How companies can support the mental health of employees’ children

All around us, people and nonprofit organizations are stepping up to address youth mental health. But there’s one segment of society that can play a pivotal role in helping shape a more mentally healthy future yet not a lot of attention has been placed on its potential contribution: corporate America.

Companies can assist our kids in becoming healthier and happier while at the same time maintain the health of corporate America. If the kids are not alright, neither are working caregivers.  This crisis is critically impactful to employers because parents with children under 18 make up 40% of the workforce.

And, beyond that, Gen Z-ers are the future of our workforce.

Here are three ways companies can support the mental health of their employees’ children:

Provide mental health resources for employees and their children. Support geared towards children’s mental health can convert the workplace into a helpful resource center for families. This may include programs like pediatric therapy resources, support groups for working parents, or direct education of youth.

Try offering flex time so that your employees can take time off to spend quality time with their families or help their children through mental health challenges. Flex time is a great way to retain employees and foster a happier culture.

Create a stigma-free company by encouraging employees to support one another, adopting stigma-free language, and providing resources about mental health. Here’s what a stigma-free company looks like.