How to Create a Mental Health Action Plan

The latest mental health figures paint a sobering picture.

According to data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 23% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2021. Additionally, suicide rates increased approximately 36% between 2000 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, drug use, sleep issues, and loneliness are primary issues contributing to poor mental health.

“We are in a mental health crisis in the country today; there is no question about it,” Dr. Marcos Iglesias, vice president and chief medical director at insurance firm Travelers, said Sept. 4 at a panel discussion in Denver hosted by Travelers Institute, the public policy division of Travelers. “We’ve separated mental health and physical health for too long. We need to talk about mental health in the same breath.”

Although there is good news in that people, collectively, are talking more about mental health than they have in recent years, many HR and other company leaders aren’t sure how to improve workers’ mental well-being.

[SHRM Toolkit: Creating a Mental-Health-Friendly Workplace]

A Travelers survey of 100 small and midsize businesses with fewer than 500 employees in the Denver area released at the event, for example, found that although the vast majority of managers (88%) said they are concerned about their employees’ well-being, only one-third of respondents said they are confident when it comes to addressing their employees’ mental health.

But it’s not a hopeless situation, said Rich Ives, senior vice president, business insurance claims, at Travelers. There are several things organizations can do to address mental health issues in the workplace, experts said at the panel.

Utilize a number of tools. Mental health apps, licensed therapists and counselors, stress management programs, and overall care are all important tools in an employer’s arsenal.

Having various tools and resources available is essential because workers may need different tools for different circumstances.

“For example, if somebody is depressed … they’re not functioning in their home. They’re barely making it at work. That person doesn’t need an app,” Iglesias said. “That person needs a licensed mental health professional to evaluate them, to diagnose them, to put them on a treatment regimen that’s going to help them.”

On the other hand, someone dealing with stress might not need a psychiatrist, he said. They may benefit instead from an app, a book, or another educational resource, along with skills to help deal with stress.

Know your workforce. Every workplace is different, explained Dr. Les Kertay, a clinical psychologist and chief medical officer at Ascellus. For example, younger workers are more open about talking about mental health than their older counterparts. And certain industries have more stress than others or require employees to work long hours, which contributes to mental health issues.

Encourage mental health screenings. Dr. Kathryn Mueller, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, said that physical ailments can be manifested by mental health issues and that organizations should encourage workers to get screened for mental health issues so they get appropriate care and treatment when needed.

Show you care. According to the American Psychological Association, 92% of employees said working for an organization that values their well-being is important to them. But Ives noted that many employees do not feel cared about. “You have to let your folks know that you care,” he said.

But Kertay added that while it’s important to let employees know that you care, it’s not going to mean anything if they don’t think it’s genuine.

“If your workforce doesn’t believe you, it’s not going to be helpful,” he said.

Know the signs of mental health problems. It’s not an employer’s—or co-worker’s or family member’s—job to diagnose an illness, Iglesias said, but it’s important to know some of the signs that indicate a person may need help. Do they seem down or blue? Do they appear stressed and anxious? Are they tired all the time?

“Those things are signs that that individual is struggling,” Iglesias said. “You’re just there to pick up on some of these signs and point that individual to resources that you probably have, whether it’s in your company or out in the community.”

Think about remote workers. With more employees now working remotely, it can be hard to gauge how workers are feeling. Instead of guessing, employers and managers should create more opportunities to check in with remote workers.

Consider people’s workload. Mental health resources are all well and good, but a lot of employee stress is driven by work, Kertay said.

[SHRM Research: Work Is Negatively Impacting Employees’ Mental Health]

“We keep wanting to throw resources at individual people, but part of it is how work gets done. Let’s face it—what's happened in the last 50 years has been we do more and more work with fewer and fewer people,” he said. That often results in stress and burnout.