How to Destigmatize Mental Health Care Among Employees

Creating a culture where employees feel empowered to address their mental health is increasingly crucial in today’s demanding workplaces.

“A lot of companies design physical health challenges where they promote physical well-being, but there are so many opportunities to incorporate mental health questions into conversations that can be a great help for employees,” said Amy Morin, a psychotherapist who has written six books on mental health and hosts the Mentally Stronger podcast.

Frequent communication and smart policies can reduce the stigma of mental health struggles and care, allowing your workers to get the help they need.

At defense contractor General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), President Amy Gilliland launched a “How Are You, Really?” campaign for her company’s 28,000 employees in the aftermath of an employee’s death by suicide.

“We call it a campaign for a reason,” Gilliland said. “A campaign is sustained; it is part of our business rhythm. It’s as predictable for me to talk about our operating plan as it is for me to talk about our mental health.”

The suicide in 2021 made it clear to Gilliland that addressing mental health head-on was mission-critical.

“One of the reasons to care is that we are a national security company,” Gilliland said. “If our employees are in a good space, they are better prepared for the mission.”

Being consistent about that messaging is key, adds Morin.

“Make it clear that mental health is something that we all need to manage,” Morin said. “It’s a continuum, and there are things you can do to move up or down.”

Here are some key measures that can make your company a leader in addressing mental health issues in the workplace.

Foster Open Conversation About Behavioral Health

Mental health stigma is especially prevalent in the workplace due to people not knowing how or if it’s OK to discuss the topic with peers and superiors. Only about 2 in 5 employee respondents to SHRM’s 2024 mental health survey said they feel comfortable discussing their mental health in the workplace.

If your company has an employee assistance program (EAP) in place, HR should provide examples of how that program works. EAPs often offer access to professionals who can assess employees’ needs and refer them for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health, substance use, or other issues.

See if employees who have benefited from the EAP or other company mental health benefits are willing to share their stories—either publicly or anonymously. Once you have submissions from employees, offer them the opportunity to review and approve the way their stories will be presented to further ensure their anonymity and comfort.

Amy Gilliland
President, GDIT

Gilliland has found that employee resource groups (ERGs) provide an opening for employees to raise issues in a safer space.

“For our veterans, we have a veterans’ ERG. We also have an early-career ERG; the challenges for 18- to 25-year-olds are off the charts,” Gilliland said. “We brought in a mental health expert that is well versed with young adults—and that was one of the best-attended events we’ve had yet.”

HR professionals can prepare themselves and managers for how to conduct vulnerable conversations while protecting boundaries. If an employee discusses their mental health with a manager or HR, they don’t need to have all the solutions to the employee’s problems. The most important job is to be present and listen.

If your company doesn’t have an EAP, one place to start is the Mental Health America screening tool.

Leaders can also do their part by showing vulnerability and telling their own mental health stories.

“We don’t expect our leaders to be therapists, but we want them to have what has traditionally been more awkward conversations,” Gilliland said. “When employees approach us, we can be flexible about downtime or leave of absences.”

The Workplace Mental Health Ally Certificate program from SHRM and the SHRM Foundation, created in partnership with Psych Hub, is also a useful resource. It offers HR professionals and employers the tools they need to destigmatize mental health issues in the workplace and implement better workplace cultures. The SHRM Foundation also has a host of other resources around workplace mental health and wellness.

Encourage Ongoing Care for Mental Well-Being

It’s important to stress that employees should tend to their mental health all the time—not just when a problem becomes acute.

“Talk about it regularly in staff meetings,” Morin said. “Instead of sending an email once a year, send it on a regular basis. Then, people feel more empowered.”

Organizations can help employees by working to prevent one particular mental health challenge—employee burnout—before it happens. According to SHRM’s Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series, 45% of employees said their jobs leave them emotionally drained, and 44% said they feel burned out from their work. Workers also feel pressured to prioritize work over their mental health. During the past five years, at least 20% of employees have curtailed their careers to protect their mental health, according to SHRM research.

One way to ward off burnout is to encourage employees to use paid time off (PTO) and truly disconnect during that leave. If employees feel obligated to work during vacation or other PTO, remind them that PTO is time off from work, including emails, calls, and other tasks. Leaders can model this behavior by not contacting employees while they’re on PTO.

Amy Morin
Author and Host, Mentally Stronger podcast

“Setting rules about how soon to answer an email seems to help take the pressure off,” Morin said. “One of the things I see is that employees are trying to keep up with their co-workers. Make sure you don’t reward people for working so many hours that they burn themselves out.”

Pay Attention to Your Own Mental Health

Though it often seems impossible, it’s also important for HR professionals to model positive mental health principles. Maintain a sustainable workload and establish healthy boundaries. Take a timeout when you need one. “Going for a walk can help ward off depression,” the American Psychological Association points out. 

“You are in charge of your mental health,” Janice Litvin, author of the Banish Burnout Toolkit, told attendees at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2024. “You cannot take care of your community, your team, or your family if you do not take care of yourself.”

In the same way that it’s good to foresee signs of burnout in your workforce, be aware of your own mental health. This is especially important at busy times of the year such as the holidays or during each year’s open enrollment.

Gilliland likened the need for leaders to care for their own mental health to the recommendation on an airplane that passengers to put on their own oxygen masks in an emergency before helping others with theirs. “We wanted our leaders to be engaged in the process. Make it OK for your leaders to not be OK, and that extends to HR,” Gilliland said.

Beef Up (or Tout) Your Benefits and Support Programs

Benefits such as mental health leave, personal time off, and family leave continue to be of utmost importance to prospective employees. SHRM’s Employee Benefits Survey for 2024 lists 216 benefits—41 more than just two years earlier. Stay ahead of the curve by ensuring that your company provides various forms of time off and access to mental health support that prioritize well-being and family care.

It’s not enough to just provide your workforce with benefits; talking about them is also essential—even if it feels redundant. “If a company offers benefits, it’s important to know how to access them—and what to do once you do access them. If your EAP offers therapy for free for a couple of sessions, it’s really important to talk about that regularly,” Morin said.

Talking about the benefits available to people experiencing family stress is one way to meet your employees where they are. Parents are particularly vulnerable to burnout because they are experiencing record amounts of stress juggling work and child care responsibilities, the U.S. surgeon general said in August. Be sure to tout benefits offerings that can help working parents, including schedule flexibility, after-school care, and other child care benefits.

Open dialogue can help reduce the negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental health challenges and can also help parents address their mental health, the surgeon general’s report said. Companies can also support employees who are taking care of their parents or other family members. Ask all your employees about their mental well-being and truly listen to their responses.

“I travel a lot in this job, and whether I’m in South Korea, Kuwait, Hawaii, or Nebraska, I’m asking, ‘Have you heard about the “How Are You, Really?” campaign?’” Gilliland said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t hear from someone about how it makes them proud to work for this company. We even had an employee on LinkedIn, which is a very public forum, say that it saved their life. It’s so important to talk about mental health.”

Want to explore other ways to create a more inclusive workplace for your employees? Learn how to encourage inclusion and diversity initiatives at SHRM Inclusion 2024.

Related Resources:

SHRM Resource Hub Page: Mental Health

Toolkit: Creating a Mental-Health-Friendly Workplace

SHRM Foundation: Tackling Societal Challenges

SHRM’s Mental Health Awareness Express Request

Hilton’s Strategy for Becoming a Best Place to Work: Betting on Benefits