Employee mental health is a growing concern. Three out of four employees say their mental health is negatively affected by work. Often, that stress starts at home with family responsibilities, caregiving, or health concerns that don’t pause during the workday. These strains aren’t always visible, but they have a direct impact on focus, performance, and retention.
Most companies now offer some form of mental health support, with EAPS as the default. However, what employees need most is often missed: timely, human support navigating daily stressors. HR and benefits leaders need solutions that address the real reasons people feel overwhelmed, and don’t overextend their teams or budgets.
In this blog, we share seven strategies to promote mental health in the workplace, beyond EAPs.
At a glance: where employers can start supporting mental health
- Normalize open conversations
- Make support easy and fast to access
- Support employees with caregiving needs
- Train managers to recognize and respond
- Build healthier team norms
- Strengthen peer connection
- Track stress, engagement, and retention
The case for making mental health a workplace priority
When stress is left unaddressed, it leads to missed work, lower engagement, and increased turnover. Employers lose an estimated $15,000 per employee each year due to absenteeism, lost productivity, and increased healthcare costs. Caregiving adds another layer. Nearly 39% of caregivers report high emotional stress. Without mental health support in the workplace, that stress can affect team dynamics, slow performance, and increase the risk of employee burnout.
READ: The Cost of Poor Employee Mental Health: What It’s Really Doing to Your Business
7 ways to support mental health in the workplace
1. Build a culture where mental health isn’t hidden
When employees don’t feel safe being honest about their mental health, the stress builds. Create a culture of care where employees feel seen and stay engaged even through challenges. Start with small, visible shifts that show it’s okay to ask for help.
Encourage leaders to talk openly about the ups and downs of work and life. Make space for regular check-ins during one-on-ones. And keep support options easy to access and talk about them often. The World Health Organization recommends integrating mental health into your everyday systems and relevant policies.
2. Offer support that’s immediate and practical
Traditional mental health programs often miss the moment. EAPs are underused, wait times are long, and many focus solely on clinical care, leaving out the everyday stressors employees face first. One in three employees waits more than three months for in-person mental health care. That’s too long when someone’s already overwhelmed.
Offer support that’s immediate, practical, and personal. For example, Cariloop connects employees with a licensed or certified Coach right away. A real human is there, ready to help with finding a care provider, working through a tough situation, or mapping out next steps.
3. Acknowledge the everyday impact of caregiving
Nearly three-quarters of employees provide care for a parent, child, partner, or close friend—often quietly, while juggling work. That mental load affects focus, increases stress, and over time, leads to burnout or attrition. One in three caregivers leaves a job to manage care needs.
Help employees ease that strain. A caregiving benefit like Cariloop connects them with professional Coaching, reliable Backup Care, and tools to help navigate, find, and manage care. Cariloop users report up to an 83% drop in stress.
4. Train managers to support mental health with confidence
Managers often see the first signs of stress, but many don’t feel prepared to help. With the right training, they can make a meaningful difference. When managers understand how to provide mental health support in the workplace, employees are more likely to speak up and remain engaged.
Just three hours of mental health training can equip managers to check in, recognize early signs of burnout, and create space for honest conversations. According to the American Psychological Association, the most effective programs also focus on modeling boundaries and supporting sustainable workloads.
5. Make mental health part of how work gets done
Even with the right benefits in place, the structure of work can make it hard for people to feel well. Stress builds when priorities shift constantly, boundaries are unclear, or time off comes with guilt.
Help managers set realistic expectations, encouraging people to take time away when they need it, and making space for people to pause when they’re at capacity. When employees feel trusted to manage their workload in a way that supports their well-being, they’re less likely to burn out.
6. Strengthen connection at work
Loneliness is a major driver of poor mental health and one of the most fixable. Even in busy workplaces, it’s easy for people to feel isolated, especially when they’re under stress. The U.S. Surgeon General identifies social connection as a core pillar of workplace well-being.
Make connection part of your day-to-day. Simple activities, like interest-based Slack channels or a few minutes of small talk during meetings, can help build the sense of belonging that keeps people resilient.
7. Track what matters most
Logins and usage stats can be helpful, but they don’t tell you how people feel or what’s making a difference. Look at indicators like unplanned absences, manager readiness, and caregiver retention. These metrics give a clearer picture of where support is landing and where gaps remain.
Partners like Cariloop help employers measure the impact of care support through anonymized feedback and utilization insights, helping HR teams track progress and strengthen what’s working.
The next step: rethinking mental health support at work
Mental health support is most effective when it reflects the realities of people’s lives and work. That means offering personalized and relevant help, creating space for honest conversations, and setting healthier team norms. Small, thoughtful changes, paired with the right partners, can go a long way toward reducing stress, enhancing engagement, and increasing overall support.
Cariloop is here to help make that kind of support easier to deliver and simpler for employees to use.