Elevating Mental Health Parity: Current Strides Towards Equitable Workplace Wellness

Amid the current mental health crisis, individuals must have access to the care they need and healthier and more supportive workplaces and communities.

• By Lisa M. Gomez, Douglas L. Parker
• Dec 11, 2023

The United States is in the midst of a serious mental health crisis. One in 5 American adults experience mental illness every year, and according to the most recent federal data, more than 46 million people in America experienced a substance use disorder in 2022. At the same time, suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. The personal and societal impacts of this crisis are, in many ways, immeasurable, but one thing is clear – it is incredibly important that we ensure that individuals have access to the care that they need and that we work together to create healthier and more supportive workplaces and communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated rates of anxiety, depression and substance use disorder as well as increased stress and burnout. Across the country, workers braved unprecedented working conditions to ensure that our economy continued to run and essential services were provided.

The same can be said for the climate crisis, as workers continue to face extreme heat and natural disasters in cities and towns in every corner of the country. These workers are heroes, and their sacrifices are ongoing, as many are facing long-lasting impacts on their mental and physical health because of these experiences.

The last few years have seen millions of workers transition to remote work. One of the side effects of this transition has been feelings of intense, widespread isolation and loneliness that many people are still experiencing today.

These various mental health conditions, when left untreated, can impact all parts of a person’s life including relationships, family life, physical fitness and performance at work. In fact, in ADP’s annual People at Work survey, almost half of workers said that their work is suffering because of poor mental health.

Work and mental wellness are deeply intertwined. Not only can a person’s workplace have a significant impact on their overall mental health and their sense of purpose and fulfillment, but most people also rely on their job for the health coverage that they need, including for mental health conditions. Whether or not they have a good job is, for too many people, the difference between whether they are able to get the help they need or not.

Unfortunately, workers across the United States continue to face serious barriers to mental wellness. These include work environments that do not address mental health, challenges with health plans that do not provide easy enough access to care and strong stigma that can make it very difficult for individuals to feel comfortable getting the help they need. Under the leadership of Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, however, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has committed to doing everything it can to ease these burdens on America’s workers. The DOL is doing this by issuing new rules, educating workers about their rights under the law and working with employers to promote best practices that will create healthy, supportive and productive workplaces.

The DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been working with other agencies within the department to develop best practices for employers, supervisors and workers to promote mental wellness in the workplace.

To cultivate a supportive environment that champions mental well-being and reduces the risk of suicide, employers can:

• Implement mental health programs. 
• Provide resources for workers to get help. 
• Foster a culture of openness and understanding around mental health issues. 
• Train managers and staff to recognize the signs of mental distress and potential suicidal ideation. 
• Encourage open dialogue about mental health to destigmatize these issues and help those workers struggling to seek help.

As part of its year-round activities to promote mental health from a holistic approach to worker health, OSHA has resources to help reduce workplace stress and support workers’ mental health through its Safe and Sound campaign. The agency also developed a workplace stress toolkit for employers with guidance, training, real-world solutions and outreach materials to help improve employee mental health and well-being.

Employer-provided resources such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), mental health days and access to mental health professionals can offer crucial support for workers in need. By embracing these techniques, workplaces can not only help prevent suicide but also enhance overall employee well-being and productivity. Raising awareness among employees and providing training on suicide prevention can empower colleagues to identify warning signs and take appropriate actions.

High-quality jobs that provide safe workplaces, fair pay, paid leave, benefits and opportunities for all team members to be heard form a baseline for employee mental health. Employers have a responsibility to support employees and colleagues who require care for a mental health condition or substance use disorder. An important way to do this is by providing a health plan for employees that covers mental health care and follows mental health parity laws.

The Employee Benefits Security Agency (EBSA), another agency within the DOL, has jurisdiction over the health plans of over 130 million Americans, individuals and families who get their health plan through a private employer. This summer, EBSA proposed new rules that would strengthen the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which is a federal law that aims to ensure that people do not face additional barriers to getting care for a mental health condition that they do not face when seeing care for a common physical condition or ailment.

Despite the law’s clear promise of parity between mental health and medical or surgical benefits, that promise has not been kept. People living with treatable mental health conditions commonly face red tape when seeking care, such as unexpected charges, strict preauthorization requirements and provider networks with far too few options available. This is wrong, it’s illegal, and EBSA is committed to doing everything it can to stop it.

In all these efforts, equity must be woven in. It is essential for employers and managers to also consider these factors. Lived experiences can seriously impact the mental health needs and treatment of different individuals and groups.

The DOL is committed to justice, health and safety for workers, retirees and families in our country and around the world. Today, we double down on that pledge and rededicate ourselves to that mission and to a vision of a healthier future for all.