No judgment allowed: Prioritizing safe spaces for mental health discussions in the workplace

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As an employer, how can you better support your workers' mental well-being?

When we talk about mental health issues in the workplace, we often point to the usual culprits: lack of work-life balance, excessive workloads, or toxic work conditions. However, what if there is more to this? 

When both work and life become overwhelming, worries and anxieties might linger, making it difficult to leave them behind and focus on work. In 2024, a thematic analysis by Infinit Care – an employee well-being healthcare company that offers support services for workplaces – showed that while it is true that workers get stressed at their workplace, most of the employees who benefited from their services cite personal and non-work-related concerns as a source of their worries.

While a separation between personal and professional life must be respected, employers do play a role in providing support to their workers. The challenge here, then, is doing so in a way that encourages openness while respecting confidentiality – something that a company like Infinit Care specializes in.

Infinit Care’s thematic analysis highlighted several themes that contribute to workers’ mental health issues. These include family and relationship struggles, financial anxiety, health-related issues, and existential crisis or self-identity problems, among others.

Too afraid to be vulnerable

While most companies offer Employee Assistance Programs or EAPs that include confidential counseling and support services, utilization is often very low at less than 3%. This is a consequence of HMO limits, confusing rules, gateways to access, and the fact that many workers are still hesitant to reach out due to fear of their worries being exposed to the company.

Marissa* is a 25-year-old who used to work as a marketing associate at a prominent food company. She shared with us that the company provided a mental health support group in the workplace, but it wasn’t that of a “safe space” as it sounded. “They were a group of employee volunteers you can reach out to if you need someone to talk to,” Marissa said. 

Upon trying the service, Marissa felt hesitant to disclose information even if she was assured that details will be kept private. “Ultimately, I wasn’t really open to sharing my personal and work struggles to her as she was still someone from work, and there’s this lingering fear that she might share my story to other people, including the Human Resources team, and eventually, would reach my team.” 

Additionally, 27-year-old writer Cheska’s* employer assured her and her colleagues that online mental health support is available should they feel stressed, anxious, or feel something that causes great emotional and psychological trauma. Unlike Marissa, she never tried to touch base with the service. Nearly echoing the same worry with Marissa, Cheska stresses, “I think it’s just a precaution just in case this information would be transferred or would be transmitted to the human resources team. That could somehow still affect my work or could still affect how the company would perceive me as their worker.” 

Meanwhile, for 31-year-old Social Media Strategist Aira*, one ad that she saw on their company website helped her pivot from mental well-being issues. Her past company offered life coaching to its employees, even advertising mental health services on their employee log-in site. “They gave me access to something that I couldn’t have gotten so easily, yet needed so badly. Therapy is hard to come by, and a good therapist is even rarer, but because it was offered at work and I could do my sessions in the office building rather than dedicating an entire day waiting in line for mediocre service. It was an immense help.”

Creating essential safe spaces for employees

According to research conducted in the US in 2021, companies should include programs tailored to their employees’ specific needs while also keeping the company’s challenges and culture in mind. The study suggests that the best program will be something that addresses beyond services or benefits being offered, but should also tackle broader cultural issues within the workplace that might help ease their employees’ needs – a more supportive work culture.

So, how should employers then foster an environment where workers feel safe enough to avail of mental health support?

A customized approach

Utilizing the Mental Health Continuum as a guide, Infinit Care collaborates with company leaders and HR departments to create customized mental health care for their employees through its comprehensive platform.

THE CONTINUUM. Mental health services provided by Infinit Care uses the mental health continuum as a guide to create a personalized approach for each individual’s concern.

Under this framework, Infinit Care offers hybrid-delivery mental and physical well-being support and has a timely support chat that’s available 24/7, should an individual need help during the wee hours of the night. 

Infinit Care also provides features to build and maintain resiliency for employees. With their app, employees can take a well-being assessment and log their moods, which helps the platform create a customized approach to their mental health needs. 

To continue providing accessible mental health support, self-care tools and resources are also available for employees that tackle a variety of mental health topics. 

Lastly, Infinit Care provides constant evaluation by providing HR leaders and teams access to a dashboard where they can review real-time data and insights into the kind of support or programs their workers need without divulging sensitive and private information. 

With programs like those offered by Infinit Care and the implementation of a Mental Health Act in the country, we are seeing gradual and positive changes in how employee wellness issues are addressed, both in communities and corporations. While the local government support may not yet match that of other countries, it’s reassuring to know that organizations such as Infinit Care are developing supportive platforms and impactful programs grounded in data. These initiatives aim to create a safe space where employees can express their feelings and concerns without the fear of judgment or being exposed. – Rappler.com 

*Disclaimer: Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality and privacy.