In today’s increasingly complex and fast-paced world of work, mental health support is no longer a perk—it’s a business imperative. The World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. Even more shocking, nearly 90% of employees globally experienced a mental health challenge last year, with fewer than half receiving care. We can do better.
Historically, mental health care has suffered from stigma, access issues, variable quality, and poor coordination. But evolving social norms and technology are rapidly changing how people value and access mental health care. Merely having a safety net of benefits to support employees when they are in crisis is not enough. Today’s workforce demands proactive, integrated mental health care that addresses the needs of the whole person.
Unleashing the Potential of Integrated Mental Health Care – Together
As leaders in behavioral health, we’ve seen how innovation and partnership can help employers support workforce mental health at scale and build resilient teams. And while we still deliver high value through our respective EAP products, Carelon and Lyra have now joined forces to deliver a comprehensive behavioral health solution for employers who want to provide their employees with a premier well-being experience.
Our integrated mental health and well-being platform, Workforce Mental Health Complete, is designed to move beyond the limitations of traditional EAPs, improve outcomes, reduce the administrative burden placed on employers, and save costs with one powerful approach.
Five Core Principles That Will Define The Future of Mental Health Care
Over the next decade, the workforce will see the rise of a new five-generation workforce: Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. The shifting generational dynamics have already started to reshape workforce mental health, and it’s clear that to meet the needs of this diverse population, mental health care has to embrace new technologies and strategies that meet people where they are. We believe five principles are driving the future of mental health for the workforce:
1. Digital Access
Employees now expect health benefits to offer the same convenience as everyday services like streaming or online shopping. There is an expectation that care is available through app-based interfaces, on-demand counseling via text or video, and integrated platforms offering services such as financial coaching, legal support, and mental fitness programs. These enhancements make mental health care more accessible, especially for remote and hybrid teams.
2. Personalized Care Navigation with Integrated Support
Digital platforms are transforming how employees access help. Instead of having our employees seek out help via trial and error, AI can guide people to the most appropriate care, whether preventative care, short-term counseling, or higher-acuity, complex care. By offering instant access to verified available providers and integrated service pathways, employees experience a seamless care journey from start to finish, ensuring they receive the right support, right away.
3. Unified View of Deep Benefit Integrations
Enhanced data sharing and EHR integrations are enabling benefit providers to collaborate in new ways to create a unified employee experience and empower provider collaboration for whole-person care. Mental health treatment can now seamlessly integrate with physical health care and support for the social determinants of health.
4. Measurement-based Care and Real-Time Population Insights
A hallmark of high-quality mental health care is measurement-based care. Data on the severity of symptoms over time empowers providers to tailor their care plans and enables network-wide quality assurance. More broadly, providing employers with population-level trends across EAP and the medical plan can help HR leaders identify emerging issues, understand workforce resilience, and better evaluate return on investment. While protecting confidentiality, these insights provide a clearer picture of organizational health.
5. Proactive and Preventive Tools
Today’s younger workforce welcomes the opportunities to participate in preventative mental health education. They are looking to build their mental fitness and resilience, and seek workplaces that provide access to mental health tools and promote mentally healthy practices at work.
Investing in mental health is not just a moral obligation—it’s a strategic one. A Deloitte study found that for every $1 invested in mental health programs, organizations can see a return of $1.50 to $4.00 in reduced absenteeism, lower healthcare costs, and improved employee retention.
More importantly, strong mental health programs send a clear message: “We see you, we value you, and we care.”
What Comes Next
Mental Health Awareness Month is more than a moment. Employers have the opportunity to evolve beyond outdated models and deliver meaningful, whole-person mental health care that increases productivity and retention. It starts with reimagining mental health care not as check-the-box benefits, but as essential infrastructure for workforce health and resilience.
With our new Carelon-Lyra partnership, we’re helping lead that transformation. Our new offering combines Carelon’s four decades of expertise in crisis response, work-life services, and complex case management with Lyra’s digital Care platform and verified available, evidence-based global network of more than 25,000 providers. The result is a seamless, whole-person experience that addresses the full spectrum of employee mental health needs, for individuals and their families, at scale. Together, we’re redefining what workforce mental health can be: a deeply integrated, effective, and scalable solution for today’s workforce.
Let’s use this month to move from awareness to action—together.
