How to help employees with their mental health

4 ways to safeguard employees from mental stress

June 9, 2023 11:14 AM

Employers expect a lot from their employees, and since the pandemic, employees have become much more vocal about the support they expect in return.

As mental health has become tied to overall employee well-being, employers are continuing to find new and innovative ways to personalize their benefits and make sure that employees at any stage of life are getting accessible care. And the need is still great: postpartum depression rates, for example, increased 30% over the course of the pandemic, according to Evernorth Research Institute. Supporting new moms means providing virtual telehealth solutions, as well as more holistic support, like flexible work schedules.

Figuring out exactly what employees need is what drives AECOM's head of global benefits and well-being, Bernie Knobbe. He and his team rely on easy-to-digest communication strategies, as well as digital tools and even artificial intelligence to ensure employees know what's available, and how to use it. He shared his top strategies for taking care of a global workforce 50,000 employees strong.

Take a look at four ways to prioritize and protect employee well-being, and recommit to starting a conversation with your workers on what they need today.

Support new parents

Read:

Postpartum depression is on the rise, and new moms aren't getting the treatment they need

Like other mental health disorders, postpartum depression is treatable and can be effectively managed with therapy and medication. However, receiving treatment is often a challenge, and became even more difficult during COVID — according to the Evernorth Research Institute, 46.5% of women with postpartum depression received no treatment during the pandemic.

"It's really important for us to understand this, because when postpartum depression is left untreated, it can have a significant and long-lasting impact on the health of not only the mom, but the well-being of the entire family," says Urvashi Patel, vice president of data and analytics at the Evernorth Research Institute.

Ensure mental health benefits are inclusive

Read:

Why mental health offerings are failing LGBTQ employees

Members of the LGBTQ community tend to be more likely to experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders and suicidality, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Despite a rise in mental health offerings from employers, those programs often fall flat if they don't meet the specific and nuanced needs of queer workers.

"There are significant health disparities for LGBTQ folks, and sadly those disparities still exist today in a paradoxical fashion," says Keren Lehavot, senior clinical training lead of culturally responsive care at Lyra Health. "Even as there's more social acceptance of this community, we're still seeing those disparities come to play."

Use tech tools to personalize offerings

Read:

From DEI audits to AI tools, how AECOM personalizes benefits for 50,000 workers

At AECOM, one of the primary ways they've improved communication around health and well-being benefits is through the creation of a global website focused on well-being and benefits. It requires no username or password, and is available to every global employee as well as their family members. The site breaks down benefits, EAP programs, and variances in benefit offerings from country to country.

"People often don't know where to go for what, they don't often know the questions to ask, and they think benefits are scary, foreign or complex," Knobbe says. "We wanted to make benefits transparent and accessible."

Encourage time off to recharge

Read:

Get your summer back: How to establish the right PTO policy for your company

On average, Americans take 17 days off per year, while workers with an unlimited PTO policy take between 10 to 13 days off, according to work and HR-centered sites like Namely and Joblist. On top of that, Insider found that 29% of people with unlimited PTO policies admit to spending their vacation working, and 42% shared that they "always" log on to their work emails during time off. In other words, unlimited PTO does not automatically equate to an abundant amount of rest and relaxation.

"Ultimately, this is partly psychological," says Cameron Yarbrough, the co-founder and CEO of talent development platform Torch.io, which boasts an unlimited PTO policy. "When people feel they have an abundance of something, they tend not to take advantage of it. If something is served up to you as a scarce resource, you likely engage with it more."