Amazon is introducing new mental health benefits for employees, their families, and their households as part of its comprehensive benefits package, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to supporting employees’ mental health. Employees in the U.S. will have access to additional mental health resources and benefits scheduled to fully launch by early 2023, scaling globally in the months to come.
Among the new benefits, which add to Amazon’s existing suite of mental health trainings and resources, employees are now eligible to receive five free counseling sessions, per topic yearly. Employees can now also access mental health care 24/7 through a new partnership with the app Twill. Amazon employees who enroll in a health plan will also see expanded tools via Brightline to help their children and teens as they navigate daily challenges.
“Mental health is important for everyone, and it impacts each one of us differently. We are inventing and building every day on behalf of employees to ensure they all have access to mental health resources that work for them,” said Dr. Chris DeCou, a licensed clinical psychologist and head of global behavioral health at Amazon. “With our size and scale, we are compelled to help solve the global mental health crisis. Our expanded benefits highlight Amazon’s ongoing commitment to providing world-class mental health resources for all employees and their families.”
The perks of being an Amazon employee don’t stop at collaborating with great people or delivering smiles to our customers every day. Amazon continues to make its employees mental health a top priority, which is highlighted by the following offerings:
More free counseling sessions via the Global Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employees are now eligible to receive five free counseling sessions, per issue every year, via Amazon’s Global EAP starting in January 2023. The Global EAP was introduced in 2022 and ensures Amazon employees and their families have access to mental health resources, including self-guided programs, mental health coaching, and virtual counseling, in addition to longstanding benefits like no-cost counseling and work-life support.
24/7 access to care through the Twill Therapeutics program
Employees can now also access mental health care 24/7 through a new partnership with the app Twill—a digital, self-guided mental health program. Twill also provides mood tracking, science-backed games, and activities designed to help employees and their family members work through negative thoughts, build confidence, and manage stress. Twill allows you to address mental health concerns the moment they arise and can be used as a supplement to your daily well-being routine. It is free for Amazon employees and their family or household members, and it's completely confidential.
Improved resources to support children’s mental health
It can be challenging to get the right mental health care for your children. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in five children have a diagnosed behavioral health need and 80% are not getting the right care. To help address this need, Amazon has partnered with Brightline, a leading provider in virtual mental health support for children and teens. Amazon employees in the U.S. who are enrolled with covered dependents in either Premera Blue Cross or Aetna now have added support for everyday mental health challenges many children and teens experience.
Partnership with National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI)
As part of our efforts to connect employees to local mental health resources, Amazon is launching a new partnership with NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. The partnership will focus on building enhanced access to community-based family and peer support services for Amazon employees, and is a result of a collaboration between Amazon’s Benefits team and its Mental Health and Well-Being affinity group.
Updated mental health awareness trainings
In addition to ongoing live training sessions for managers, human resources teams, and employees, Amazon is launching a self-guided educational module to ensure that every employee knows what to do and where to turn when a mental health concern arises. Research shows that over half of people with a diagnosable mental health condition in the U.S. go untreated. These numbers are higher for Black, Latino, and Asian Americans. Amazon is taking note and launching a training that leaders can use to cascade mental health awareness sessions across their organizations using standardized content that aligns to best practices and Amazon’s full suite of mental health resources.
Enhanced Global Employee Assistance Program
Amazon employees and their families outside the U.S. now have access to additional mental health resources including self-guided programs, mental health coaching, and virtual counseling, in addition to longstanding benefits like no-cost counseling and work-life support in partnership with Workplace Options. This new program was introduced in 2022 for 54 countries outside the U.S., and ensures that all employees have access to the same baseline mental health support regardless of their location.
These mental health and well-being benefits are part of a comprehensive range of benefits that Amazon provides all employees. Those benefits include health insurance, financial benefits, paid time off, and more. Learn about Amazon’s employee benefits.
