• In the last three years, 94% of large employers said they have strengthened their coverage for mental health care, increased support, or put in place new programs or systems.
• Synchrony looked to take that a step further, offering free, onsite mental health therapy for employees during working hours with a trained psychologist at its headquarters.
• The program has helped workers deal with at-home and in-office stresses, as well as tackle issues like stress, anxiety and communication challenges.

The mental health of employees has quickly become a top priority for American businesses. In the last three years, 94% of large employers said they have strengthened their coverage for mental health care, increased support, or put in place new programs or systems, according to a 2023 Mercer survey. 

Much of that has come in the form of things like telehealth options, employee assistance programs and apps, or expanded mental health coverage within their existing health plans.

But earlier this year, financial services firm Synchrony took that a step further, offering free, onsite mental health therapy for employees during working hours with a trained psychologist at its Stamford, Connecticut-based headquarters. 

The idea was spawned from a roundtable session that the company held with a recent summer intern class that focused on competitive benefits the company could offer to set it apart from other work opportunities the students would be offered post-graduation, Synchrony SVP of Human Resources Rebekah Raimo told CNBC's Steve Kovach at the CNBC Workforce Executive Council Summit in New York earlier this month.

Raimo said while the company already offers several mental health-focused benefits such as virtual wellness coaches and employee-resource groups to its roughly 20,000-person workforce, "We have a great approach to total wellness," she said, but added that the company had "never really thought about bringing a psychologist in [for] people."

After internal discussions that centered around the difficulty many people have finding a psychologist post-pandemic, Synchrony started another important process: structuring its office and undergoing other steps to ensure the experience could be as discreet and impactful as any therapy session. That included ensuring that the records being kept from the sessions would only be accessible by the practitioner and not the company.

To fill the role, Synchrony hired Dr. Jennifer Nielsen, who has a background in working in a variety of patient settings as well as serving as a school psychologist for children, parents and teachers. 

Nielsen told Kovach that on the two days a week she works out of Synchrony's office, she provides a variety of services, from quick one-off discussions for guidance on specific things to recurring sessions with some employees dealing with topics like stress, anxiety and communication both in and outside of the workplace. Nielsen also hosts presentations, webinars and other mental health-focused sessions to better inform employees not only of her services, but around general wellness tips.

While the idea of an in-house psychologist offering may not have been a top issue for workers a few years ago, Raimo said that from her vantage point "a lot has changed in the past few years, whether it's at work or at home."

"Having that integrated approach to how people can be their best, how we can help them to drive performance in their personal lives and in their professional lives because that helps us as a business, that was a big driver for us," Raimo said. "To me, this was kind of an iteration of people being able to have more access to mental health and wellness resources."

Nielsen highlighted the shifting way that people work, and that in the more hybrid work environment, the separation between what happens at work and home is blurry, making a resource like this more valuable to deal with those stresses. "Multitasking isn't always as effective as we believe it to be, so you're not only juggling tasks at work, but your worlds are colliding," she said. "[There's] no longer really compartmentalized work."

As the program is less than a year old, Raimo said the company has not yet calculated any ROI, if other services are being used less or the impact on other cost claims. However, both noted the number of employees who Nielsen is working with continues to increase, and anecdotally employees are pleased with having this benefit. 

"The employee and employer contract has changed," Raimo said. "It's not just about coming to work and getting a paycheck; helping people be their best is something really important for us."

To join the CNBC Workforce Executive Council, apply at cnbccouncils.com/wec.