Four Mental Health Initiatives for the Workplace:

1. Mental Health Days

Organizations often lump personal days and vacation days together. Personal days are just that; they could be spent catching up on family time, running much-needed errands, or even sleeping in. A first step to breaking through the stigma of mental health is to separate those days. Personal days should also include specific references to mental health; for HR professionals, this could be accomplished simply by explaining how much the organization values employees’ emotional well-being. A simple change in terminology could accomplish even more: Giving employees mental health days makes the intent clear, and is especially inclusive of those employees who may be considering (or already are seeking) professional treatment.

2. Ensuring Emotional Well-Being is a Priority

A lot of health plans offer incentives and credits to employees for achieving wellness goals, like quitting smoking or attending fitness classes, but things like healthy eating, exercise, and team-building activities are even better coming from inside the office. Organizations that reinforce these goals by offering their own incentives are not only improving their chances of having fitter, healthier employees; they’re also creating a cultural platform that improves their image internally and externally. Some organizations have even reported including a financial credit as employees hit their health goals.

3. Providing On-Campus Treatment

This may be a more feasible option for larger, more established organizations, but having a trained professional on-site would provide significant benefits to employees needing readily accessible assistance. This would also benefit those who need professional help but have not been able to seek it for various reasons, like time or distance. So long as they are treated with the utmost confidentiality, on-site treatment sends a message to employees that their well-being is truly valuable.

4. Establishing Open Communication between Management and Employees

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, scheduling regular check-ins and encouraging thoughtful discussion is critical to establishing the trust and communication vital to positive workplace culture. This can be a fine line for managers to walk, but with proper training, they can be shown the benefits of simply getting to know their topplay employees on an individual level and watching for signs of change that could prompt discussion. Not to mention, proactively welcoming employees to discuss mental health topics breaks down the stigma associated with them.

With managers learning more and understanding their employees better, they can open lines of communication that bring unknown issues into the light, and by doing so, find solutions while building trust and loyalty.

The key here is to reassure employees that no judgment will be passed; while it’s illegal in most cases to even talk about, much less terminate or demote an employee for revealing a mental health issue, it’s still a very real risk for people that they will be seen differently by their peers and superiors. Organizations can provide reassurance and encouragement by being transparent about manager training around mental health, and by clearly communicating (and demonstrating) their policies and values.