Key Takeaways From Our Webinar "Building a Mental Health Strategy That Works"
Most organizations today offer something for mental health, but too few see real results. Why? Because awareness alone doesn’t move the needle. In our SHRM-Certified webinar, From Awareness to Action: Building a Mental Health Strategy That Works, Nivati’s Haeli Harris (Director of Clinical Operations) and Melissa Johnson (VP of Operations) unpacked what separates one-off programs from those that drive year-round impact.
Here are the biggest takeaways for HR and business leaders ready to turn good intentions into measurable outcomes.
The Current Approach Isn’t Working
Even though 90% of employees say their mental health affects their work, only about 1 in 5 ever use their company’s mental-health benefits. Most employers rely on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) as a catch-all solution, yet low awareness, stigma, and lack of trust keep utilization rates under 5%.
Meanwhile, burnout and stress are costing U.S. companies an estimated $2 trillion each year in lost productivity. Employees dealing with stress and exhaustion are 10–20% less productive and significantly more likely to disengage or leave.
Running a single wellness event in May or promoting mental health during open enrollment isn’t enough. While 70% of companies hold awareness campaigns, only 25% provide consistent, year-round support. Lasting change comes from integrating mental wellbeing into your culture and operations, not just your calendar.
These numbers don’t lie and make it clear that awareness alone isn’t enough. It’s time to change our approach to turn awareness into action.
The Five Pillars of a Sustainable Mental Health Strategy
In this webinar our speakers outlined five pillars every organization needs to move from awareness to action:
- Leadership Buy-In
Culture starts at the top. 92% of employees say leadership support for mental health matters.
When executives model healthy behaviors, take time off, or share their own wellbeing stories, it normalizes care and reduces stigma across the company. Leadership support shouldn’t stop at the C-suite, empower influential team leads and long-tenured employees who set the tone day-to-day. - Manager Training and Involvement
Managers are the first line of support - yet only one-third feel equipped to handle mental health conversations. Train them to recognize early signs of burnout, respond empathetically, and connect employees to resources. When managers know what to do, they can prevent small issues from escalating into turnover or crises. - Access
Provide support that’s easy to use and available when people need it, not just during business hours or pre-scheduled sessions. Think 24/7 access, mobile tools, and inclusive options for remote, shift, or deskless employees. Access is about flexibility and fit, not just benefit design. - Engagement
Even the best programs fail if no one knows about it. Communicate benefits year-round through newsletters, Slack posts, leadership updates, and regular reminders. Repetition builds familiarity and trust. When people see consistent messaging from leadership and HR, they’re far more likely to engage. - Metrics
What gets measured gets improved. Use data to tell the story leaders care about ROI.
Track indicators like absenteeism, turnover, healthcare claims, engagement scores, and productivity metrics. Over time, this data helps secure long-term funding and proves that investing in mental health isn’t just compassionate, it’s strategic.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to overhaul your entire wellbeing program overnight, just start small, then scale. Keep the crawl, walk, run mentality as your approach.
Crawl: Get leadership buy-in, audit current offerings, and identify baseline metrics.
Walk: Train managers, improve communication, and create quarterly mental-health touchpoints.
Run: Integrate wellbeing into benefits, measure ROI, and continuously refine what works.
ROI doesn’t come from awareness alone it comes from strategy. Organizations that shift from one-off wellness campaigns to continuous, integrated mental-health programs see stronger engagement, lower turnover, and healthier, more productive teams.
💡 Want to dive deeper?
You can now watch the full SHRM-Certified webinar, “From Awareness to Action: Building a Mental Health Strategy That Works,” on demand to hear expert insights and real-world examples.
