Date of Conferral

10-27-2026

Date of Award

October 2026

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Gwendolyn Dooley

Abstract

Employer-sponsored mental health programs cannot achieve their intended impact when employees who need support cannot consistently access, understand, or trust the resources available to them. Corporate human resource (CHR) managers are concerned because inconsistencies in program availability, communication, implementation, and employee awareness reduce access to mental health resources, diminish employee engagement, and limit overall organizational effectiveness. Grounded in the socioeconomic determinants of health framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore effective strategies that CHR managers used to develop and implement employer-sponsored mental health programs to enhance worker well-being and productivity. The participants were six CHR managers from diverse industries across several Texas cities in the southwest central United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available organizational documents and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, yielding four of six primary themes: (a) support accessibility; (b) emotional and psychological safety; (c) organizational leadership; and (d) inconsistency and awareness gaps. A key recommendation for CHR managers is to implement confidential support pathways that reduce stigma and increase equitable access across employee groups. The implications for positive social change include the potential for CHR managers to strengthen employee well-being, reduce workplace stigma, and expand access to mental health resources for underserved groups, including night-shift workers, remote employees, and new staff.

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