The role of mental health assessments in employee health and well-being

Mental health in the workplace fortunately isn't the taboo topic it once was. According to a recent poll  by Ipsos and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately three-quarters of U.S. employees say it's appropriate to discuss mental health concerns at work, and 77% reported that they would feel comfortable if co-workers talked to them about their mental health at work. Of course, talking about mental health, while crucially important, isn't enough. Training and mental health coverage is required, along with organizational and leadership support. And it all needs to be part of a strategic plan that is aligned with and supported by a comprehensive health and well-being approach. 

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Employee mental health assessments: A key first step 
Recently a group of my colleagues from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) published research detailing how assessments are a key first step in helping employers promote and protect their employees' mental health. Employers can use these readily available assessments to help quantify and improve employee mental health while adhering to the highest standards of confidentiality and data privacy.  

Optimizing employee mental health can pay dividends well beyond their overall well-being. Mental health concerns that can be identified using the assessments reviewed in the research are associated with employee attrition, absenteeism, and presenteeism — continuing to work in a performative measure, despite reduced productivity levels or negative consequences. Further, improved mental health has been shown to increase employee productivity and engagement levels and can help with attracting and retaining employees. Data from the 2022 American Psychological Association's (APA) survey on work and well-being revealed that 81% of workers agree that support for mental health is a deciding factor in looking for future work.  

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Alignment of mental health assessments into a comprehensive health and well-being approach 
Mental health assessments, however, mustn't exist within a vacuum. Recent research recommended that they ideally should be aligned with well-being plans administered by third-party vendors and service providers, along with ancillary programs like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), so their true value can be demonstrated.  

For example, employers can use the mental health assessments to support psychosocial risk  management initiatives and to tailor recommendations or referrals to evidence-based interventions available within and outside of the organization. Further, data gathered through assessments can offer benchmarking to compare future initiatives and help establish, evaluate the impact of, and refine initiatives that are undertaken by employers, third party vendors, or service providers. 

This benchmarking might include process outcomes such as employee awareness, utilization, and satisfaction with mental health and well-being. Armed with this information, employers are then in a better position to help determine which elements of the workforce well-being strategy and programs need to be adjusted.

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Gauging effectiveness of employee mental health initiatives 
Another way to gauge the effectiveness of employee mental health initiatives within the context of a comprehensive health and well-being approach is with the HERO Mental Health and Well-being Best  Practice Score. This score is compiled from practices listed throughout the HERO Health and Well-being  Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer (HERO Scorecard), which is designed to help employers, providers, and other stakeholders learn about and evaluate their use of workplace health and well-being best practices.

The practices and scoring on the Mental Health and Well-Being Practice Score were extensively reviewed by workforce mental health and well-being industry experts and incorporate strategic planning, organizational and cultural support, programs, program integration, participation strategies and measurement and evaluation. Employers also can receive benchmark reports  featuring aggregated results that allow them to compare their programs to organizations of similar size and industry. 

My colleagues' research affirms my belief that assessments are a key first step in bolstering employee health. Yet they must be incorporated into a comprehensive health and well-being approach and organizational culture so their effectiveness can be fully realized. Employers now have access to helpful resources to support employee mental health and overall well-being. It's a matter of incorporating them in a way that makes sense to the employees in their unique context and measuring the impact along the way.