The DEI and Mental Health Connection (and Why It Matters)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become a priority for most forward-thinking businesses. Unfortunately, mental health often gets forgotten in conversations around DEI in the workplace—and there’s a strong connection between DEI and mental health.

Below, we’ll walk you through the connections between mental health and DEI. We’ll show how they’re related, why it matters, and how you can promote mental health in the workplace.

Mental health affects everyone differently. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated (or highlighted) the problem most Americans face. Before the pandemic, around 20% of adults in the United States were diagnosed with mental illness. That statistic jumped to 80% during the heart of the outbreak.

Regardless of whether COVID-19 caused depression and anxiety or simply led individuals to finally get help, the problem is the same: many adult Americans struggle with some form of mental illness.

Factors like gender, race, age, orientation, disability, and socioeconomic status all play a role in mental health—and when they overlap, they can significantly increase mental health struggles. For example, many individuals from diverse backgrounds, including minority groups, face systemic barriers that limit their access to mental health care.

These barriers, such as economic disparities, discrimination, and lack of culturally competent providers, leave marginalized groups with unique challenges.

For instance, the Black community is disproportionately affected by mental health concerns, with increased rates of anxiety and depression. LGBTQIA+ individuals are more than twice as likely as non-queer identifying individuals to experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime. Addressing these systemic barriers is essential for improving mental health outcomes for all.

However, research shows that there’s a massive disconnect between who most needs mental health care services and who has access. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows the following information about adults who access mental health resources over a single year:

White: 16.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 15.6%
Black: 8.6%
Hispanic: 7.3%
Asian: 4.9%

Nearly 23% of adults in the United States live with a mental health condition, yet research shows that over half (54.7%) won't receive mental health treatment. These disparities in access and treatment highlight the need for DEI initiatives that focus on improving outcomes for marginalized and minority groups.

How to Improve Your Workplace's DEI for Mental Health

1. Focus on Your Culture

Fostering an inclusive culture that values diversity, equity, and mental health is essential for supporting employee well-being. A healthy work culture allows employees to share their identities and be their true selves.

While this isn’t an end-all-be-all fix for mental health, it creates a safe place for coworkers to have meaningful conversations. Fostering such an environment leads to positive employee experiences and a greater workplace environment.

A culture that accepts the mental health needs of its people also creates opportunities to address it. Managers understand when an employee may be struggling, and human resources works to provide solutions for employees who might have transportation or childcare problems.

Organizations should adopt policies that champion mental health, such as providing access to counseling services and establishing employee resource groups focused on DEI and mental health.

2. Educate Your Employees

Provide educational opportunities for employees to learn about mental health issues. Some individuals might not recognize the symptoms they’re experiencing as a sign their mental health is struggling—workshops and webinars can help employees better understand themselves and discover how to get help.

Increasing awareness through education is crucial for recognizing mental health issues and reducing stigma in the workplace.

You can also provide mental health training for managers and leaders as a part of their talent development roadmap. Leadership plays a key role in supporting mental health education and setting a standard for a supportive environment.

Training, educating, and empowering managers to lead on both mental health and inclusion can speed needed support to employees from diverse backgrounds. This isn’t training for them to diagnose or treat employees with mental health issues. Instead, use the training to teach them how to recognize problems and encourage employees to get help.

For example, an untrained manager might see mental health as an excuse for not getting work done on time. While a trained manager learns to work with the individual and provide backup when necessary.

3. Provide Opportunities

Help employees overcome the barriers to health care access by creating more opportunities in the workplace. You might create dedicated mental health time each week or bring professionals on-site to talk with teams, individuals, or the company at large.

Implementing mental health initiatives as part of workplace wellness programs can foster an inclusive organizational culture that supports employee well-being. These initiatives, when integrated into broader DEI strategies, help employees reach their full potential by reducing barriers to access and destigmatizing emotional health conversations.

Also consider incorporating mental health awareness into diversity training programs and creating policies that explicitly address mental health concerns.

