Oklahoma businesses should champion employee mental wellness. Here’s why.

You don’t have to search long to find evidence of a mental health crisis in our nation. Ninety percent of Americans believe we are in crisis. For many Oklahomans, the experience is personal. In a 2022 national survey, Oklahoma ranked alongside Mississippi as the state with the highest rate of anxiety and depression.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when everyone should reflect on their mental wellness. It’s also a time for business leaders to take stock of how they’re supporting their employees’ mental health; how they’re helping pull our state from the bottom to the top of the list. Organizations and leaders have much more impact than they realize.

According to a study from The Harris Poll, work is where we spend most of our time, yet 58% of employees do not feel comfortable talking about their mental health at work. Over half of employees with mental health experiences don't discuss it, and 62% are uncomfortable using their company's mental health services. Why is this acceptable in today’s world? Companies can provide platitudes of support, but if employees aren't accessing resources, or worse, employers aren't providing any, mental wellness will continue to decline. The result for businesses? Underperformance, absenteeism and turnover.

So how can today's business leaders change the tides of mental wellness for their organizations and communities?

Through action, of course.

It takes a series of small but deliberate changes to transform a company's approach to mental wellness. It’s not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. So, start by offering resources tailored to your workforce. A few tangible examples are providing on-site access to resources (private space for virtual appointments, on-site well-being professionals, literacy of resources, etc.), employee assistance programs or more extensive health plans that include mental health services. There is significant mental health impact tied to financial wellness, so additional support via financial wellness technology or coaches can help employees feel more confident about their financial stability and future planning. Paying fair wages and giving employees ample opportunities to grow, upskill and even reskill fosters retention and shows team members you see their strengths and believe in their potential.

Moving past on-site resources perks, we see physical and mental benefits when employees feel connected to their communities and causes. Studies show a strong connection between joy and giving; when we give, we stimulate our brain's reward center and often feel happier and for longer. Programs that encourage giving and volunteering are win-wins for our communities and businesses.

Finally, embed mental wellness into your culture. A company can only have a positive work environment with empathetic, authentic leaders. When Paycom CEO Chad Richison founded the mental health nonprofit the Green Shoe Foundation, which offers adult retreats to focus on healing from childhood trauma, he sent a message that echoed throughout the whole company — your well-being matters. As an organization, we are continuously refining our mental health offerings but are proud of the robust variety of benefits we offer team members. Even more, we’re proud that we are actively working to remove any stigma that comes with discussing mental health and well-being in the workplace. We work hard to remove the barriers and create the access for our people.

The last few years have cast a long shadow for many of us, but mental health ill-health and isolation can’t be a “norm” we see but don’t act on. We must normalize it through action. Through thoughtful, open dialogue and strategic corporate support and human initiatives, Oklahoma leaders can be the change that creates a healthier tomorrow for everyone.

Tanner Bergman is the head of well-being at Paycom.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest: Oklahoma leaders can be change that creates healthier tomorrow