In October 2022, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being, underscoring both “the responsibility and unique opportunity for leaders to create workplace environments that support the health and well-being of workers.” The framework conceives of workplaces as “engines of well-being” grounded in five essential practices: protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth.

Just this month the US Department of Labor issued a new PSA video - part of their “Mental Health at Work” campaign - with a call to action for employers to address mental health in the workplace proactively, starting with leadership helping to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health supports for all employees.

The statistics around workplace mental health remain sobering with more than 4 of 5 workers reporting that they feel emotionally drained from their work and that workplace stress affects their relationships with friends, family and co-workers. More than ever employees expect their employers to take care of them; in a Employee Benefits Research Institute 2022 Wellness Survey, three in four employees agree that their employers have a responsibility to make sure employees are mentally healthy and emotionally well (77%), healthy and physically well (74%), and financially secure and well (66%).  

The message seems to be resonating and employers are responding, with two out of three US employers planning to make employee mental health and well-being a top three health care priority over the next three years, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey. Our own Roundtable members consider employee mental health and well-being to be their top strategic issue, according to a recent benchmarking survey, with more and more focused on promoting mental health and well-being on a global scale.

With workplace costs of untreated mental illness estimated at $1 trillion globally and rising, the future productivity and prosperity of organizations and their people will depend on building a culture of health in the workplace that takes a personalized, “whole person” approach to wellness. For strategies that employers should consider, read our World at Work article Building a Culture of Well-being in the Post-Pandemic Workplace and best practices on mental health from our Roundtable members EY, Merck and Prudential.

Graphic source: https://worldatwork.org/resources/publications/workspan-daily/building-a-culture-of-well-being-in-the-post-pandemic-workplace