aflac and PwC support mental health at work

October 20, 2023 5:31 AM

For employers looking to prioritize the well-being of their employees, mental health and wellness initiatives have been top of mind this year.

Nearly 70% of employees would like their workplace to provide resources that alleviate stress and anxiety, which unaddressed, can lead to increased healthcare costs for employers, according to wellness platform Calm. Answering the call, companies like Prudential, Canva and Walmart have shared the policies, programs and partnerships they've put in place to help workers build resilience and feel supported — steps their leaders see as crucial for retaining talent and future-proofing a business.

Whether partnering with popular platforms, utilizing virtual care services or simply destigmatizing the conversation around mental health at work, check out these tools and strategies used by top employers today.

Prudential

Read:

Prudential trains managers in mental health strategy

At Prudential, the well-being of its more than 40,000 employees is an ongoing focus of leadership, says Andrew Gregg, VP of benefits. In addition to partnering with mental health provider Lyra, the company conducts management training to help identify employee needs and make mental health part of the everyday conversation within the workplace.

"We set out to have a clearer strategy around mental well-being, and really worked cross-functionally to drive more of an enterprise strategy to improve the culture, reduce stigma, raise awareness, and help leaders be as empathetic as possible, because this is what is going to be really important in getting this right," Gregg says.

Talkspace

Read: How Talkspace's text therapy helped healthcare workers in the wake of the pandemic

For healthcare workers, long hours and a labor shortage leave little time to focus on their own wellness. To support their well-being, telehealth therapy platform Talkspace offered unlimited, asynchronous text therapy to over 600 healthcare workers from a variety of hospitals across the country. Nurses, residents, physicians and nonmedical sanitation workers could speak about issues in real time, and with the help they received, 56% reported improved symptoms for anxiety and depression within three weeks. It is a good indicator that employees, especially those with hectic schedules, can benefit from nontraditional mental health resources, says Talkspace CEO Jon Cohen.

"We're seeing a continued significant interest in therapy for employees from employers," he says. "Certainly healthcare organizations are now not only interested in the data, but in increasing the availability of therapy."

Gympass

Read: Mind-body connection: Gympass adds Headspace to employee benefits plan

To help their own employees, as well as their 10,000 employer partners, achieve holistic well-being, fitness and wellness platform Gympass teamed up with mindfulness and meditation app Headspace.

"Just like we exercise daily to strengthen our muscles to be strong and healthy, a daily mindfulness practice helps us cultivate that resilience, emotionally and mentally," says Desiree Pascual, chief people officer at Headspace. "When we're in a time of crisis or change, being able to come from a place of mental and emotional resilience expands our capacity to show up with curiosity, which leads to opportunity, rather than burnout."

Zendesk

Read:

A recipe for resilience: How Zendesk is helping employees manage their stress

With 5,000 employees across 20 countries, Zendesk's goal of supporting a diverse, widespread population led to a partnership with Calm Business, and an ongoing quest to give people tools that help prepare them to face life's challenges in a healthy way.

"Stress comes from many places," says Jen Bergman, senior program manager, global benefits and well-being at Zendesk. "If you're able to plug into Calm, the meditation pieces, the wisdom, the dailies — all of the tools it gives you are strengthening you and helping you prepare for events when they happen."

Aflac

Read:

Aflac's CHRO leads by example to encourage work-life balance

For many leaders, setting a good example of work-life balance is easier said than done. Matthew Owenby, chief human resource officer at Aflac, wants to make sure the company's 15,000 employees — most of whom work hybrid or remote — feel supported by their employer and know what it means to unplug. In addition to providing virtual and on-site counseling services and communicating frequently about the importance of mental wellness, he shares how respecting people's time off and setting boundaries around expectations at work can be effective in helping workers recharge.

"This is going to sound super basic, but allow people that separation between work and their life, and in fact, insist upon it," he says. "When somebody, for example, takes PTO, I will never email them or call them, so I expect the same out of myself. If I'm on PTO, I'm going to be on PTO and try as you may, you will not get me."

Cleo

Read:

Cleo expands its benefit platform to support parents of neurodivergent children

Offering personalized resources to working parents — particularly those of children with special needs — is a good way for employers to support their overall wellness. Caregiving platform Cleo recently added a neurodiversity program to its list of family offerings, with a 100% success rate in reduction of stress, according to participant feedback.

"Our focus is how to create that individualized care plan for families, and understanding what are the needs of their child or children," says Dr. Madhavi Vemireddy, CEO at Cleo. "It's not just about the neurodivergent child — parents are having to take care of them and also themselves and that can be really overwhelming and create a lot of stress and anxiety and other significant burdens."

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Read:

PwC's parental leave benefit is equally used by moms and dads — here's how

For parents of a new baby, paid time off to spend with their growing family shouldn't be limited to mothers, says DeAnne Aussem, well-being leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. branch. This is why the company changed its parental policy from eight to 12 weeks of paid leave for all parents, regardless of gender or path to parenthood, giving all parents the ability to be fully present during a special time.

"It's why we refer to it as parental leave and not necessarily maternity leave or anything like that," says Aussem. "We know parenting and caregiving takes a variety of different shapes for different families."

Interactions

Read:

Wellness in the workplace: A CPO's advice on avoiding stress and burnout

Strong leadership and continuous communication have helped Mary Clermont, CPO at intelligent virtual assistant company Interactions, find ways to keep her employees from getting burned out. From submitted questions answered by the CEO to connecting remote employees to a sabbatical benefit, the company was able to boost productivity and make workers feel appreciated.

"We would pulse our employees every two weeks, and when we asked a question about their well-being we instantly saw that a portion of the organization was not doing well," says Clermont. "We realized we needed a virtual front door to the company beyond the internet — we needed an interactive one. Important wellness benefits might exist in platforms that companies already have, but are not leveraging."

Canva

Read:

Canva's Jennie Rogerson is raising the bar for employee wellness

Setting employees up to be their best selves is not just in their best interest; it's best for business as well, according to Jennie Rogerson, global head of people at graphic design platform Canva. By establishing a set of wellness benefits that cater to a wide variety of needs, workers feel empowered to not only take time away when they need it, but have peace of mind that their company is behind them while they focus on their personal lives.

"We recognize that team members may be going through times they can't easily talk about, and we want to support them," says Rogerson. "We saw the biggest impact we could make was to let people take time away without needing to explain why."

Walmart

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At Walmart, wellness manager Nancy Jester creates benefit plans to support women and families

A passion for helping others sets the tone for Nancy Jester's efforts as Walmart's senior manager of physical and emotional wellness. Her efforts to increase benefits in multiple areas of health and wellness, particularly the company's fertility and family-building resources and parental leave, have benefited over 32,000 employees so far.

"I love what I do," Jester says. "I have a passion for helping our associates. I really try to come in every day, knowing that they're relying on us to make the best decisions for them and their family."