The importance of prioritizing the mental health of your employees cannot be overstated. Ensuring the overall well-being of the people who build up your business is vital to its direct success. Mental health issues, like stress and anxiety, are at an all-time high in the workplace. In fact, 50% of full-time U.S. workers have left a previous role due, at least in part, to mental health reasons. While workplace mental health has traditionally been the responsibility of HR teams, it’s now vital for the leaders of the organizations to take this into their hands as well, in order to fight against burnout and stress. Here are five ways you can help your employees and promote mental health in the workplace:

1. Open the conversation.
   One of the easiest and best ways to let your employees know you care about their mental health is to tell them you care and open up the conversation about mental health-related issues. Every team member is certainly entitled to their privacy, so it’s important to create a safe space and encourage managers to invite employees to share how they’re feeling — their work-life balance, their workload and how connected they feel to their work and team. Managers should also make their employees aware of company resources for mental health support and encourage them to seek help if needed.
   
   
2. Create a task force or group dedicated to employee well-being.
   It’s important to provide a group specifically designated to help employees navigate their mental health issues, via education and support. Mental health issues can be extremely difficult to talk about, so creating a group for them to turn to, essentially a safe space, will allow them to feel more comfortable seeking help.
   
   
3. Normalize mental health days.
   Everyone needs a break at some point. Allow your employees to feel comfortable taking a mental health break by offering a generous PTO package and encouraging your leadership team to take mental health days as a model for the rest of your employees. You can also incorporate perks like Summer Fridays, where members can take a half-day on Fridays or a self-care day once a month. Allowing your employees to take a break from time to time will allow them to be their best selves when they come back to work, rather than being burnt out and working on a low battery.
   
   
4. Build mindfulness activities into the workday.
   As we all know, the workday can be hectic and stressful. For many people, work is a leading cause of stress. Many things at work can cause stress, whether it’s from the stress of meeting a certain quota, difficult clients or conflict with coworkers; slowing down, as counterintuitive as it may sound, is necessary from time to time. Taking time to pause in the midst of a storm can offer people the power and energy that they need to push through. Uniting your team in mindfulness will not only lower levels of stress, but can also help strengthen coworker relationships and reduce conflicts. Ways to encourage mindfulness activities at work can include breathing exercises, listening to calm music or using a meditation app.
   
   
5. Promote learning and development at work.
   According to SHRM 2024, 44% of U.S. employees feel burned out at work. One way to combat burnout in your employees is to help your employees feel that they are learning and progressing. If someone feels that their work has a purpose, or that they have potential to advance in their careers, they will feel more fulfilled and empowered. Offer them the tools to learn more and magnify their positions. Offer them incentives to break up hours of mundane work and promote a “big‑picture” ideology to give them purpose.
   
   Another way to help employees maintain their mental health is to create opportunities for employees to learn about the importance of doing so, and how they can address mental health issues they may face at work. Offering courses and training sessions aimed at helping them grow both mentally and within the field will go a long way. It can also remove the stigma and help them feel more comfortable communicating their issues. Consider customization to help your employees learn about specific ways they can learn to deal with certain mental health issues that may arise from their own roles.

According to the “Mental Health at Work Report,” employees who felt supported by their employer with their mental health were 3 times more likely to feel comfortable talking about mental health at work and 5.6 times more likely to trust their company and its leaders.

Not every person will respond the same to the methods you may use to support them. That’s why it’s important to take a multi‑faceted approach and offer your employees multiple ways to improve their mental health on an ongoing basis.

If you prioritize your team members’ mental health, your workplace will reap the benefits. It will foster a more positive work environment, with employees better equipped to tackle their workloads and produce great results. Successful businessman Richard Branson once said, “If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

Take the steps today to create a safe and supportive environment for your employees — for them, for you and for your business.