Beyond the Intranet: Normalizing Mental Health at Work

Here’s a reality check:

84% of workers experienced at least one mental health challenge over the last year. (Spill)
74% of employees report negative mental health at work, with 40% rating it as ‘poor’ and 34% considering it ‘fair.’ (Forbes)
Around 1 in 6 people experience mental health problems in the workplace. (Spill)

If you think mental health isn’t a workplace issue, think again. In fact, mental health has gone from being a “nice-to-have” focus to one that is a necessary part of culture, especially to attract and retain a talented and productive workforce. To truly make an impact, companies need to move beyond one-time communication methods and start fostering everyday, accessible conversations about mental well-being.

Mental Health Conversations in the Workplace: Try These Approaches

With so many tasks facing HR professionals today, it would be tempting to take a “set it and forget it” approach to mental health benefits communication. While your intranet and benefits guides are essential employee resources, they generally don’t create the engagement necessary to initiate mental health conversations and ensure employees take the steps they need to be their best.

Why is more needed? Lots of reasons.

Consider:

Many employees don’t know where to find mental health resources or that they exist. (Even if you’ve included it in multiple places.)
Announcing mental health resources during open enrollment is certain to be overlooked. Employees are focused on signing up for benefits for the year ahead. Other benefits—the ones they can access at any point—get set aside until later, and then often forgotten.
General messaging often fails to address the discomfort many employees feel about accessing mental health support. It tells the facts without addressing the feelings.

The result? Employees don’t use the resources available to them, and the stigma around mental health persists.

To truly support employees, companies need to embed mental health communication into their workplace culture. Here’s how:

1. Make Mental Health Communication Part of Everyday Life

Host regular reminders about mental health benefits during team meetings or via company-wide newsletters.
Highlight real-life examples of how employees have benefited (with consent and anonymity as appropriate).

2. Use Peer-Led Advocacy

Create employee ambassador programs where team members share how they’ve utilized mental health resources.
Leverage peer stories to help normalize the conversation, remind people they aren‘t alone, and build trust.

3. Incorporate Mental Health into Leadership Messaging

Encourage leaders to openly discuss mental health topics, including sharing their own challenges.
Leaders set the tone for an organization, and their openness can break down stigma.

Creative Channels for Mental Health Communication

Mental health isn’t just a box to check—it’s a cornerstone of employee well-being. To truly support your workforce, communication strategies need to evolve from one-off announcements to dynamic, ongoing conversations.

As you begin to build out more robust communications, explore these communication methods that help you connect to wired, field, and plant-based employees:

1. Chat-Based Resources

Use chat platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams to create dedicated mental health channels for sharing resources and reminders.
Integrate mental health resources directly into these platforms, like quick-access links to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).

2. Social Media-Style Content

Share bite-sized mental health tips via short videos or infographics on internal social networks, company TV systems, or communication apps.
Use relatable, engaging language to make resources feel approachable.

3. Regular Wellness Checkpoints

Offer short, recurring surveys to gauge both employee mental well-being as well as awareness of available resources.
Use these insights to adapt and improve your communication strategies.

Checklist: Actionable Steps to Improve Your Mental Health Benefits Communication

Step 1: Reevaluate Your Communication Strategy

Ask yourself: Are your resources accessible, visible, and easy to understand?

Step 2: Train Managers and Leaders

Equip them with the tools and confidence to discuss mental health openly and support employees. Set the expectation that you are not looking for them to be counselors, simply conduits to connect employees to professional resources.

Step 3: Create a Year-Round Plan

Mental health communication shouldn’t be limited to once a year. Build it into your regular employee touchpoints. People need to hear or see something an average of seven times to remember it.

Step 4: Promote Confidentiality and Safety

Remind employees that accessing resources is private and secure. Clear communication here helps break down hesitation.

Ready to start the conversation? Download our mental health communication toolkit or contact us for tailored solutions that make an immediate impact.