For example:

Mental health leave policies - Allowing employees to take paid time off specifically for mental health—separate from or in addition to sick leave.
Flexible work policies - Options like remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks to reduce burnout, support stress management, and can help support people who are neurodivergent.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) policies - Formal access to confidential counseling, therapy referrals, crisis support, or financial and legal advice.
Mental health accommodation policies - Clear processes for requesting accommodations such as reduced workloads, adjusted deadlines, quiet workspaces, or modified schedules.
Manager training and response guidelines - Policies that require managers to receive training on recognizing signs of burnout or distress and outline how to respond appropriately and supportively.
Psychological safety and anti-stigma policies - Explicit language that protects employees from discrimination or retaliation related to mental health conditions.
Coverage and benefits policies - Health benefits that clearly include mental health services, therapy, psychiatric care, and substance use treatment at parity with physical health care.

4. Eliminate Stressors and Negative Factors

Part of creating a culture of mental health acceptance is reducing stress. Stress in the workplace can arise from a range of sources, from tight deadlines to systemic barriers, and it is essential to address these issues to promote well-being and inclusivity.

If you encourage employees to share (and treat) their mental health issues, you also need to protect them from potential consequences. Anti-DEI legislation can also lead to heightened mental health-related incidents and diminished motivation among students, making supportive policies even more essential.

5. Diversify Your Mental Health Care

A one-size-fits-all approach to mental healthcare is ineffective, insufficient, and unacceptable for diverse groups. Consider offering mental health benefits that can be personally tailored to the employee, as supporting overall mental well being is essential for fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. This might involve expanding your provider networks or increasing out-of-network coverage.

For example, consider how the following statistics could discourage some of your employees from seeking help:

74% of mental health professionals are white
73% of all mental health professionals are women
Only 15% of mental health professionals are LGBT
44 is the average age of employee mental health professionals

6. Talk to Your Employees

Don’t assume you know what problems your workforce is facing. Talk to them. Use anonymous employee engagement surveys to gain feedback about their problems and create safe places for individuals to speak up.

Ask your employees what they’d like to change. Are they facing microaggressions and unconscious bias in the workplace? Do they struggle to access the mental health services you’ve provided?

Answers from your employees might provide insights into the solutions you provide. You might discover that your mental health tools aren’t adequate, or you may find that managers aren’t allowing time for individuals to access the help they need.

It's important to address the specific needs of the entire workforce so that everyone feels valued and supported. Tailored solutions are essential to bridge the gaps in mental health support across varied populations.

7. Start a Wellness Program

Wellness programs have grown increasingly popular in corporate America. In fact, 52% of US companies offer some kind of employee engagement surveys. One reason for this is their ability to address mental wellness through a variety of avenues, including:

Meditation and gratitude practices
Physical wellness activities, like step challenges, which can help reduce anxiety and depression
Informational resources to teach about mental wellness

Wellness programs contribute to a positive workplace environment by supporting DEI efforts and fostering inclusivity. These programs benefit both employees and the organization by improving well-being, morale, and retention.

A well-structured wellness program should support employees’ wellbeing in all areas of their lives too- from mental wellness to financial stability. Learn how Terryberry can be a part of your corporate wellness program.

8. Track Engagement

Monitor your work culture and engagement to find red flags and early warning signs. If you see a team’s morale dropping rapidly, you can take preventive steps to alleviate the problem before it becomes a bigger issue.

The importance of leadership in developing strategies to monitor and improve DEI and mental health outcomes cannot be overstated, as proactive leadership sets the tone for a supportive environment. Measuring the impact of DEI initiatives is essential to ensure that your efforts are effective and lead to meaningful change.

Mental health evolves over time. Your workforce might be trotting along happy now, only to face severe problems with changing economic trends or political issues. Regularly use employee feedback tools, such as employee engagement surveys, and pulse surveys to track engagement and use the insights to inform your DEI program.

Improve DEI and Mental Health With Recognition

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