Mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves in today’s workplaces and it’s a central focus of employee engagement, retention, and risk management. But as companies continue to build out their mental health strategies, it’s worth asking: Are these supports inclusive for everyone?
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts are often seen as distinct from mental health initiatives, even though they’re deeply connected. When DEI principles are missing from mental health efforts, support systems risk overlooking the very barriers that prevent many employees from accessing the care they need.
Mental Health Isn’t Experienced Equally
Mental health challenges do not affect everyone in the same way. Marginalized employees, racialized workers, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada often experience higher levels of stress, isolation, or discrimination in the workplace. These factors can directly contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or burnout.
Employees from diverse backgrounds may also carry past trauma, face language or cultural barriers, or come from communities where mental health is stigmatized. Without thoughtful design, even the best-intentioned supports can feel inaccessible, irrelevant, or unsafe to those who need them most.
Where Traditional Approaches Fall Short
Many organizations offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), wellness platforms, and awareness campaigns. But unless these are evaluated through a DEI lens, they may unintentionally exclude people or reinforce systemic inequities.
Examples include:
- EAP providers with no racial or linguistic diversity among counsellors
- Wellness resources that assume a one-size-fits-all approach to stress, grief, or trauma
- Policies that ignore cultural or religious considerations when addressing mental health-related absences
- Training that assumes comfort with disclosure or conversation without acknowledging fear of stigma or reprisal
These gaps can discourage employees from seeking help. or worse, signal that their experiences don’t matter.
Applying DEI to Mental Health Initiatives
So how can organizations ensure their mental health supports align with DEI values? It starts with intentionality. Inclusion isn’t automatic—it must be built in from the ground up. Here are a few foundational steps:
1. Listen Before You Act
Engage employees through anonymous surveys, focus groups, or employee resource groups (ERGs). Ask what barriers exist, what supports are missing, and what would make accessing help feel safer.
2. Diversify Your Resources
Partner with mental health providers who reflect the diversity of your workforce. Ensure services are offered in multiple languages and consider identity-based supports, such as BIPOC therapists or 2SLGBTQ+-affirming counsellors.
3. Design with Equity in Mind
Go beyond equal access. Consider what additional support marginalized employees might need, such as paid time off for mental health, culturally specific healing resources, or trauma-informed training for managers.
4. Train Managers for Inclusive Support
Equip leaders to recognize signs of distress, respond appropriately, and understand how bias and discrimination can show up as mental health concerns. Emphasize confidentiality, empathy, and psychological safety.
Mental Health Is a DEI Issue
When organizations approach mental health from a DEI standpoint, they acknowledge that inclusion goes beyond hiring or language. It extends into how people feel at work—whether they feel safe, supported, and valued not just for what they do but for who they are.
Applying DEI principles to mental health support involves:
- Recognizing the unequal impacts of stress, trauma, and workplace harm
- Designing supports that meet people where they are
- Acknowledging identity and lived experience as part of the wellness conversation
Inclusion isn’t just about policies—it’s about presence, visibility, and responsiveness.
Final Thoughts
Workplace wellness strategies that overlook diversity risk reinforcing the very inequities they aim to solve. But when mental health and DEI efforts are aligned, organizations build cultures where every employee has a fair chance to be well—and to stay well.
Leaders don’t need to have all the answers. But they do need to ask the right questions, engage the right voices, and commit to action that reflects both compassion and accountability.
