If no one has told you today: you are enough, mental health is health, and asking for help is a sign of strength. You should always feel empowered to take charge of your mental health and well-being, but too often life gets in the way and we allow these things to fall to the wayside.

All of the daily stresses in life can be compounded by the added weight of your professional work. Whether it's a deadline or a boss breathing down your neck or you just straight up hate your job, work can be one of the biggest contributors to mental unrest.

Not to mention the added weight of the pandemic, which has taken its toll on even the most mentally sound. All this has left employers with an interesting question to ponder, "Should my business be offering mental health resources to my employees?".

The simple answer is a resounding "Yes". Any time a company can help provide resources that will benefit its employees, it absolutely should. To learn more about how companies are dealing with the growing conversation around mental health we reached out to c-suite executives and discussed the matter.

Know the Signs

Samuel Ajayi, Senior HR in Business Advisor at NLNG Ltd. posits, "Stress contributes to decreased organizational performance, decreased employee overall performance, high error rate and poor quality of work, high staff turnover, and absenteeism due to health problems such as anxiety, emotional disorder; work life imbalance; depression and other forms of ailments such as frequent headache; obesity and cardiac arrests."

With so many side effects, it would be irresponsible to allow the signs of stress to go unchecked in your workplace. If you spot them it is in your company's best interest to try and intervene in any way possible.

Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder of SnackMagic, a create-your-own-snack box company, says, "As a higher-up, you have to be so much more than just a 'boss'; you have to be aware of employees' health and well-being. Know the signs. You don't have to know the solutions, but early intervention can quite literally save lives."

And she's not wrong. Early intervention has the greatest impact on people's health and well-being. Keep an eye out and know when it is time to lend a hand.

Destigmatize Mental Health in the Workplace

"Too often, employees feel like they can't speak up about how they are feeling and that leads to overworking and even more stress. We need to be able to have a conversation about mental health so they feel empowered to speak up," says Dylan Arthur Garber, Co-Founder at Audien, a company that makes affordable hearing aids.

This mentality has been echoed in studies done by SAP. Employees often feel ignored by higher-ups when what they need is to feel empowered. CEOs like SAP's Bill McDermott go out of their way to champion mental wellness, "It sends an unmistakable signal to colleagues that we're serious about building a culture of psychological safety."

Boundaries

The pandemic and work from home have changed the way people work. Mike Clare, CEO for business, consumer at Mood Health, an online therapy website says, "In the current climate with the pandemic and work from home being so prominent, people have a hard time discerning when work actually begins and ends." His colleague Betsy McMichael, COO for clinical expands on this sentiment saying, "When you are working on your couch, it is hard to go from working to relaxing. The lines are blurred more than ever now."

It does feel like work never ends now that many of us have home offices. "We've seen a decline in PTO usage since the start of the pandemic. People feel like they don't need to use the time because they are already home, but they should. Even if you feel like you don't need it. Take a day, don't open the work laptop, spend some time on yourself. It is on us as leaders to remind our employees that they have this time and should take advantage of it," says Cody Candee, Founder and CEO of Bounce.

 Apps for Mental Health

Beyond reminding employees to take advantage of their time off, what else can employers provide to their employees to help their mental health? A simple resource to offer comes in the form of wellness apps.

"We've seen a ton of these apps pop up in recent years," says Daniel Osman, Founder and CEO of Balance Homes. "Previously, it was something we didn't pay much attention to, but as we become more aware of client's need for resources, there has been an increased interest in purchasing a company-wide account for all who need it."

Jae Pak, Founder of Jae Pak MD Medical, added, "Well-Being apps are something we try to offer to employees, free of cost. They are simple and easy-to-use and if they are able to help even a little bit, they are worth the investment from us at a company level."

The apps in the wellness space are by no means a cure-all, but they do offer a great jumping-off point for those beginning their mental health journey. Having the option to sign-up for free through your work can eliminate that first barrier of entry: cost.

EAPs for You and Me

Employee assistance programs (EAPS) are great ways for employers to offer confidential services and assessments for employees who are in need. But they don't have to stop there. EAPs can offer a lot more to address the well-being of a company's workforce.

Jeremy Goldstein, CEO of Navitar had this to say, "Back in the day, EAPs were contracted mostly to offer a few sessions with a counselor. Now? It's like eight or more. And the type of support isn't as limited. I've seen much more assistance offered including housing and relocation services, child care, emotional support... the list goes on. Services exclusively for mental health are sure to be added to that list as younger people who are more vocal about those sorts of programs join the workforce and make their needs known. It's a free resource all companies should be happy to offer to their employees."

While EAPs are available to employees, some employees might feel reluctant to take advantage of the resources due to real or perceived stigma or fear that co-workers might find out. But employers can take action to combat this.

"A newsletter is one way we can remind employees about the benefits we offer. By sending out a weekly email, we can help create a conversation and educate our employees. They need to know where to go and how to access these benefits. Explaining and reiterating that our EAP can be accessed confidentially and for free, providing direct access to mental health professionals either in-office or via phone/telehealth, and extending these benefits to employees' families makes it easier for them to find the help they need," Benjamin Smith, Founder at Disco, a skincare for men company told us.

Benefits that extend to all family members are an incredibly helpful way to boost the mental health of your employees. Knowing that their employer cares not just about their own mental health, but also that of their families does wonders to help ease employee stress levels. If an employees' loved one is dealing with mental distress, it can impact them as well. It's better to go the extra distance and make sure all of the bases are covered.

Wellness Stipend

The biggest reason why mental health resources should be offered for free to employees is that money is one of the predominant sources of stress in most people's lives. If a company can provide its employees with hassle-free access to wellness necessities like gym memberships and or therapy, employees will be more eager to work for them and will remain in good disposition for longer amounts of time.

"Financial insecurity is a huge contributor to mental health. Providing extra support to our employees to help them get access to what I would consider necessities like a gym membership and talk therapy is a no-brainer," said Gabrielle Mustapich, Co-CEO of Hardpops. Her Co-CEO Sheereen Price chimed in, "It is important that if an employee feels like they need to work out or talk to someone or eat better or do anything to keep them mentally healthy, they have the power to do so free of charge because their company has it covered. Money should never be a reason why you don't take care of your mental health. If we can do something to make sure that never happens, we are going to!"