Mental Health Initiatives
- David Creelman
- 2 日前
- 読了時間: 2分
Those of us who have been around for a while have learned that any exciting new topic in HR should be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism. Not because we are cynics, but because we have seen this movie before.
Skepticism is particularly important when the idea is so appealing that questioning it feels improper. When an idea is wrapped in feel-good language—think psychological safety, resilience training, or corporate mindfulness—it becomes difficult to express doubts about it.
This brings us to mental health initiatives. These initiatives are fashionable, and the potential value is obvious, but let’s apply judgement before deciding which, if any, initiatives to pursue.
Why now?
Every time an HR trend emerges, it’s worth asking: why now? Look at the list below. Why do you think mental health initiatives are suddenly so popular?
It is a long-overdue recognition of a real problem
It is a reaction to a new problem
It is simply the latest management fad
It is a PR campaign for organizations to look good without much concern about effectiveness (i.e., “HR theatre”)
It is the result of a marketing push by Big Pharma. (One study found that 75% of disease awareness campaigns were influenced by companies that stand to gain financially. See Johansson M, et al. Website Content and Funding of Officially Recognized Disease Awareness Campaigns. JAMA. 2024;332(7):589–592. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.12267)
There can be more than one reason, and if you find that some poor reasons are responsible for the popularity of mental health initiatives, then you will want to be extra careful
Care starts with data
Before we jump on board with mental health initiatives, we should gather meaningful data on the prevalence of the problem in our organization and the effectiveness of possible interventions.
If we want to positively impact mental health, we have to know what we are dealing with and what measures may actually help.
Unintended Consequences
As well as investigating what types of interventions are effective, we have to consider possible unintended consequences. Which of the following might be relevant in your organization?
The initiative may push employees to disclose personal struggles they would prefer to keep private
The initiative might help with some issues (e.g., learning to relax) while ignoring more important ones (e.g., clinical depression)
The initiative could encourage hypochondria or inaccurate self-diagnosis
The initiative might create a climate where employees feel compelled to participate in programs they find unhelpful
It’s easy to say, “We are aware of the risks”, the harder problem is how to effectively mitigate them. If we are serious about having a positive impact, we’ll think long and hard about risk mitigation before we proceed with any fashionable program.
Wisdom Over Enthusiasm
A seasoned HR professional understands that most ideas have both value and limitations. The key is not to blindly accept or reject them but to apply them judiciously. Every intervention should be grounded in data, piloted cautiously, and monitored for impact. Most importantly, we need to cultivate an organizational culture where respectful skepticism is welcomed.