Dive Brief:

• Less than half of employees feel mental health is a priority at their companies, according to a study of 1,500 workers from Mind Share Partners, SAP and Qualtrics. Fewer viewed their company leadership as advocates of mental health. 
• Eighty-six percent of respondents said they thought companies should support mental health culturally. Half of millennials and 75% of Gen Z workers voluntarily or involuntarily left jobs for mental health reasons.
• When employees discussed mental health issues at work — a rare occurrence —​ less than half reported the conversations were positive.

Dive Insight:

Although most workers are confident their managers can spot mental health issues, they're still asking for assistance from their employers in the area. Twenty-seven percent of workers polled by the National Business Group on Health said they would like assistance from their employers with mental health. 

For many HR professionals, responding to this need comes as a challenge, according to Rachel Shaw, principal consultant and president of Shaw HR Consulting. But resources do exist to help those intimidated by the challenge. The U.S. Department of Labor introduced its Mental Health Toolkit in April, giving employers access to summaries of mental health research, examples of workplace programs and links to resources.

Still, it appears employers have more work to do in encouraging those in need of mental health support. More than half of workers polled for Kantar's Inclusion Index said support for mental health issues in the workplace is insufficient. What's more, a recent analysis revealed that workers with mental health disorders are the most discriminated against group in the workplace, with more than one-third reporting they've experienced some form of discrimination on the job.