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These days, mental health in the workplace is a big buzzword.
Maybe you’ve seen companies who say they support their employees’ mental health. But you haven’t seen much evidence besides some yoga mats shoved in a dusty corner. Or a one-off session from a life coach. Or a free mindfulness app for everyone.
Is that really doing anybody any good?
Sure, it lets executives get that one off their conscience and get back to work. But does it actually address this much deeper, systemic issue — helping the 84% of people whose workplace conditions have contributed to at least one mental health condition?
All signs point to no. Unfortunately, these examples are just Bandaids on a much bigger issue.
We mined the latest research and spoke with someone who’s on the front lines of this problem to see what employees really need right now and how you can actually give it to them. Here, you’ll see examples of effective mental health support programs and HR benefit packages for employees. Take a look at this overview of how you can start changing the mental health of your workplace.
Common Mental Health Struggles in the Workplace in 2024
It’s no secret that the last few years have been difficult for everyone. According to recent research conducted by LIMRA, U.S. workers (particularly Gen Z employees) struggle with mental health concerns, including:
These issues have been growing worse over time and should not be taken lightly. But with the increasing severity in mental health issues comes something else, too — something that may be a surprise. Mental health struggles are more visible. People are more aware of the importance of mental health — both in others, and in themselves. And, slowly, they’re feeling safer asking for help when they need it.
“In the last few years we’ve seen a growing recognition of the importance of mental health and a significant rise in awareness and openness concerning mental health issues,” says Aimee George Leary, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). “I do think that is because of the pandemic for sure, and people being alone and isolated. And I also just think that people are more comfortable in coming forward because we’ve been working on it for such a long time in the world, too.”
Example Mental Health Support Programs for Employees
Booz Allen Hamilton has several programs to support its employees’ mental health. If you’re setting up wellness programs for your own workers, this example framework might be a helpful place to start as you begin to model something similar.
Leary includes tips for smaller companies who might not have as many resources as BAH. But really, each program is based on the same thing: people who care. If you’ve got that, you’re golden.
#1. Wellness Champions
BAH’s first program is called Wellness Champions — an intentional way to set up peer-to-peer relationships that encourage good health all around.
“We create ‘wellness champions’ across the enterprise. These are employees who take on the responsibility of promoting overall wellbeing, including the physical, mental, emotional health within the organization,” Leary explains. “So they try to push communications and things around people adopting healthier lifestyles through participating in some of our wellness programs.”
She adds that each “champion” is trained in the company’s benefits. They might promote opportunities to engage in company-wide wellness challenges, or to attend workshops on stress management that BAH has set up.
#2. Mental Health Allies
Mental Health Allies is a new program for Booz Allen Hamilton. The company just introduced it this year.
“It’s a little bit different from the Wellness Champions in that we begin training employees in what we call ‘mental health first aid,’” Leary says. “This is a commercial, vendor-based product that we partnered with to create a mental health ally network across the company.”
Like the Wellness Champions, Mental Health Allies can promote mental health awareness within the organization. But they can also show their fellow employees the resources that are available to them. The idea is that employees are more likely to talk to their peers than they are to call HR or someone else — so when they do, BAH makes sure those peers are prepared.
“[The allies] help them feel more comfortable with bringing forward some of their challenges and getting the help that they need.”
#3. Manager Training
It’s not only employees who receive mental health training at BAH. Managers do, too. Leary says the company pushes its managers to understand the signs of emotional suffering.
“We partnered with another organization who helped us train on the five signs and symptoms of emotional suffering that we provided to our managers. They oftentimes too are the first point of contact for our employees. So… knowing if they’re in distress, how to get them help.”
The idea is to create comfort for people who need support, giving them multiple avenues of connection.
#4. Employee Care Center
Finally, Booz Allen Hamilton recognizes that in times of crisis — such as suicide calls or disaster relief — peer support is not enough. There comes a point where people need trained mental health professionals. So that’s what BAH provides.
“We also have an employee care center. We put this in place around the time of Covid — different than the help desk, different than calling HR. This is a phone line and an email line that’s staffed by HR experts who really are deeper in helping people understand the resources. It’s support for wellbeing, medical emergencies, employees loss of life.”
This line connects employees with certified doctors, counselors, legal or financial support, or whatever else they need. When recent hurricanes affected a number of BAH employees, the company also brought in trained professionals who organized special listening sessions and did outreach to the affected communities, getting them the resources they needed.
“We got a tremendous amount of positive feedback on that care center through these recent crises [and] disasters… to help people navigate what they need.”
Where Can You Start?
Implementing these kinds of corporate programs might seem like a massive amount of work. But if your company is on the smaller side, your mental health initiatives don’t have to be to this scale to still be effective. Leary’s advice? Start with your managers.
