In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, LifeSpeak Inc. outlines five actionable strategies to help employers meet the growing demand for connected mental and physical health support in the workplace
As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, LifeSpeak Inc.—the leading provider of whole-person wellbeing solutions—is spotlighting the critical connection between mental and physical health. With workplace stress, chronic health conditions, and burnout on the rise, the impact on employees and organizations continues to grow. Today’s business leaders, benefits professionals, and healthcare decision-makers have an important opportunity to take a more integrated approach to employee wellbeing—supporting both mind and body for lasting impact.
The economic impact is just as significant—stress-related issues are estimated to cost U.S. employers $300 billion annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, and increased healthcare costs.
“Ignoring the importance of mental wellbeing comes at a high price tag for organizations, as it can directly impact workplace productivity, absenteeism, and presenteeism, and healthcare claims costs,” said Michael Held, founder and CEO of LifeSpeak Inc. “Organizations should recognize the significance of mental health and its connection to physical health all year long so they can take steps to provide personalized support for individuals and families through the benefits they provide and the culture they create.”
Popular topics across LifeSpeak solutions reveal growing interest in the connection between mental and physical wellbeing. Member engagement shows particular interest in areas like diabetes management and the psychological aspects of weight loss journeys, highlighting the importance of whole-person wellness support.
The following trending topics demonstrate how members are seeking integrated mind-body health resources:
- Mental health and weight/metabolic health. Members actively seek resources connecting psychological strategies with weight management, including the mental/emotional impacts of weight loss treatments and GLP-1 medications.
- Hormonal effects on mental health. Data shows a strong interest in mental health during hormonal transitions, from menopausal emotional health to men’s hormone-related depression.
- Mental health when managing chronic conditions. Users increasingly explore the mental health aspects of chronic conditions, particularly focusing on diabetes management and pain-related anxiety.
- Stress and workplace mental health. Rising engagement in content about mental health impacts at work and stress-related emergency care signals growing workplace wellness concerns.
- Social connectedness and mental health. Data highlights member focus on social health impacts, particularly exploring connections between loneliness and anxiety.
A whole-person approach to wellbeing is central to LifeSpeak’s mission and is embodied in its newest offering, LifeSpeak Holistic Wellness. By combining expert-led resources across mental health, fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and more—all delivered through AI-powered personalization and customized wellness journeys—LifeSpeak empowers individuals to care for both mind and body, recognizing that true wellbeing is achieved when both are supported together.
Results from April 2025 member surveys underscore the impact of this approach:
- 98% of users report it helps improve their health or mental health.
- 99% say it supports both their work and personal life.
- 92% feel it makes them more likely to stay with their employer.
- 97% report it helps manage stress and prevent burnout.
These powerful insights reflect how LifeSpeak Holistic Wellness is not only meeting the diverse needs of users—but also driving real, measurable outcomes.
Five ways employers can support whole-person health
To address these rising needs and build a thriving, resilient workforce, LifeSpeak Inc. recommends these five strategies:
- Integrate mental and physical health resources to reflect how deeply they are connected. Instead of asking HR teams to manage multiple point solutions—or having employees juggle multiple logins—offer a unified solution like LifeSpeak Holistic Wellness, which brings together expert-led support for mental health, fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and more.
- Champion open conversations about mental wellbeing, making it a visible, everyday part of leadership communications, manager check-ins, and team culture.
- Offer expert-led, on-demand support accessible anytime, anywhere, and covering the full spectrum of wellbeing needs. With platforms like LifeSpeak Holistic Wellness, employees and their families can explore trusted, evidence-based resources on their terms.
- Embed wellbeing into your organizational strategy, not just your benefits plan, by aligning it with leadership training, performance goals, and employee experience initiatives.
- Track and respond to workforce wellbeing data using internal surveys and platform analytics. Use these insights to continuously refine your programs and address evolving mental and physical health needs in real time.
One LifeSpeak Inc. client conducted an internal survey and reported a wellbeing score of 86%, surpassing high-performing benchmarks within its industry. Even more compelling, 90% of employees said their leaders genuinely cared about their wellbeing. These results highlight a powerful truth: when organizations prioritize mental and physical health through accessible, meaningful support, employees not only notice – they respond with increased trust, engagement, and loyalty. Wellbeing is no longer “nice to have.” It’s a strategic advantage that resonates at every level of the workforce.
“Mental health is fundamental to whole-person health and should not be approached as a separate need to be managed,” said Held. “Employees who feel supported in their mental health are more likely to be engaged, focused, and satisfied at work, which is why it’s so important for business leaders and front-line managers to understand how to create a supportive culture and how to encourage utilization of available solutions – like LifeSpeak Holistic Wellness – across their population.”
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