How peer-to-peer support shatters stigma and empowers employees to prioritize their wellbeing

Given the choice between a 5-star restaurant with no reviews and a 4.7-star establishment with thousands of reviews, it’s safe to say that most would opt for the latter. Glowing testimonies of others’ experiences play a crucial role in shaping consumer decisions.  The same holds true for services like mental health support: Employees are far more likely to trust in and take advantage of a service that has been vouched for by their peers.

In fact, highlighted in a recent piece by Harvard Business Review, experts at Novartis conducted a study involving more than 2,400 employees which found that employees are more likely to access mental health benefits after learning of colleagues’ positive experiences with using the services themselves.

The study results align with Workplace Options’ research, which determined that not only are employees more likely to turn to their colleagues first when experiencing psychological distress, but they are more likely to access wellbeing benefits under the guidance of their peers. Through its own Wellbeing Ambassador Program, WPO has seen increased use of services within organizations that have ambassadors on-site. Clients report that the program is effective in reducing mental health stigma at work.

“Our clients have experienced significant improvements via the Wellbeing Ambassador Program,” explains Eric Santa, Chief Operating Officer. “By addressing client needs from three perspectives: wellbeing assessment, manager training, and through the support of Ambassadors. We have seen that individuals within the organization have greater access to mental health support and resources.”

WPO’s research and implementation with clients, in tandem with the Novartis report, emphasizes the need for a more interpersonal approach to employee wellbeing. As contributors to the recent HBR article assert, it is through storytelling, and how employers frame who and what these services are for, that employees are either encouraged or discouraged from taking advantage of their mental health benefits.

In the Novartis study, researchers found that employees who read “mild stories” about a colleague using mental health services for problems like stress and anxiety were more likely to click the sign-up link compared to those who were shown “severe stories” involving issues like depression and domestic violence. The research team contends that many individuals wrongfully assume that “minor” ailments—notably stress and anxiety—are “normal” and “do not warrant professional help.”

Highlighting the everyday value of these mental health services is essential in increasing usage.

“WPO offers a hands-on approach featuring impactful storytelling to raise awareness among employees about the importance and effectiveness of these services from one peer to the next,” said Jean-Baptiste Gruet, Chief Revenue Officer. “In turn, this effort creates a culture in which everyone’s mental health is prioritized and no one is made to feel that they must suffer in silence.” Mental health, like every other facet of wellbeing, is a spectrum: One person’s experience with anxiety may not reflect another’s, but that does not make either experience any less valid or less worthy of support. There is no acceptable amount of psychological distress; everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve optimal mental wellbeing.

“When employees are empowered to share and to learn from each other’s experiences—what they went through, how they sought help, and how they overcame mental health-related challenges—they ultimately create a supportive environment,” said Mary Ellen Gornick, Consulting Group Founding Partner. “As a result, everyone feels seen, heard, validated, and safe to speak up and access support. This psychologically safe environment helps dismantle mental health stigma and reverse the age-old pressure to just work through mental illness, and to suffer in silence…and alone.”As peer-driven support becomes increasingly sought after by today’s employees, staying ahead of this trend can mean the difference between a workforce that thrives or struggles.

For more information on WPO’s Wellbeing Ambassador Program, head to https://consulting.workplaceoptions.com/solution/wellbeing-promoter-initiatives or https://consulting.workplaceoptions.com/contact.