“The pandemic shed a spotlight on mental health,” said Jon Shimp, head of sales at Calm. “People are a little bit more forthright and a little bit more comfortable saying, ‘I might need some help.’”

Now, post-pandemic, organizations are continuing to reassess how they support employees in a world that continues to evolve. Speaking at From Day One’s Seattle conference, Shimp offered insight into how employee well-being has shifted in the last five years, and how employers can meet workers where they are now.

During the early days of Covid, organizations scrambled to provide access to care in any way possible. “Everyone grabbed everything off the shelf,” Shimp said, referring to the wave of benefit vendors that companies brought in to quickly address rising employee needs. That rush made sense in a remote-first, crisis-driven environment. But today, Shimp says, the landscape is shifting from reaction to reflection. Employers are stepping back to evaluate what’s working, any duplications and how to develop a more cohesive strategy.

That early-pandemic rush to offer mental health solutions has, in many cases, led to “vendor fatigue.” Employers may now offer dozens of digital health tools, but that doesn’t mean employees know how, or why, to use them.

“If you’ve got 20 or 25 different point solutions, how do employees navigate that?” Shimp posed. The challenge isn’t just access, but also awareness, engagement and relevance. Personalization and clarity are critical, and making it easier to find care in a safe and welcoming way is the only way to succeed.

Some demographics, such as middle-aged men, are historically less likely to engage with mental health solutions. “We don’t wake up thinking, ‘I should check my benefits for help with how I’m feeling,’” Shimp said. Addressing these gaps means meeting users where they are with approachable language, strategic outreach and even snail mail campaigns designed to reach the entire household.

Not all employees experience mental health in the same way. There are distinct differences between cohorts, whether by role, demographic or geography. Frontline workers may face different stressors than corporate staff. Educational and manufacturing sectors have different baseline needs. Tailoring messaging, onboarding and support mechanisms is essential. 

Leadership, too, plays a role in creating a culture that supports mental health. “When leaders show vulnerability, it signals to their teams that it’s OK to feel down or to need help,” he said. He likened this transparency to conversations he has with his teenage sons to normalize emotional struggles and assure them they are manageable.

From Crisis to Prevention

One misconception is that mental health support is mostly about acute care, therapy or psychiatry. But Shimp says that for most people, it’s more about prevention.

“Two-thirds of our users are doing okay; they’re not in crisis,” he said. “But they are experiencing episodic issues like grief, stress, or life transitions.” Someone who just had a knee transplant may be upset about not being able to go for a daily run; a menopausal woman may have trouble regulating her emotions, and supporting them with tools to prevent decline is as important as treating a crisis.

That’s where Calm Health differentiates itself. While the Calm app is widely known for meditation and sleep stories, Calm Health is a more comprehensive platform. It leverages the consumer trust built by Calm and adds a clinical layer designed for employers. 

At the core is personalization. “The ethos is the mind-body connection,” said Shimp. Onboarding is a guided experience supported by video, interactive prompts, and thoughtful design.

Users are asked about their physical health goals like managing diabetes or weight loss, mental health status via clinically validated PHQ and GAD screeners, and life stages. Based on these responses, Calm Health creates tailored experiences.

“If someone is diabetic, wants to lose weight, and shows moderate depression, we provide content related to all of those needs,” Shimp said. The app can even connect users to external benefit programs their employer offers, whether that’s a weight loss platform or access to therapy via a partner provider.

This kind of tailored, preventive care, like a 5 minute meditation, can keep users grounded and reduce the likelihood of more serious issues later on. “Anything that introduces people to care early on is a win,” he said.

When asked about return on investment, Shimp acknowledged that most ROI models in healthcare, especially in digital health, are hard to validate fully. “Most are based on cost avoidance,” he noted, like preventing joint replacement. “But did you help someone avoid surgery, or did they lose 50 pounds on their own?”

Focus on engagement as a proxy for success instead, he says. Metrics like registration rates, completion of onboarding, and consistent app usage help Calm Health measure whether the platform is delivering on its promise.

As mental health becomes a lasting component of employee well-being, the narrative is shifting from reactive crisis care to proactive, personalized support. The pandemic may have forced the conversation, but forward-thinking employers are now using the moment to rethink, refine, and recommit to the mental well-being of their people. “Anything we can do to keep someone from sliding down the continuum is a win–for them and for the organization.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Calm, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.

Lisa Jaffe is a freelance writer who lives in Seattle with her son and a very needy rescue dog named Ellie Bee. She enjoys reading, long walks on the beach, and trying to get better at ceramics.

(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)