Mental health issues continue to be a significant obstacle to maximizing employee productivity and organizational performance. In fact, according to a recent study, 92.6% of the respondents had experienced mental health challenges that affected their work.
Imagine the wasted hours and potential lost revenue you might be experiencing because your employees are not in the right headspace.
The solution? Implementing wellness initiatives focused on promoting your team’s mental well-being so that they can focus on work.
In this article, we’ll highlight the best corporate mental wellness programs, including the core components you should include to make the initiatives effective.
TL;DR - Corporate Mental Wellness Program Ideas
Are your employees showing signs of stress and mental fatigue? Launch one or more of the following corporate mental wellness program ideas to help them relax and unwind:
- Employee recognition programs
- Wellness challenges
- Mental health workshops
- Health and wellness programs
- Community outreach programs
- Wellness apps
- Hybrid work arrangements
- Paid time off policies
- Digital detox
- Financial wellness
- Mental health check-ins
- Creative corners
This gives you a quick snapshot of what we cover in this article, but don’t stop here. Continue reading to understand how these mental wellness programs enhance employee well-being.
Why Mental Wellness Can’t Be Ignored in Today’s Workplace
Mental wellness has become the new buzzword for employers seeking to portray their workplaces as the ultimate dream job destination.
However, companies must not lose sight of the importance of promoting their teams’ mental wellness:
- Impact on Employee Productivity: Mental wellness enables employees to manage stress and reduce burnout, allowing them to focus on their job more effectively.
- Business Performance: Employees are less likely to miss work due to mental health issues, which enables your organization to operate at maximum capacity.
- Modern Workplace Challenges: Some employees work remotely, which exposes them to loneliness and social isolation. Mental wellness programs offer employees opportunities to interact with other team members, fostering a sense of belonging.
- Retention and Recruitment: Employees currently consider mental wellness when deciding whether to join or leave an organization. As such, providing mental wellness benefits makes your company attractive to top talent, while also helping you retain your current team.
- Creates a Culture of Support: Mental wellness helps destigmatize mental health challenges and encourages employees to seek support from counsellors and their peers, which creates a safe environment for members to thrive.
Elements of a Truly Supportive Mental Wellness Program
Implementing a mental wellness program is not just about hiring an in-house therapist or encouraging members to share their mental health challenges.
The programs must be holistic and focused on improving members' well-being:
- Tailored Interventions: The most effective mental wellness programs are customized to meet employees' unique needs and preferences.
- Leadership Support: Mental wellness programs require top-level management support, including resources and policy development, to ensure long-term sustainability and success. Additionally, leaders can enroll in mental wellness programs to serve as role models for the rest of the team.
- Employee Engagement Plan: Truly supportive mental wellness programs often have an engagement committee that functions as the bridge between members and the HR team. The committee encourages employees to enroll in the wellness programs while also lobbying the company to address members' concerns.
- Employee Self-Care Support: Effective mental wellness programs provide resources that help members take responsibility for their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. For example, guided meditation sessions or apps help employees practice stress relief exercises daily.
- Integration into Company Culture: Mental wellness programs are most effective when they align with an organization's culture and overall goals. For example, employees are only willing to utilize counseling services if the company culture provides a safe environment (free of mental health stigma).
- Evaluation and Monitoring Plan: Effective mental wellness programs include an evaluation plan for collecting and addressing employee feedback to optimize outcomes. For example, you could conduct regular pulse surveys to assess employee sentiments about the wellness programs.
12 High-Impact Corporate Mental Wellness Programs
Corporate mental wellness programs should promote employees' holistic well-being, particularly in helping them manage stress and burnout.
Here's an excerpt from B.J. Wiley Williams, our founder and CEO, about employee mental health wellness in the workplace:
“We realize the need for mental health…We are challenged. We're dealing with burnout. We're dealing with being overwhelmed with all the different things that are happening on a macro global perspective, and being able to have tools and resources, to be able to navigate that effectively is critical.”
We have outlined 10+ mental wellness programs that can help boost employee productivity, retention, and engagement.
1. Employee Recognition Programs
Surprising as it might sound, employee recognition is among the most effective mental wellness initiatives to introduce to your team. Public recognition boosts dopamine levels, as members feel seen and valued.
Make the recognition programs more impactful by introducing an employee wellness incentive program to celebrate members who hit significant milestones in their careers and personal lives.
Download our free ebook to learn how you can introduce psychology-backed incentives to boost your team’s morale.
2. Wellness Challenges
Group activities facilitate social interactions among members, injecting fun and positive energy into the team.
Wellness challenges, such as step tracking and hiking challenges, spark friendly competition while allowing employees to unwind and reduce burnout.
You could even create a leaderboard to make the competition more intense and toss in a few prizes to boost participation.
3. Mental Health Workshops
Introduce corporate wellness workshops to train employees on effective stress management and strategies to prevent burnout.
Part of the workshop could include on-demand wellness webinars covering mindfulness and guided meditation.
Additionally, organize live sessions with counselors and therapists to help members address personal issues.
4. Health and Wellness Programs
These programs focus on promoting employees' holistic well-being: physical, mental, emotional, financial, and social needs.
Health and wellness programs function on the premise that all these needs are interconnected and impact members' mental well-being. For example, regular exercise routines, such as gym sessions and walking, often help employees manage stress and mental burnout.
Corporate health and wellness programs can also include counseling services to help employees deal with personal issues like separation or the death of a loved one.
