Even for a proactive company like NTT DATA, a rapidly changing world meant they’d need to give their employees something more. And in order to figure out what the employees truly needed, they’d have to do something very important: listen. 

Terri Hatcher, chief diversity and inclusion officer at NTT DATA, spoke of employee mental health at the From Day One September Virtual Conference in a fireside chat session moderated by Denver Post business reporter Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton.

A 2021 study by the National Institutes of Health found that nearly half of Americans surveyed reported recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder. The numbers weren’t a huge surprise, only a year coming out of a global pandemic. But it left many companies wondering, what do we do now?

Aside from displacement from the office or changing how work is done, what about employee mental health? Global companies especially had to zero in on this. NTT DATA, which operates in 45 countries, had already focused on employee mental health, but due to the pandemic, it was time to put an even bigger spotlight on it.

The company launched its Stronger You program, which helps team members get connected with each other and get mental health support. In addition, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have been game changers with employee engagement. Specifically, NTT DATA launched its Lift ERG which focuses on mental health.

“That launch event was over twice as big as any ERG launch we’ve ever had, so that tells you something,” Hatcher said. One key to the success of the Lift ERG has been working across all company ERGs to reach diverse populations, such as Veterans ERGs, Pride ERGs, and more, because mental health impacts all groups, Hatcher added.

For many companies, it’s not just about “getting through” increased mental health needs so that things can go back to how they were before. The world is different, and people are different, so there needs to be a new solution. Addressing employee mental health is the new normal. For NTT DATA, initiatives become part of the fabric of the company to help foster a sense of belonging.

“It starts with setting the tone for our employees around the type of company that we are,” she said. “We do that through education and awareness, teaching our team members about our values and the culture that we’re continuing to build and the one that we want to sustain, and more importantly, modeling.”

It must go top-down. CEOs, managers, everyone must be trained to be more empathetic. One-on-one conversations, really knowing your team and their needs, is how to offer the best support. Sometimes, it’s not so obvious, but in the end it’s how the employee can be more mentally healthy at home and at work.

“One team member told me that she really needed a vacation but was just feeling overwhelmed and really had no time to sit down and plan a vacation,” Hatcher said. “She called our Employee Assistance Program, and they helped her plan a vacation. So you never know what people need.”

Aside from offering resources for employees, an important step is ensuring they know how to access them. It’s up to company leaders to continually educate leaders so they can point their team members in the right direction. At NTT DATA, employees can talk to their managers, but they also have an anonymous hotline so they feel there is always someone they can go to.

But then more challenges come as employees work with people outside the company. As a service provider, NTT DATA’s team members regularly go out into the field and work with clients in new environments where they have little control. Sometimes, that client may not share the same values, which can put employees into challenging situations.

Hatcher mentioned a story where a manager reached out, reporting that a client wasn’t treating the team well for some time. Hatcher called the Employee Assistance Program, which brought in a clinical psychologist to talk to those team members to help them understand how they could operate in the most productive way possible in that environment.

“We really needed to address things for our employees,” she said. “You have to know what you can control as an employer, and your employees need to know that you are there to support them, that you’re listening, and you want to help and support them.”

To be truly innovative, Hatcher said they need all types of talent. But to attract all types of talent, they need to create the environment that is going to attract and retain a truly diverse workforce. That means education and training.

“One of our values is teamwork,” she said. “We expect everyone to be able to collaborate. And to do that, you have to be a good listener. You have to be an inclusive listener.”

An effective leader needs to make sure all viewpoints are being pulled in and considered, she added. Employees need to feel comfortable sharing and speaking up. They need to feel valued and heard.

When considering productivity, Hatcher said you can’t have productivity without good mental health. So that’s why training leaders to be empathetic is essential to company culture that helps employees get what they truly need.

“People need to know that they’re cared about and that they are supported so that when they get there, they can innovate there. You’re trying to free them so that they can be creative and give you their ideas and collaborate and come up with the best solutions possible.”

Carrie Snider is a Phoenix, Ariz.-based journalist and marketing copywriter.