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Employers are doing very good intentioned work around understanding and providing Mental Health benefits to their employees. It would be very important that we look at the term of "Mental Health" and understand all its facets from an employee perspective. Given the stress, burnout from the Great Resignation, Covid and polarization, we could be headed to a collective burn out because we have not been able to calibrate our human and physiological needs.
Some of the reasons humans seem more stressed than ever is that they carry a higher allostatic load and as such, they have not been adaptive enough to return to homeostasis or feel a sense of balance. The impact of this also occurs in nature, for example, if a bear doesn't get into a successful hibernation, they will have serious health impacts.
Employees across the workforce are seeking resolution to their work stress, as no one wants to suffer or work for an asshole. We all can improve our awareness of Mental Health needs and incorporate these activities and resources to meet the expectations of the workforce.
Mental Health has a medical/clinical benefit which could include providing access to therapy sessions, medication, EAP programs, a medical leave, etc.
Mental Health can be wellness programming like yoga, reike, outdoor activities, massages, wellness credit/allotments with local service providers, etc.
Mental Health has an educational value where we provide skill training regarding stress management, emotional intelligence, mentorship programs, ERG's empathy, etc.
Mental Health has a policy implication like civility & bullying policies, earned time off, performance reviews & plans, email blackouts, 32 hour work weeks, having a values based culture, etc.
If you are an employer trying to figure out the right mix of tools, feel free to schedule an online one-on-one Kryptonite session to review items in buckets 3 or 4.