Excellence in HR: Ocean Spray's Susan French is tackling the stigma around mental health

More than two years into the pandemic, employees are still struggling to regain their emotional balance. 

For Susan French, head of global total rewards at Ocean Spray, an agricultural cooperative with 2,000 employees worldwide, normalizing mental health care has been her quest. The company has rolled out partnerships with Headspace and Talkspace and eliminated copays for mental health support. The team is currently engaged in a revamp of their EAP program, and have seen a bump in utilization from 2% to 11%. 

"It's become more common in our claims that people are affected by mental health and don't seek help," French says. "We needed to find those barriers to care." 

Read more: HR managers are more burned out than ever. Who is supporting them?

French shared how she and her team are combatting that stigma through benefits, and how she takes care of herself. 

How are you amplifying your benefits to support employee mental health? 
We removed our mental health copays — even if it's $25, that can add up if someone goes once a week. We're also replacing our current EAP with a vendor that is really focused on access, both remote and on site. 

What's been a win for you in implementing these benefits? 
We've added some other benefits around fertility, LGBTQ, caregiver needs, because those all have mental health implications too. 

As a leader, how are you making sure your oxygen mask is on first? 
I am purposely open about my therapy to make people feel comfortable. I also set time for myself around the workday — one goal is to exercise — and I really like to spend that time with family and hit the beach or the pool. Those are my happy places.