Ensuring your company is actively prioritizing worker well-being requires an ongoing, sustainable commitment from leadership and all teams. Not sure where to start? We recommend reviewing industry best practices and policies through Mental Health America’s Workplace Mental Health in 2025 report to learn from employers that are leading the way in workplace wellness.

The core attributes of healthy workplace environments – found across industry, size, or type –  are rooted in a commitment to strong organizational values and human-centered management practices. In our research, 90% of employees in unhealthy workplaces report that work-related stress affects their mental health, more than twice the rate in healthy workplaces*. It’s more important than ever that leaders continue to prioritize efforts that create a healthy workplace environment for all employees.

To assess if your workplace is on the path to wellness, consider the following questions to help uncover areas that need might need improvement across your organization:

  1. Organizational values and trust: Do people inside and outside of the organization have a clear understanding of who you are and what they can rely on you for? Are leaders and all employees working together to build a culture based on trust and support? Organizations that are transparent and definitive about what they stand for and how they treat their people are significantly more likely to report lower rates of absenteeism, illness, and turnover, and are more likely to report a healthy workplace environment.
  2. Open communication: Are you creating an environment of open communication that contributes to a more energetic and productive workforce? How are you keeping the communication process transparent? On average, 94% of employers qualifying for Mental Health America’s Bell Seal recognition program have an internal communications plan for major transitions, which includes consideration of the potential impact of transitions on employees.
  3. Safe and productive atmosphere: Are you maintaining a clean, functional, and well-lit space? Do remote and hybrid-based workers feel connected and supported? Is your HR team spending a lot of time navigating negative interpersonal conflicts? Do employees report feeling respected, appreciated, incentivized, and rewarded? Are there signs of intimidation, bullying, sexual harassment, or other concerning behaviors? Creating a psychologically safe work environment is essential to preventing workplace incidents, preventing burnout, and fostering the healthy relationships every workplace needs to thrive.
  4. Management accountability: Do employees have the opportunity to provide work-related feedback to their supervisors? Is anonymity protected in that process? What is the policy for addressing negative experiences and grievances by employees? One of the areas that we see consistently needs more investment across all types of employers is training and support for managers. Organizations that employ effective people managers are more likely to create a healthy and psychologically safe workplace.
  5. Targeted, whole health approach: Are health plan decisions informed by employee feedback and health care utilization data? Are mental health conditions and concerns being addressed through health care coverage? Effectively improving worker health and well-being requires offering comprehensive health insurance plans that take a whole health approach and are designed for your unique worker populations. These can include programs to prevent diabetes, smoking cessation programs, and substance use programs.
  6. Focus on prevention: Do your benefits and offerings help employees invest in prevention-focused health, such as physical exercise and restful sleep? Do remote workers have what they need to create a healthy dividing line between work and home? Many employers have been promoting physical fitness for years, through things like gym memberships. We see this as an area where employers are getting creative, especially when budgets are low. Some ideas to consider: opportunities to volunteer, passes to national parks, funds for emotional support animals, nutrition workshops, and technology apps that track fitness and promote healthy habits.
  7. Employee participation: Do employees understand the benefits being offered? Are they actively using those benefits? Are they supporting their co-workers? It takes effort from all employees to make a healthy workplace. If employees do not feel comfortable accessing your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or are hesitant to participate in workplace wellness activities, it’s time to examine the root cause and rule out larger, organization-wide obstacles, such as a lack of trust.
  8. Reasonable accommodations: Are there policies in place that support employee accommodations, and are they adhered to? Providing reasonable accommodations is not special treatment. From changing a work schedule to the use of interpreters or technologically-adapted equipment, accommodations are designed to support the safety and productivity of employees in unique circumstances.
  9. Life event support: Do you know what employees are struggling with outside of work and how to support them? Many employers are investing in programs that provide care and support for special circumstances, such as caregiving assistance, menopause health care, student debt, financial literacy, support for pets, and more.
  10. Livable wage: Are you providing a livable wage? Providing a livable wage encourages a committed and sustained workforce. This Living Wage Calculator from MIT is an excellent resource for determining living wages based on geographic region.

These questions are just the start! They are designed to get you and your team talking and thinking about how you can improve your path to wellness.

Are you interested in learning how your organization scores in workplace wellness efforts? MHA has developed the Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health, a recognition program for employers who are committed to creating mentally healthy workplaces.