The right employee benefits make BIPOC mental health a priority

July 25, 2025 12:00 PM

Woman sitting on sofa, speaking with therapist

Managing mental health and wellness — from everyday stressors to more serious conditions — is a challenge for many employees today. Without inclusive benefits, major demographics within the workforce are left without support.

This is the case for too many BIPOC employees in the workplace, when their benefit offerings fail to provide access to mental health and wellness professionals or resources that resonate with their unique experiences, language, culture, or other factors.

Barriers to this type of care can be damaging both personally and professionally, but benefit leaders who work to understand the full spectrum of demographic needs can help close the gap. These efforts should also extend to benefits that can ease the full range of employee stressors, including financial pressures, health and caregiving.

To create a more inclusive benefit strategy, read on for ways to support BIPOC with the right range of offerings.

The key to inclusive mental health benefits

Benefit leaders have a responsibility to provide accessible and effective options, and are in the position to do so, says Abinue Fortingo, principal population health consultant at insurance and risk management firm Brown & Brown.

"We know that minority communities face significant challenges accessing mental health treatment, with stigma also serving as a barrier," Fortingo says. "Ensuring that those communities gain that access remains a priority and it's something leaders should be working to solve for."

Making mental health benefits inclusive is a continuous effort, and requires revisiting existing policies and making small changes in order to eventually drive permanent and positive impact. Diversity is a top-down approach that will require participation from every leader across the whole organization.

Read the entire article here:

Mental health benefits are still failing BIPOC employees

Improper diagnosis exacerbates mental health issues

As mental health disorder rates continue to rise and more people seek help, mental health professionals are grappling with some challenging questions, says Dr. Jessica Jackson, clinical strategy manager of mental health equity at benefits platform Modern Health. Are Black people getting the treatment they need, or are clinicians, employers and HR leaders not considering factors like racial trauma and cultural stigma in their interactions and benefits?

"Is it that we're seeing increased rates [of mental health disorders] or is it that people are being misdiagnosed?" Jackson says. "That's a debate in the mental health community."

A more holistic approach should be happening in healthcare settings, and can also be practiced in the workplace. When employers talk about creating a "safe space" for employees, they need to ask what that really means and not be afraid to look for the answers, Jackson says.

"When we're talking about destigmatizing, we have to think about making a space that everyone feels comfortable sharing," she says. "We can't expect employers to know everything, but we can expect them to be able to reach out and get support to figure out the answers and to find the information that they don't know."

Read the entire article here:

How mental health misdiagnosis impacts Black employees

Addressing external stressors

At last year's Benefits at Work conference, a panel of experts gathered to discuss how employers can better accommodate the mental health needs of BIPOC employees. From personal experiences and observations to social connections to actionable tips, benefit and people leaders shared stories and solutions that can be put in place to give BIPOC employees a better mental health experience in the workplace.

"Their experiences in the things that are happening in the external world are impacting them as they come into work, and sometimes they don't feel safe to access the care that's available or they might not think that the care available is for them," says Tyren Thompson, compensation manager at Webflow and former global benefits communications and enablement manager at Zoom. "That's one of the challenges I've seen."

Thompson was joined onstage by Robert Mitchell, sales executive at Cigna, Nicole Piggott, president of Synclusiv, and Heerva Macwan, HR director at Hackman Capital Partners.

Watch the entire panel session and get access to the transcript here:

Supporting BIPOC mental health: Strategies for employers

Read more on mental health challenges and solutions in the workplace: