The Business Situation
A provider of supplemental health benefits insurance wanted to understand what young Black workers truly needed from their employer-provided mental health benefits. Not just surface-level awareness. They wanted to understand the lived experiences, the cultural context, and the internal and structural barriers that shape how young Black Americans think about mental health and whether or not they reach out for help.
The client knew that creating benefits that actually get used requires listening. The research was designed to give participants the safety and space to speak honestly about experiences they rarely share in workplace settings.
The Business Question
We offer mental health benefits. But do we really understand the people who need them?
The client came in with five questions:
- What are the mental health and stress challenges faced by young Black American workers?
- What are the barriers (structural, cultural, and internal) that prevent them from seeking help?
- Are workers aware of the resources available through their employer?
- Is there perceived stigma around mental health in the workplace?
- And what solutions would workers themselves want to see?
Our Approach
Designing for Candor, Not Just Convenience
We conducted 10 in-depth interviews with Black American workers currently employed full time, each lasting 60 minutes. Respondents spanned a range of employer sizes, from 100 to over 5,000 employees, reflecting the diversity of workplace environments where young Black workers find themselves today.
- Individual interviews over focus groups. Mental health is a deeply personal subject, and for many Black Americans it carries additional layers of complexity: the weight of navigating predominantly white professional environments, stigma around seeking help, and social dynamics that suppress honest disclosure. One-on-one conversations allowed participants to speak candidly.
- Structured to build depth. Hour-long sessions were designed to give participants time to settle into the conversation, move past surface answers, and share the experiences and perspectives that shape their decisions and their hesitations. All interviews were led by a trained moderator with extensive experience in sensitive topic research.
What We Found
A Community Speaks. A Clear Picture of Need Emerges.
Young Black Americans experience many of the same stressors as other workers their age, but they carry additional burdens unique to their racial identity in the workplace.
- Navigating stereotypes takes a measurable toll. Both Black women and Black men described the ongoing effort required to counter negative stereotypes. The specific nature of those stereotypes, and the strategies workers used to manage them, differed in ways that matter for how benefits are designed and communicated.
- Concrete barriers to seeking help were identified. The research surfaced structural, cultural, and internal obstacles that prevent workers from accessing the resources available to them, even when those resources exist.
- Workers had clear ideas about solutions. Participants described proactive approaches from employers that would actually make a difference such as destigmatizing mental health through visible leadership and offering resources that reach workers. These findings were specific and actionable.
The Outcome
Armed with these findings, the client could move forward with a more informed and targeted strategy. The research told the client where programs needed to go, how to communicate them in ways that would land, and why those choices would resonate with the workers they most needed to reach.
That’s what it looks like when research illuminates the decisions in front of you.