About 60 million Americans live with mental health conditions, and nearly half of those go without treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic widened the gap between employers and employees on mental health in the workplace. In 2021, 80 percent of employers said their company culture had been more accepting of mental health challenges in the past year, but only 58 percent of workers agreed, according to research by The Hartford.

The Milken Institute conducted research with diverse stakeholders, including nonprofit, financial, consulting, health-care, and telecommunications organizations, among others, to investigate possible causes of the mental health gaps in the workplace and disclose key actions that employers can take to close these gaps. This action brief summarizes the insights gathered from four invitation-only focus groups that convened leaders from various organizations representing several generations and companies of many sizes. This action brief is intended as a catalyst to empower the efforts of business leaders and human resources professionals against a mental health crisis that will continue to surge unless the employer community offers support to employees and takes action with them.