“Some of this training is available open source. But getting [your] managers to know what to recognize and then knowing where [you] can point people to help in the outside world, I don’t think that would cost you a lot of money,” she says. “That’s where I would start. Get the leaders, get people aware, embedded into the culture for people to feel comfortable in bringing these things forward.”
Curate mental health resources from nonprofits or other organizations. For a low-cost solution, create a one-pager of resources you can point people to. Leary also points toward an Employee Assistance Program or a resilience fund.
“Our resilience fund is money that we put aside. So when people are going through hardship, they can apply… It’s kind of like a grant. They don’t have to pay it back. That can help them get out of whatever’s going on in their life.”
Mental Health HR Benefits: What to Know
Internal programs that support employee wellbeing are one thing. Mental health HR benefits are another. What kind of coverage should you offer your employees? Is telehealth counseling enough? What other items count as mental health benefits? What do your employees even want in their package… and how can you communicate what’s available? Let’s take a look at some of these questions.
Example Mental Health Benefits
First of all: In case this was in question, yes, you should offer mental health coverage! SHRM data from 2023 shows that 89% of organizations offered mental health coverage, but 59% of U.S. workers said their employer didn’t offer enough resources to support their mental health. You should certainly offer mental health care options to your employees.
When it comes to mental health-related benefits, there are a wide range of choices you could offer. Popular ideas include:
According to Leary, Booz Allen Hamilton covers its diverse workforce by sourcing benefits that support a broad range of potential needs. “Some of the things that are popular are these Employee Assistance Programs. So we, for example, offer upwards of 12 sessions per year for employees and the people in their home. That’s coaching for wellbeing, burnout, nutrition, it could be anything. And those counseling sessions are taken advantage of and seem to provide some really great support for people.”
BAH also provides mental health support for members of its health plan through another provider.
Which Benefits Should You Offer?
With so many choices available, how do you mix and match the best ones for your organization? This question doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s very individualized for each company.
Consider the demographic information of your employees to get a handle on what mental health benefits might be most helpful. Or ask them directly, running focus groups and surveys with questions like:
“The parents that we’re seeing are really struggling with their kids,” Leary says about Booz Allen Hamilton. “So we just pulled forward an organization that really focuses on digital resources for parental support because that’s been such a loud cry from our workforce on how to help them help their children because they can’t focus if their kids are struggling.
“I think you have to look at the makeup of your workforce. You have to understand, do you have a demographic that might be focused on one thing or another, or more prone to one thing or another? Look at what has the most impact for your audience.”
Communicating the Benefits You Offer
Once you’ve decided on the benefits you want to offer, make sure your employees know about them. Statistics from NAMI’s 2024 Workplace Mental Health Poll indicate that one in four employees say they don’t know if their employer offers mental health care coverage. What’s more, over half of entry-level employees who may have coverage are not confident in their ability to access those benefits.
One way Booz Allen Hamilton tackled this issue was through an internal “empowerment fair.” The company went on the road to 12 locations and set up booths for all of the services it offers.
“There are people that have been with the company for 20-some years and they’re like, ‘I didn’t know we offered that!’” Leary says. “You need to grab their attention to say, ‘Did you know that you have access to ___?’ And people just don’t, because again, there’s just too much coming at us.”
Leary also emphasizes the importance of continuous education about benefits (whether during open enrollment, or at other times of the year). People need to be reeducated about what’s available on an ongoing basis. And since they’re taking their information from their managers or from their peers, equipping those groups to know and share their benefits is key as well.
The Benefits of Good Benefits
Obviously, comprehensive mental health coverage supports your employees by helping them to each individually be as healthy as possible. But good benefits also have a cumulative ripple effect across your entire organization. By offering relevant mental health-related benefits, you’re likely to see a positive difference in areas like your:
“We have anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 applicants a month,” Leary says about Booz Allen Hamilton’s candidate attraction. “And our attrition is at an all-time low. Our experience scores are really, really favorable. So we watch those things to see, are we delivering on what our employees want and what they need to be successful.”
If you don’t have a caring culture where people feel supported, she points out, they’re not going to stay — and then your company’s work is not going to get done. Good benefits are good for everyone.
Empowering People to Change the World
No matter how big or small your company might be, people are your most important resource. Invest into your team’s mental health. See them as people first, employees second. When you support their health all around, your company can’t help but grow.
“Our culture at Booz Allen is one of caring. And you can’t care about your employees if you don’t care about their overall health and wellbeing,” Leary says. “So we feel it’s really important to support our employees at their core.”
For the past 10 years, Booz Allen Hamilton has been especially focused on mental wellbeing through comprehensive HR benefits and smart, people-led internal programs. BAH knows that the best way to deliver good work to its clients and communities is for its employees to be well — including mentally. The company wants to empower people. And as a natural result, what happens next?
“Our purpose statement is, we empower people to change the world.”
And so can you.
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