As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, during a time that experts have called “the most psychologically toxic disaster in anyone’s lifetime,” it is easy to focus on the negative. But experiencing this shared trauma has brought awareness to the issue of mental health both on the personal and corporate level.
As a result, companies, including Handshake, have begun to step up and expand mental health benefits including expanded coverage of mental health services, discounts on mental health apps, virtual meditation and yoga classes, expanded PTO policies and more.
Some companies worth highlighting include:
Starbucks announced in April that it is expanding its employee assistance program to allow for employees and their families to access 20 therapy sessions a year at no cost.
Target offered its US employees access to free online resources to help with stress and anxiety.
Kickstand Communications gave its employees more flexible work hours and designated time to step away from their screens to refocus and recharge.
More examples can be found here.
There has been a shift in the overall recognition and normalization of mental health challenges, and a general sense of responsibility that employers feel to take care of their workforce. This is a positive change and should endure and expand even after restrictions are lifted and the pandemic is over.