The HR playbook for supporting mental health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a chance to open up conversations, reduce stigma, and prioritize mental health at work.

Mental health shapes how we think, feel, handle stress, and connect with others. And in today’s high-pressure world of work—defined by digital overload, blurred work-life boundaries, and rising burnout—it plays a critical role in wellbeing and productivity.

The pandemic may have sparked more open conversations about mental health, but the pressures of work haven’t eased. In fact, they’ve only grown more complex.

Recent research from The 2024 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll shows:

• Work demands take a toll, with 36 percent of people saying work demands impact their mental health
• Productivity suffers, too, with 33 percent reporting that mental health struggles affect how well they perform

The 2025 State of Workforce Mental Health Report by Lyra found that performance is at risk, too, with 73 percent of survey participants admitting their work-related mental health struggles hurt their overall performance.

When mental health suffers, performance does, too. And yet, talking about it at work still feels taboo.

The stigma problem persists 

According to the same 2024 NAMI research we referenced before, many professionals across various roles believe companies see mental health issues as a weakness, fueling silence, stress, and fear of judgment:

In the more recent 2025 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll, the research found that:

• Two in five people worry about being judged if they share their struggles
• 42 percent are concerned about potential career setbacks
• While 74 percent of full-time US employees say it’s appropriate to discuss mental health at work, only 58 percent feel comfortable doing so

This silence takes a significant toll. It contributes not only to burnout syndrome, but also to newer challenges like: 

• Boreout syndrome: When unengaging or repetitive work causes symptoms like depression, disinterest, and energy depletion
• Quiet cracking: When people feel insecure and unheard, it slowly chips away at confidence and performance, sometimes leaving a drafted resignation email ready and waiting in their drafts folder

These trends aren’t just buzzwords. They reflect a deeper issue: disengagement that silently impacts productivity, wellbeing, and retention. Addressing them requires more than awareness. It requires action.

But there’s a silver lining: When you invest in your people’s mental health, you invest in their potential—and your business. Organizations that prioritize mental health see stronger engagement, retention, and performance. 

Here’s how HR leaders can turn awareness into action and create workplaces where people and business thrive together.

1. Talk about mental health

Silence fuels stigma. As a result, many people dealing with anxiety, depression, or stress become experts at masking their struggles at work. Left unchecked, these challenges can spiral into something much harder to manage (and harder to spot).

The good news? HR can make a positive impact on mental health awareness at work.

Talking honestly, openly, and often about mental health is one of the most powerful ways to break the cycle of stigma. And it starts at the top. 

When leaders share their own mental health experiences—stressors, coping strategies, or times they’ve sought help—they send a clear and powerful message: It’s OK to talk about mental health here. 

Even encouraging a C-level or director to introduce a mental health education session with a personal story can set the tone and shift the culture. When leadership models honesty, others follow suit.

For HR, this support builds trust—fueling engagement, retention, and ultimately, business performance.

<<Want to check if your HR processes support these conversations? Use our HR audit checklist>>

2. Find ways to promote employee wellbeing

Flexible work isn’t just a perk. It’s a proven way to support mental health and productivity, especially when:

• Flexibility boosts productivity. In fact, 85 percent of people say they’re more productive when working from home.
• Remote work benefits businesses. Over 66 percent of employers report increased productivity from remote teams.
• Engagement rises with choice. Remote and hybrid team members are more engaged (38 percent) than their fully on-site peers (29 percent).

Offering hybrid schedules or remote options promotes flexibility and gives people more control, helping them manage their workloads, reduce burnout, and maintain a healthier work-life balance.

But employee wellbeing takes more than policy—it takes daily practice. 

At HiBob, we created a 31-day mental health challenge calendar to encourage Bobbers to prioritize self-care. From taking outdoor meetings to scheduling regular breaks, these small, sustainable habits add up to a healthier, more resilient workforce.

