Mental Health Initiatives That Actually Make A Difference

No wellness perk will offset the mental health impact of being assigned three people’s jobs. One of the most overlooked mental health tools at work? Realistic workloads. A few ways to do that: 〰️ Audit workloads regularly. Don’t wait for people to raise a red flag (many won’t until it’s too late). Check in on role creep, project scope, and hours worked. I like to add a question to growth conversations and performance reviews for managers to check-in on capacity and workload. 〰️ Match headcount to demand. If you’ve added three new programs and haven’t added staff, that’s not growth, it’s a recipe for burnout. 〰️ Make deprioritization part of the culture. If everything’s urgent, nothing is. Normalize saying, “What can we drop?” or “What’s the real deadline?” 〰️ Be specific about responsibilities. If a role includes a bullet like “supports team success” or “takes initiative on cross-functional projects,” what does that actually mean? Vague expectations open the door to endless tasks and overwhelm. Spell out what’s in scope, and what’s not. 〰️ Respect people’s capacity. When someone flags that they’re overextended, don’t just say “let’s circle back next week.” Make adjustments now and a plan to adjust in the long term. If you want a mentally healthy workplace, stop trying to fix people and start fixing the systems that are breaking them.

Most “stress management” initiatives in the workplace completely miss the point. April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month and during this time, we see companies sharing meditation apps, yoga classes, and breathing techniques. And yes, those help. But if your employees are constantly in fight-or-flight mode because of how they’re treated at work… no wellness app in the world is going to fix that. Here’s what the stress management conversation needs to include: - Leading teams efficiently and building trust - Setting consistent, realistic expectations - Communicating with clarity and respect - Providing feedback that’s direct and kind - Modeling healthy work-life boundaries at the top I’ve worked with organizations that didn’t realize the stress they were “managing” was actually being created inside their culture. Don’t just talk about stress. Audit the culture that's creating it. I have helped organizations create positive workplace cultures for 16 years. If you’re ready to take the conversation beyond wellness apps, I can help you start with the hard stuff - the stuff that actually works. #CivilityAtWork #LIPostingDayApril #Stress

🖼 Fuseli’s “The Nightmare” (1781) is one of my favorite paintings. I like it not because it’s comforting, but because it captures something we still don’t talk about enough: what it feels like to carry unseen stress. In this iconic Romantic-era work, a woman lies draped in sleep while a grotesque imp squats on her chest. Behind her lurks a shadowy horse, eyes wide in horror. It’s a visual metaphor for night terrors, but it resonates deeply with how anxiety can feel in waking life, especially in high-pressure work environments. 👉 The truth? Mental health still isn’t treated like physical health in many organizations. We champion fitness challenges and healthy snacks in the break room but ignore signs of burnout, chronic stress, or depression. Let’s change that. Here are a few best practices I’ve seen (and implemented) that make a real difference: ✅ Normalize check-ins that go beyond performance. Managers can ask, “How’s your workload feeling this week?” Not just “Are you on track?” ✅ Make mental health resources visible and easy to access. If your EAP is buried in an intranet or requires a scavenger hunt, it won’t help anyone. ✅ Treat PTO like recovery time, not a privilege. Don’t just approve time off. Encourage it. Model it. Respect it. ✅ Design work rhythms that allow for decompression. From no-meeting Fridays to quiet hours, small tweaks reduce the cognitive load. ✅ Train leaders in emotional intelligence. Psychological safety starts at the top. Art like The Nightmare reminds us that invisible burdens are just as real and sometimes just as paralyzing as any physical obstacle. Let’s build cultures where our people don’t need to wait until nightfall to be haunted by stress . 💬 How is your organization championing mental health? What’s working—and what still feels like a dream? #MentalHealthAtWork #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #EmployeeWellbeing #Fuseli #OrganizationalCulture #LearningBites #WorkplaceAnxiety #MentalHealthAwareness

Fast Company isn’t wrong in this piece. Over half of U.S. businesses now offer workplace wellness programs. A lot more seem to be popping up lately, which for obvious reasons I don’t necessarily take issue with. But, yes, Pat Brothwell has a point here. A lot of wellness offerings have good intentions, but miss the mark not only in terms of execution, but also right out of the gate in how they structure their approach. I talk to people leaders everyday. Judging from those chats, we seem to be in the middle of a massive shift from the COVID days of “what wellness resources can I bring in” to a more direct question… “How can I get the most out of my people professionally?” But that’s only half of what we talk about in those conversations. Many of today’s top HR leaders have woken up to the link between personal and professional growth. They’re not only asking about ROI. They’re asking about ROI with an understanding that a workforce that feels better often performs better. But they also aren’t often getting results from their wellness programs. Which is why I’m not mad about this article. Another topic during my conversations with people leaders? Exorbitant fixed-cost PEPM fees against low utilization. Or maybe their people downloaded an app one time and then never used the benefit again. Honestly, most wellness offerings may fit into this category. Generic offerings like mindfulness apps don’t address the root causes of employee stress and disengagement. Still, I think it’s a mistake to dismiss personalized support en mass. At Boon, we’ve shifted focus away from superficial “wellness” to personalized support that helps employees thrive in both their personal and professional lives. 1:1 coaching provides employees with a tailored approach, helping them work on their most pressing needs. On average, we see more than 40% of the employees at our customers take advantage of Boon. Clients have seen significant improvements in: 💡 Retention: 50% relative reduction in turnover 💡 Productivity: 85% of employees who meet with a Boon coach report higher productivity 💡 Resilience: 82% of employees who meet with a Boon coach report higher resilience Beyond the stats, we are seeing a massive impact on employee engagement and overall culture. IMO, this highlights the value of meeting people’s individual needs, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all “perk.” As leaders, it’s time for us to honestly examine our well-being initiatives. Are they truly serving our people? Or are we ticking boxes? By investing in employees as whole humans, and empowering their personal growth, we can create workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to do their best work and live their best life. That’s the real path to a thriving organization. Let’s move beyond lip service wellness, and commit to the transformative power of personalized employee development and support.