2025 has brought with it an increase of calls to HR and leaders regarding mental health issues and overall stress management. Here are some helpful tips on how to support your teams in these times.
1. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
EAPs are often included in your benefits packages alongside your traditional medical, dental, vision (etc) support. To find out if your company offers an EAP you can check your medical benefits Summary of Benefits document or call your broker directly for additional information
An EAP often provide confidential counseling, mental health support, financial guidance, and stress management resources for employees. Given the sensitivity of these topics we encourage routine reminders that these options are available to the company and how they can engage if they would like.
Many programs include support for personal and professional challenges, such as conflict resolution, legal support and work-life balance strategies. You know, things we all could use from time to time.
Usually engagement with a company sponsored EAP is free (or reduced fees) for employees so any/all employees should be encouraged to check it out.
If you do not currently offer an EAP at your company, we suggest exploring it as an option with your broker at your next Open Enrollment cycle as these options can be helpful for your employees and fairly low-cost to the company.
2. Professional Development Workshops
If your company doesn’t build and deliver these types of workshops in-house yet, you are not alone. There are many options available for you to partner with external firms that offer workshops on stress management, time management, or resilience training.
Look for certified trainers or seminars in mindfulness, emotional intelligence, or workplace well-being.
We also suggest asking employees and leaders to supply feedback on which workshops and seminars would be the most helpful for the team (you might be surprised!)
Sometimes employees do not feel that they have the flexibility to take the time to attend or participate in a webinar that is not directly died to their roles. As a leader, help show support for employees attending events such as these. Also, taking this concern into account, we also suggest engaging with firms that have flexible participation (recorded sessions, async options, multiple days/times etc.
3. Mental Health Apps and Platforms
The majority of employees surveyed throughout our clients (92%) said that they believed they could benefit from therapy but didn’t seek it out due to perception of financial and time costs. And while traditional methods of therapy can be costly (and unfortunately it is damn near impossible to find practices that engage easily with insurance), there are some interesting tech-forward options that are highly rated.
We suggest considering providing access to apps like Headspace, Calm, or BetterHelp for mindfulness exercises or virtual therapy- all of which have corporate partnerships available.
All of these options have a direct link for employees with the app so there are not issues with confidentiality etc.
4. Community Wellness Resources
Encourage employees to utilize local resources, such as yoga studios, meditation centers, or fitness classes, that promote physical and mental well-being.
Some community organizations or nonprofits may offer free or low-cost support services, such as stress management workshops.
Many of these facilities and groups are also interested and open to coming onsite to your company to lead a yoga class or meditation class if asked (sometimes with a small fee)
5. HR and External Consultants
While HR wears a lot of hats within an organization, we are passionate about the health and welfare of the company and its employees.
Work with HR or external consultants specializing in workplace wellness programs.
Consultants can provide customized strategies, training, or even conduct team surveys to identify stressors and recommend solutions.
(Yep- Retain provides all of this for our clients!)
By leveraging these resources, managers can offer comprehensive and meaningful support to help their team members navigate stressful periods and increase overall satisfaction and retention within their organizations.