<<Print it, pin it, practice it. Download the calendar and bring self-care into your workday.>>

3. Create employee resource groups (ERGs) dedicated to mental health 

Sometimes, the best support comes from people who get it. 

Employee resource groups (ERGs) dedicated to promoting mental health in the workplace help create safe spaces for colleagues to:

• Share experiences around anxiety, stress, and burnout
• Learn healthy coping strategies
• Offer ongoing peer support

HR doesn’t need to lead ERGs directly, but it can play a pivotal role by providing resources, visibility, and executive sponsorship to help people shape the group to fit their needs.

<<Ready to start your own ERG? Check out our practical how-to guide, and start today.>>

4. Make it easier for people to get treatment

Access matters. Yet in many workplaces, people struggle to use the benefits available:

• Care isn’t easy to find. About one in five people in the US say it’s hard to access affordable, in-network, or timely mental health care through their employer, especially women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and younger people.
• Support often falls short. Globally, 75 percent of professionals experience work-related mental health challenges, but 40 percent manage these struggles on their own.

Access barriers vary by country, but one thing is universal: Without clear guidance, people may never seek help or even know there is help to seek.

These underused resources are a huge missed opportunity for people and businesses. Accessible mental health support can improve engagement, reduce absences and burnout, and boost performance.

HR can bridge this gap by:

• Promoting mental health benefits early (during onboarding) and often (in internal communications)
• Normalizing usage by spotlighting resources and stories
• Making sure every team member knows how to find help when they need it

Can’t offer full coverage? Consider some of these creative, lower-cost support options:

• Affordable therapy apps. Tools like BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Ginger offer virtual therapy sessions—many employers can provide these as a benefit at no cost.
• Meditation tools. Apps like Calm or Headspace help people build healthier habits around rest, focus, and stress management.
• Wellness and support circles. These informal, facilitated groups create safe, informal spaces for people to share, decompress, and support one another.
• Access to professional counseling. Hiring an on-site or remote mental health counselor provides real-time, confidential support.

When people know support is there—and how to get it—they feel seen. That investment in their wellbeing pays off in engagement, retention, and performance.

5. Train managers in proactive and preventive measures

Managers are on the front lines—often the first to notice when someone’s overwhelmed, disengaged, or getting burnt out. But many don’t feel equipped to help.

The awareness gap is real:

• Mental health at work remains a mystery. For example, 35 percent of UK professionals don’t know what mental health support their company offers.
• Access is still unclear. In the US, 25 percent of professionals don’t know if coverage exists, and up to 46 percent aren’t sure how to access it—especially entry-level team members. 
• Managers face the same uncertainty. A whopping 22 percent don’t know what benefits are available, and 45 percent aren’t sure how to help their teams access support, according to NAMI’s 2025 Workplace Mental Health Poll. 

This awareness gap results in underused resources and benefits. One study found a 70-point difference between how highly people value mental health support and how often they actually use it.

HR leaders can close this gap by equipping managers with the right training to: 

• Recognize early signs of stress or burnout
• Ask open, empathetic questions (not just status updates)
• Confidently share details about available resources and how to access them
• Build a culture of trust and psychological safety

Well-trained managers are the first line of defense against burnout, disengagement, and quiet quitting, making their role essential in both people care and business continuity.

HR’s role in caring for people’s mental health and wellbeing

Supporting mental health in the workplace isn’t a box to tick—it’s an ongoing commitment.

HR leaders play a pivotal role in encouraging open conversations, promoting flexible work, creating support networks like ERGs, improving access to care, and training managers to lead with empathy.

But the work doesn’t stop there. Closing the awareness gap—so every person knows what support is available and how to access it—removes stigma and builds trust. Real change happens when managers know how to offer support and teams feel safe enough to ask for it.

Because when you invest in your people’s mental health, you’re investing in your business.

So, ask yourself: What’s one thing you can do today to make a difference? A conversation? A shared resource? It all adds up. 

When people thrive, businesses thrive too.