5. Community Outreach Programs
Organize charity drives to give employees a sense of purpose beyond the office.
Outreach programs give members a sense of how their work contributes to making the world a better place. It also helps them link your company’s values, mission, and goals to community impact, which is an effective driver of employee engagement.
6. Wellness Apps
Enroll your employees in wellness apps that allow them to track their holistic well-being and quickly identify stressors.
For example, members could track their sleep hours, heart rate, and mood cycles to monitor when they are at risk of burnout, allowing them to take breaks from work to unwind.
Pro Tip: The wellness app should be mobile-friendly, allowing employees to access it anytime, anywhere.
7. Hybrid Work Arrangements
Let employees work from home on specific days, allowing them to enjoy the best of both worlds. They have the autonomy to schedule their shifts for a better work-life balance, while also avoiding the social isolation associated with fully remote roles.
For fully remote teams, consider introducing a remote buddy system or watercooler hours, where members can interact as they work, just as they would in a physical office setting.
8. Paid Time Off
Strong PTO policies help your organization achieve two goals at once. On one hand, they allow employees to take mental health days whenever they feel stressed or burn out, so that they can return energized and focused. On the other hand, employees feel that you care about their mental health and wellness, which boosts morale and job satisfaction.
A proper PTO system should also enable employees to take time off for vacation or spend time with their families.
9. Digital Detox
Schedule a specific time within work hours when employees should step away from their screens and relax, such as taking a walk in the office garden or interacting with colleagues in the hallways.
Alternatively, you could have a separate break room that requires employees to leave their workstations during lunch hour. These initiatives help restore mental clarity, as employees return to their desks calmer, sharper, and more present.
10. Financial Wellness
According to a recent study, six in 10 employees are moderately or highly stressed about their financial wellness. Empower your team to take charge of their finances in two ways:
- Enroll members in a retirement savings program, such as 401(k) plans, and match their contributions.
- Organize financial wellness sessions to train employees on effective financial planning.
11. Mental Health Check-ins
Sometimes people just want to be asked how they are doing, in a way that shows you care about their well-being.
Introduce employee assistance programs and peer support groups to provide members with a safe space where they can share their struggles without fear of judgment.
Managers can also have regular check-ins with their teams to help them identify burnout early and provide team members with breaks from work to recharge.
12. Creative Corners
Provide zones where employees can relax and engage in hobbies such as drawing and painting, or play games like ping pong, chess, and foosball.
Such activities help members relax while also fueling creativity and problem-solving. Additionally, game rooms foster social interactions, especially among members from different departments, which boosts teamwork and camaraderie across the company.
How SoHookd Makes Mental Wellness Programs Work
We understand the negative impact that mental health issues can have on your team and company performance. You may even have employee assistance programs in place, but sudden surges in market demand mean your team must meet shorter deadlines, leading to increased stress and burnout.
At SoHookd, we partner with organizations to implement mental wellness programs that cater to employees’ individual needs.
Here’s how we do it:
- Flexible, Customizable Programs: We offer pre-built mental wellness programs that you can quickly customize to your employees’ needs and launch within 2 weeks.
- Budget-Friendly Packages: Our programs exclude contracts and PEPM fees, making them affordable even for small businesses.
- Expert-Led Sessions: Employees can access live and on-demand webinars on wellness topics that matter to them.
- Built-in Wellness Incentives: We offer the only wellness-focused incentives marketplace that empowers employees to choose thoughtful wellness gifts tailored to their mental wellness needs.
Looking to launch employee mental wellness initiatives? Schedule a personalized call to discover how the right corporate wellness program, combined with wellness incentives, can deliver meaningful results for your company.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Let’s wrap up this article by addressing some commonly asked questions about corporate mental wellness programs.
What’s the Difference Between EAPs and Wellness Programs?
The main difference between employee assistance programs (EAPs) and wellness programs is that the former are reactive while the latter are proactive. For instance, EAPs provide access to confidential counseling and crisis support for employees dealing with personal issues that affect their work-related performance.
In contrast, wellness programs focus on ongoing mental health and well-being, so members do not get to levels where they need EAP interventions.
Are Mental Wellness Programs Tax-Deductible or FSA/HSA Eligible?
Yes. Mental wellness programs can be tax-deductible or FSA/HSA eligible, but only when offered for medical care.
This means that an individual must have a medical diagnosis for their treatment-related expenses to be eligible.
What Budget Should Be Allocated to Mental Wellness Benefits?
There is no one-size-fits-all budget for providing mental wellness benefits. Factors such as the type of benefits, company size, and recurring expenses influence the final cost.
Check out our guide on corporate wellness program costs for an in-depth guide on how to budget for your wellness benefits.
How Do You Measure the Success of Mental Wellness Initiatives?
The best way to measure the success of mental wellness initiatives is by monitoring employee participation, job satisfaction, and turnover rates.
Also, conduct pulse surveys to monitor changes in members’ self-reported stress and burnout levels.
Conclusion
Corporate mental wellness programs offer the best way to address your workforce’s fatigue and burnout. The initiatives provide regular opportunities for employees to relax and unwind, allowing them to refocus.
However, to boost enrollment and participation rates, the mental wellness programs should match your employees’ individual needs.
SoHookd has nearly 10 years of experience helping companies launch personalized mental wellness programs that can go live in under two weeks. Additionally, we offer dedicated support and manage most administrative tasks related to the wellness program.
Book a wellness strategy call today to learn how our wellness programs can enhance your team's mental well-being.
