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Workplace Options offers five practical steps employers can take to support staff after a crisis

On World Mental Health Day, Workplace Options (WPO) is urging employers to look beyond reactive crisis response and ensure effective care for employees through sustainable and proactive support.

“Recovery is not linear,” said Alan King, president and CEO of Workplace Options. “Anniversaries remind us that pain can resurface, but these events also give employers the chance to reaffirm care, reduce stigma, and advance access to support by thoughtful promotion of employee assistance programs.”

WPO stresses five leadership actions to help teams communicate with care:

• Share simple, empathetic, meaningful messages that validate ongoing emotional challenges and highlight resources.
• Conduct regular check-ins. Recovery takes time. Continued outreach shows it is normal, and beneficial, to seek help.
• Engage peer support. Encourage employee resource groups (ERGs) and storytelling forums to normalize conversations about trauma, stress, and anxiety.
• Provide manager training. Equip leaders with trauma-informed skills and toolkits so they can respond with empathy and confidence.
• Monitor and adapt. Gather feedback to ensure support remains relevant and responsive as needs evolve.

World Mental Health Day is not just a date on the calendar: it is a reminder that employers are vital to sustaining care beyond the crisis. With the right, proactive approach, organizations can turn awareness into access, and access into action.

In honour of World Mental Health Day, WPO has released a free toolkit to help individuals and organizations raise awareness of mental health and take meaningful action. Available in eight languages, this toolkit is designed to help everyone, no matter where they are, take practical steps to mark the day. Download it for free here.