Alera Group, Inc.

Employer Tools for Supporting Employee Mental Health

April 24, 2023

“May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if ever Americans needed to reflect on our collective psychological wellbeing, now is the time.”



So began the blog post Alera Group published two years ago, as the United States trudged and lurched its way through Year 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Mental Health Awareness Month 2023 fast approaching, it’s important to take stock of where we stand today.



Suffice it to say, we’re still in crisis mode where mental health is concerned. But we’re making progress.



Many Americans were struggling with mental health issues before the pandemic. Most were just reluctant — perhaps even afraid — to talk about it.



What’s different now from pre-pandemic times — and even from 2021 — is attitude. As individuals and as a nation, we’re more open to acknowledging our mental health issues, and, at least as important, we’re more open to working toward solutions.



In a recent (paywalled) article, “As Mental Health Crisis Grows, More Doors Open to Care,” a founding partner in a firm that invests in behavioral services companies tells the New York Times, “We’re in the midst of a behavioral health awakening. The drop in stigma associated with behavioral health, combined with the growing awareness of its benefits, has led to an explosion in demand.”



We can vouch for that.



Ready-to-Use Resources



At Alera Group, we’ve been receiving an unprecedented number of requests from employers for resources that will assist them in supporting their employees’ mental health and overall wellbeing. And while we’ve always been prepared to help our clients in that regard, we’re now doing more than ever to meet demand.



This week, Alera Group introduces the Mental Health Awareness Toolkit, a curated collection of information, resources and, yes, tools for employers to educate themselves and share with their employees. Sections include:



For HR and leadership —




    
  • The Mental Health in the Workplace guide

    • 
  • Internal communication templates

    • 
  • Key messages and statistics

    • 
  • What your organization can do

    • 
  • Mental health resources

    • 
  • The May edition of Alera Group’s Mental Health Newsletter



For employees —




    
  • Mental health resources for individuals

    • 
  • Virtual backgrounds

    • 
  • Email signature templates.



The Mental Health Awareness Toolkit also includes a series of short, employee-facing videos we’ve produced in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New York City Metro (NAMI-NYC) on three timely topics:




    
  • “Tips to Tame Stress”

    • 
  • “Just Checking in … Are You OK?”

    • 
  • “Fighting Mental Health Stigma One Word at a Time.”



And, coming up on May 18, we’ll host the Alera Engage webinar The Mindful Workplace: Addressing Employees’ Mental Health.



We’re Here for You



We hear regularly from employers looking for ways to better support their team, asking how to have those sensitive conversations about mental health. The contents of the Mental Health Awareness Toolkit, we believe, go a long way toward addressing those concerns. We’re confident you’ll find it helpful. And if there are any other employee benefits or HR concerns for which you need assistance, your Alera Group representative is available to help with those too.



GET THE TOOLKIT




About the Author                             



Andrea Davis

Director of Wellbeing

Alera Group



Andrea Davis is a well-being consultant, and is certified as both a Thriving Workplace Culture Consultant and health coach.​ She has been supporting employers with their corporate wellbeing programs for nearly a decade and brings extensive experience in management consulting and strategic solutions from her years at a Big 4 Firm and two large investment banks.



Contact Information:



Contact Us

Find an Office Contact Us