Written by Rachael Steimnitz, NAMI-NYC’s Director of Workplace Mental Health, and Alayna Auerbach, NAMI-NYC’s Manager of Workplace Mental Health

Numerous studies highlight the importance of workplace mental health programs, encouraging organizations to invest in initiatives that reduce burnout, increase resilience, and boost productivity and team cohesion. Programs focused on mental health, including manager training, enhanced insurance coverage for behavioral health, employee resource groups, and company-wide anti-stigma campaigns, have emerged as exciting new options. Despite the wealth of research demonstrating the positive impact of these programs, realizing these benefits within an organization can be challenging. Organizational leaders are increasingly seeking data to illustrate the value and savings in areas like employee retention, engagement, healthcare costs, and productivity. They want evidence showing that mental health-friendly policies enhance both individual well-being and organizational outcomes.

The scarcity of high-quality randomized control trials (RCTs) on workplace mental health programs means there isn’t a universally recognized, evidence-based standard. This lack of standardized protocols, combined with the unique cultures and practices of different organizations, makes evaluating these programs particularly challenging. Executive leaders, benefits teams, and managers often have varied goals related to workplace mental health success which makes measuring value complex. For instance, an executive leader might believe that workplace mental health programs should decrease healthcare costs, while an employee might view success as feeling more appreciated at work. These differing perspectives mean that even if a program shows results, it may not align with the priorities or expectations of all. Many organizations also lack the expertise and time for program evaluations, and worries about employee confidentiality discourage both employers from asking questions about mental health and employees from answering.

Despite these challenges, evaluating workplace mental health programs does not have to be complicated. The absence of a gold standard allows organizations to experiment with innovative ideas and iterate to determine what works best for their employees and culture. Evaluating programs is crucial for uncovering their true impact. Is your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) genuinely helping employees improve? Is it easy to use? Are employees using it? Continuous analysis and assessment can identify issues early, such as low participation rates in training programs that could lead to subpar results, or a limited number of EAP counseling sessions causing employees to shy away from using the service because they need more long-term care. Addressing pain points promptly ensures programs are not only effective but also valued by the workforce. Since workplace mental health programs and research are still in their early stages, focusing on the process and employee satisfaction is just as important as concentrating solely on outcomes. Employers should prioritize addressing the most pressing challenges: how to support employees’ mental health and ensure the programs are effective. Here are some strategies and tools to help.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a great way to partner across the organization and measure the impact of mental health efforts. Listed above are sample measurement methods from NAMI-NYC’s latest report on ERGs that can be found at https://naminycmetro.org/erg-report/NAMI-NYC

Clarify and align on objectives

Involve stakeholders, including executive leadership, benefits managers, and human resource teams, from the beginning to understand their needs and educate them on feasible evaluation methods. Set expectations that these initiatives may take time to show results on the bottom line and encourage trust in the process. Align the group on the initiative’s aims and how success will be measured. For example, if the organization is conducting stress reduction training, ask the group what success looks like: high participation rates, employees reporting less stress after the training, or reduced interpersonal conflict among team members. Then, determine the simplest way to collect the necessary data. Clarifying and aligning goals early in the process increases buy-in and ensures everyone agrees on what success looks like.

Conduct an organizational assessment

Begin by assessing current mental health offerings, such as EAPs and training initiatives, to identify gaps in services and improvement areas. The Health Links Module, developed by a NIOSH Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health, includes free organizational baseline/needs assessment tools to guide your areas of focus. The Working Well toolkit, developed by the Center for Workplace Mental Health, includes suggested metrics and program ideas.

Implement employee mental health surveys

Conduct anonymous surveys or incorporate questions about well-being, stress, and mental health challenges into employee engagement surveys. Using pre-existing data collection methods with which employees are familiar helps obtain higher response rates. Frame the questions around wellness as opposed to mental illness to help people feel more comfortable answering questions. Regardless of what data collection method is used, ensure anonymity and confidentiality to protect employee privacy. The What Works Wellbeing Question Bank is a free list of validated assessment questions and strategies for successful adaptation and data collection. The Healthy Work Survey is another free resource that identifies work stressors and productivity outcomes and generates a report with recommendations based on the results. Employee surveys help develop or refine employee engagement/wellness checks to get user feedback on programs.

Employee surveys help develop or refine employee engagement/wellness checks to get user feedback on programs. Lorena Valencia

Leverage benefits and EAP provider data

Benefits data helps measure the prevalence of mental health challenges or mental illness and treatments to demonstrate need or impact on utilization and cost. Benefits and EAP providers can share anonymized, aggregated data to help assess the extent of mental health challenges, treatment utilization, and associated costs. Use this data to set benchmarks and identify areas to improve or specific places to focus your resources, such as providing more support for anxiety if there are many employees experiencing this diagnosis or bringing in onsite counselors to offices that have provider deserts. This method is a quick win because it uses pre-existing data, as opposed to requiring a new collection method. Mental Health America’s Benefits Questions Guide helps ask the right questions to better understand your mental health coverage.

Measure progress

Process metrics, which track the process of an initiative as opposed to focusing solely on the outcomes, are valuable for testing new initiatives and quickly identifying pain points. Track participation rates, changes in knowledge about mental health topics, confidence in skills, and improvements in employees’ perceived sense of well-being. For example, if you are hosting a lunch and learn on a mental health topic, conducting a short survey afterwards to ask employees about their experience and satisfaction with the program is a simple way to demonstrate positive impact. These metrics demonstrate the program’s value and allow for quick adjustments based on real-time feedback and evolving needs if expected outcomes are not met. Do not be afraid to change course. Approach evaluation with flexibility. Use iterative cycles to test, refine, and improve your program.

NAMI-NYC uses satisfaction surveys as one method to measure effectiveness of workplace mental health training programs. 
NAMI-NYC

Just start measuring

Measuring the impact of workplace mental health programs is challenging but essential. Perfect is the enemy of good; it’s important to start somewhere. By focusing on relevant, actionable data and involving stakeholders, organizations can effectively evaluate and improve their mental health initiatives. This collaborative approach underscores the value of these programs and reinforces a commitment to employee well-being, benefiting both the organization and its workforce. In the complexities of the modern workplace, practical evaluation methods are crucial for sustaining and enhancing mental health support. Integrating these strategies and tools creates a strong framework for assessing the impact of mental health initiatives. This foundation builds a compelling business case for continued investment, improves program effectiveness, and fosters a healthier, more productive work environment.

Originally published on www.forbes.com

Author(s)

  • NAMI NYC

    National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC)

    For over 40 years, NAMI-NYC has helped individuals and families affected by mental illness through education, support, and advocacy. The NAMI-NYC Workplace Mental Health Initiative (WMHI) provides custom training and technical assistance to increase awareness and reduce stigma towards mental health in the workplace, create flexible organizational policies and facilitate open discussions about mental health, as well as ensure all employees and their families understand available company and community resources. To learn more, visit www.naminyc.org/workplace.