5 Pillars for Improving Employee Mental Health at Scale

As healthcare costs rise and pressure mounts to improve employee health and well-being, consider these criteria for new digital workforce mental health solutions.

If you’re an HR leader focused on employee mental health, you might feel a bit like the mythological king Sisyphus, who was condemned to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. Over the past five years, you’ve implemented a slew of strategies to help employees feel better, but they’re still struggling to access the support they need. 

You’re taking lots of steps, but employee mental health isn’t improving

You’ve worked with health plans to expand their provider networks. You’ve collaborated with organization leaders and managers to elevate workplace well-being and reduce mental health stigma. And perhaps you’ve even upgraded your employee assistance program (EAP) to offer a wide range of new features, such as on-the-spot telephonic counseling, health assessments, certified coaching, and tips for improving mental health.  

And yet mental health remains the top health concern for employees across 31 countries, according to an Ipsos poll, with stress ranked third. In fact, workplace stress is on the rise, with 74% of employees reporting at least a moderate level of stress and 38% reporting high levels of stress, up from 33% a year ago. Worse, nearly 60% of employees say they’re experiencing burnout.  

With rising healthcare costs, where do you go from here?

At the same time, you’re learning that healthcare costs are estimated to increase up to 8% in 2025. With healthcare costs rising and talent retention and productivity being concerns, the pressure to improve employees’ health and well-being (without adding to their cost burden) has never been greater. 

So, where do you go from here?

Based on the results of its 2025 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey, the Business Group on Health says employers will need to drive greater value in their mental health strategy to provide high-quality mental health support sustainably. It says these efforts should include

• Proactively addressing workplace dynamics that contribute to stress, anxiety, loneliness, and ultimately more serious mental health conditions;

• Continuing anti-stigma initiatives;

• Putting more pressure on vendor partners to drive employee utilization of EAPs and other solutions; and

• Turning to virtual care and new technology solutions to expand access to quality care at scale.

Criteria for new digital mental health solutions: five pillars

New technology solutions won’t make a positive impact unless employees use them, find value, and keep coming back. To drive sustainable engagement and positive outcomes, consider evaluating digital mental health solutions based on the following criteria:

1. Tailored for underserved populations

Black people, other people of color, and members of LGBTQ+ communities continue to face mental health disparities and inequities due to stigma, racism, discrimination, lack of access to quality care, and other factors. For example, only one-third of the Hispanic community and 31% of the Black community receive therapy for mental health challenges, compared to nearly half of white Americans. 

These communities aren’t the only underserved populations when it comes to mental health. Members of the military, healthcare workers, teachers, first responders, caregivers, teens, and people with chronic illnesses such as cancer or heart disease can also face barriers to mental health support, whether from stigma, cost, or a variety of constraints related to their daily environments.  

Consider thinking more broadly about the underserved populations in your workforce and identify solutions that offer programs developed specifically with their experiences and needs in mind. Digital mental health programs that demonstrate an understanding of a person’s experience and challenges can help earn their trust, reduce stigma, increase engagement, and deliver greater value.

2. Personalized 

In the wake of the pandemic, when online engagement soared, consumers have come to expect personalization in all digital interactions, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Company. “From web to mobile and in-person interactions, consumers now view personalization as the default standard for engagement.” 

Personalization is perhaps nowhere more important than in the realm of digital mental health support. Tailored digital interventions have been shown to significantly reduce depression and anxiety in employees with higher levels of psychological distress.

Look for digital mental health solutions that offer personalized screenings for anxiety and depression to help identify mental health issues early and facilitate early intervention. A solution should offer specific recommendations for different levels of mental health support and specific digital programs based on the user’s screening results and other self-reported information, such as their health goals. Ideally, the user is prompted to retake the screening regularly to ensure that recommendations continue to be appropriate. 

3. Evidence-based

Make sure the digital mental health solutions you select use principles of proven, evidence-based therapy models. The American Psychological Association defines evidence-based practice as the “integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences.”

Here are some examples of evidence-based therapy models:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) operates on the principle that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected and by modifying dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors, we can improve our emotional well-being. CBT has been proven effective for a range of mental health issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD.  

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is designed to help people manage intense emotions and improve their ability to cope with stress, regulate emotions, and enhance relationships. DBT focuses on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to teach people skills for coping with life challenges.

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is based on the idea that suffering is often caused by trying to avoid or control unwanted thoughts and feelings. ACT encourages people to accept them as a natural part of life while committing to actions that align with their values.  

If you add evidence-based practices developed by clinicians to your mental health strategy through digital solutions, you can quickly scale effective support to employees and their families.

4. Compelling

But personalized, evidence-based programs won’t make an impact unless employees don’t try them, like them, and keep coming back. To engage, employees must find the content compelling, not just informative.

Look for digital solutions that use quality production and trusted human voices to

• Connect with the audience through a shared background/cultural experience or understanding;  

• Earn a user’s attention and influence their behavior through compelling storytelling; and

• Relax and soothe the audience with empathy and compassion. 

And make it a top priority to adopt digital mental health solutions that offer a wide variety of subject matter and program formats along with diverse narrators that reflect your workforce populations.

5. Integrated  

Last, you need to make it easy for employees and their families to find and use the mental health benefits that can help them. A One Medical study showed that half of employees don’t have a good awareness or understanding of their employer’s health and benefits offerings. 

According to the Business Group on Health, more than half of employers plan to implement an engagement platform in the next three years to help employees navigate their health benefits. 

An alternative strategy is to implement a digital mental health solution that integrates with your other mental health resources, guiding employees to the most appropriate resources based on their needs. For example, using an employee’s mental health screening results, a solution could triage an employee to your EAP for counseling, an appropriate crisis hotline, or digital mindfulness tools.

You’ve made huge strides in supporting the mental health and well-being of employees, but barriers to better outcomes still exist. To make a more positive impact, you’ll need to scale support through digital mental health interventions. With solutions tailored for a broad set of underserved populations, personalized to a user’s needs, evidence-based, compelling, and integrated, you’ll be on the path to better employee engagement and more positive mental health outcomes. Unlike Sisyphus, you’ll push the boulder over the hill.

To explore how Calm Health can help you support employee mental health and well-being effectively, connect with a Calm specialist today.