New York’s Largest Workers’ Compensation Insurer Offers Mental Wellness Toolkit for Any Company Wishing to Lower Worker Stress, Improve Employees’ Work Environment
The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer and one of the 10 largest nationwide, today announced a new campaign to raise awareness of mental wellness as an essential component of workplace health. The campaign helps all employers, including those who are not NYSIF policyholders, create an employee mental wellness action plan, marshalling information from multiple sources.
“Stress and mental wellness are emerging as exceedingly important workplace variables as workers return to the office in higher numbers,” said NYSIF Executive Director and CEO Gaurav Vasisht. “NYSIF’s campaign empowers employers with strategies to reduce mental health stigma, encourage open dialogue between supervisors and employees, and offer guidance on self-care and resiliency.”
Recent workplace surveys reinforce the importance of mental wellness for employers. In its 2022 Work and Well-Being Survey, the American Psychological Association (APA) found 81 percent of U.S. workers said how employers support their employees’ mental health will be an important consideration when they seek future job opportunities. According to the APA’s 2021 Work and Well-Being Survey, 59 percent of workers have experienced negative impacts of work-related stress, while 87 percent of employees said support from their employer would help their mental health.
Interested companies can access, customize, and download an action plan at nysif.com/wellness, which can help them plan a “Mental Health Awareness Week,” and view other resources to learn more about how mental health concerns can impact workplace morale and productivity.
The initiative announced today is informed by NYSIF’s annual mental wellness week, which began last June for its 1,800 employees across New York State and was held again this spring. The weeks featured outside speakers specializing in mental health in the workplace, giveaways to promote healthier eating and thinking, and internal communications promoting tips and statistics on the impact of mental wellness on overall health. NYSIF also shared resources and helplines to connect employees with services for additional help when needed. NYSIF’s mental health week was well received, with 74% of NYSIF employees calling it “excellent” or “very good” in an internal survey both years.
“NYSIF learned important lessons during our internal mental wellness week which we now share with any interested company,” said Vasisht. “We believe businesses want to foster workplaces that value the mental health and wellness of their workers, and that workers are increasingly prioritizing this type of workplace culture.”
New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “The last few years have been extremely stressful for working people across New York State. Employers taking the initiative to support the emotional health and wellness of their employees will benefit from a happier and healthier workforce. We are proud to support the NYS Insurance Fund’s efforts to promote wellness and improve the work environment for New Yorkers. OMH also provides numerous resources to support mental health and wellness on our website. I hope people will review this information and gain important knowledge about self-care and addressing stress, anxiety and depression.”