Stress in America: Leveraging Employee Mental Health & Wellness Programs for a Better Workplace

Although  interest in employee mental health and wellness programs is not new, it  has come to dominate the organizational landscape just recently due to  the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, at no time in the last century has  interest in employee mental health and wellness programs been so  important, not just for employees as individuals, but also in relation  to the lens through which we, as employees, see ourselves, along with  our families, friends, and co-workers.

For  this assignment, you are tasked with researching what changes employers  are making to their employee benefit plan policies and programs  to  call attention to the need for employees to be proactive rather than  reactive in relation to mental health and wellness issues. In order to  be successful with this assignment, you must answer the following  questions.

1. From an employer’s perspective, what are the  advantages of establishing an employee mental health & wellness  program? Support your comments with specific research.

2. From an employee's  perspective, what are the advantages of utilizing a comprehensive,  confidential mental health and wellness program designed to be proactive  in the early detection of potential problems related to mental health  and wellbeing (examples: stress, burnout, substance abuse, financial  problems, etc.).

3. From a return-on-investment (ROI) perspective, how might an organization  measure the effectiveness of its confidential employee mental health  & wellness program? In this section, include three (3) or more key  performance indicators (KPIs) that, in your opinion, could be used to  determine program success.

HELPFUL  TIPS: Through confidential third party resources such as workshops,  articles, videotapes, coaching and online apps, organizations can  provide their employees with skills that will strengthen their ability  to anticipate potential mental health and wellness issues. These  resources are designed to provide employees with the tools necessary to  recognize and deal with small problems before they escalate. 

1. You must support your ideas, arguments, and opinions with independent research, and include at least three (3) supporting references or sources (Note: do not use dictionaries,  encyclopedias, Wikipedia, unknown, undated, or anonymous sources, such  as brief articles from websites). In  addition, due to the dynamic  nature of HRM, your references must be drawn from peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last three (3) years. Significant points will be deducted from assignments that fail to follow these guidelines.
2. Format your work in proper APA format, include  a cover page, an abstract, an introduction, and a labeled conclusion in  accordance with the course rubric, a minimum of three (3) FULL pages of  written content, and a references section. Double-space all work and cite all listed references properly in text in accordance with the 7th edition of the APA manual.