Comprehensive mental health strategy: A guide for startups and HR

A coffee in one hand, a laptop in the other, heading to the next meeting to pitch investors to finance your world-changing idea. There is a real romanticized image around startup life. The reality behind the scenes can be a bit more grim: long hours, high stakes, constant stress, isolation, and burnout.

Statistics showed that in 2024, 72% of startup founders' mental health was affected by their work, compromising sleep and time spent with family and friends. And even more worrying, only a quarter of these people actually sought out professional help.

Unique Mental Health Challenges for Startup Employees

Still, too few startups have formal policies for wellbeing and mental health anyway. Indeed, these topics are rarely a priority in a world of high expectations and tight deadlines with:

• Resource Limitations: Startups often lack the budget or time to launch comprehensive mental health initiatives. With limited budgets and small teams, HR must make tough decisions about which mental health resources to provide, often operating with less support than in larger organizations.
• Knowledge Gaps: Founders and managers may be unaware of which interventions are effective or how to implement and measure their outcomes.
• Culture & Stigma: Fear of stigma, confidentiality concerns, and a high-pressure "always-on" culture can make employees reluctant to engage with programs even when they exist.

• Competing Priorities: Rapid growth pressures, fundraising, and product demands often push mental health down the list of priorities.
• Wearing Many Hats: In startups, HR staff, if there are any, often handle recruiting, onboarding, payroll, conflict resolution, and all wellbeing initiatives, leaving little time for strategic planning or self-care. The lack of formal policies and fluid roles means HR professionals can be pulled in many directions, often after hours, blurring the lines between work and personal time.
• High Pressure & Burnout Risk: Endless recruitment cycles, employee churn, and the need to constantly solve problems under tight deadlines lead to chronic stress and increase the risk of burnout for HR professionals themselves.

Overcoming These Challenges: A Guide for Startups and HR

Before you do anything, keep in mind these six key points:

1. Start small: You do not need a large budget or a whole HR department to launch a mental health policy. Focus on pilot efforts and incremental progress rather than comprehensive, costly interventions. Set realistic expectations and clearly define job roles and KPIs.
2. Promote Open Culture: Something you can start doing without any budget or app is to openly discuss mental health and encourage leadership to set an example, gradually reducing stigma and building trust. Normalize mental health conversations to encourage employees to seek support early.

3. Don't hesitate to partner with external experts or digital platforms: You are busy, and you are not a mental health expert; it should not be expected of you to have all the answers. Third parties offer flexible and affordable support options. Those tools will also help you measure progress and share results with the team.
4. Give Access to Resources: Establishing a mental health policy is not just about writing a statement. Ensure that your employees are aware of the available resources and how to utilize them effectively.
5. Remember Social Connections: Don't forget to build a healthy company beyond work tasks through virtual or face-to-face coffee chats, meetups, and informal activities.
6. Encourage Work-Life Balance: Something else you do not need a budget for: lead by example and discourage working late nights or weekends, while actively encouraging employees to take breaks and vacations.

Practical Steps for Implementing Mental Health Support

How to roll out your first mental health policy in your startup.

1. Leadership Commitment: First things first, ensure founders and managers publicly support mental health as a key value, and lead by example with healthy habits. It will be much harder to promote mental health if leadership is not behind you.
2. Assess Needs and Set Goals: Conduct surveys or one-on-one interviews to understand employees’ mental health concerns and stressors. Based on those results, set clear, measurable objectives for what the mental health program aims to achieve (e.g., reducing stress, lowering absenteeism, improving satisfaction).

3. Define Policy Scope & Objectives: Write a short statement about why mental health matters for the business and explain your goals and KPIs. Clarify the different responsibilities (e.g., employees for self-care, managers for check-ins, HR for training and resources). Ensure that you detail the practical supports and resources available, including mental health days, flexible work options, mental health first aiders, and access to online tools.
4. Document Support and Procedures: Outline available resources (such as counseling, mental health first aiders, flexible work options, and external support) and step-by-step guidance for raising concerns. Make sure to utilize existing resources, such as free templates available online, to fit your needs and company culture for formal documentation.
5. Communicate & Engage: Don't just send an email, host a launch event! Announce the policy in a dedicated session with Q&A, outlining available pledges and resources. Ensure that every employee reads and understands the policy through meetings, summaries, and relevant forms. Utilize internal channels (e.g., onboarding, meetings, newsletters) to keep staff informed about available resources and encourage their regular use. Conduct workshops or e-learning sessions to equip line managers with the skills to identify early issues, support their teams, and handle sensitive conversations.
6. Monitoring and Feedback: Track the effectiveness of initiatives through regular surveys and feedback loops. Adjust programs based on employee needs, changing team dynamics, and the growth of the company. Schedule regular policy reviews based on feedback, evolving legal requirements, and workplace data on mental wellbeing.

By taking these foundational steps, your startup can quickly put a mental health policy into practice, demonstrating a real commitment to your team's wellbeing from day one. And never hesitate to ask for help yourself! To get started, download our Mental Health and Wellbeing Culture Cheat Sheet.