Overview
CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, with more than 255 stores in 42 states and roughly 28,000 associates. Its teams work across stores, service centers, customer experience, finance, and the home office.
As the company's managers began to navigate more mental health conversations with employees, CarMax partnered with Spring Health to ensure they had a trusted resource.
In one year, the program has reached 28.3% enrollment and is associated with 0.85 recovered productive days per employee per week.
“The work is less about naming the stigma and more about normalizing the conversation,” said Slade Gormus, Manager of Well-Being Benefits.
That support became especially clear for TiMarcus Robinson, a Location General Manager at CarMax’s Wilmington store. During a difficult period in his personal life, he tried to cope by working longer hours and appearing as though everything was fine. Over time, the strain began to affect how he showed up at work.
How CarMax connected managers to meaningful mental health support
CarMax managers were having more conversations with their associates that called for care and compassion, but they were not always equipped to provide the level of support an associate might need.
“Managers wanted to make sure that they were doing the right thing. But when you're having a mental health conversation with someone, it's hard to stop that and say, let me go find the playbook to make sure that I'm giving you all the right information.”
Slade Gormus, Manager of Well-Being Benefits
The goal was to help managers connect associates to professional care without asking them to navigate the care process themselves. CarMax also recognized that when managers prioritize their own mental health, they can help normalize care-seeking and set an example for their teams. Spring Health gave managers a resource they could use for their own well-being while helping associates find the care that was right for them.
“People coming into the workforce have a better grasp of their mental health. They are more open to sharing about their mental health, and making sure that our managers are equipped to handle those conversations is really important.” Slade explains.
Erica Finney, Regional Human Resources Manager, sees this need across a multigenerational workforce, where associates bring different experiences and expectations to work. She has seen a growing expectation that leaders make space for real conversations and support.
As Erica puts it, “You leave anything outside of work at the door and you come inside of work, you do your job, and then when you go back out, you pick up those bags and move on about your way. Today, that’s not possible.”
Faster access to care helped CarMax teams show up fully
Spring Health became a clear first step. Managers can connect associates to care without diagnosing a problem or managing every next step themselves. Members can use the app to connect with matched providers and choose the type of care that fits their needs.
CarMax reports an average of 1.84 days to a first session, while 79.6% of members remain with their initially matched provider.
“When I came to work, it felt like I was fully there. I think it’s because instead of placing that hurt or whatever those issues were at the front door, leaving them in my car, it almost felt like I was leaving them with my therapist.”
TiMarcus Robinson, Location General Manager, Wilmington Store, CarMax
TiMarcus learned about Spring Health through his manager. He set up the app within a few days and had his first session the next day.
“Being a people manager for over 22 years now, it is the best employee-assistance program that I’ve ever been a part of. So I’m a firm believer in it.”
Royal Taylor, Regional Human Resources Manager
Therapy gave him space to work through what he was carrying and helped him return to work to be more present for his team.
What measurable impact is Spring Health having at CarMax?
Spring Health is helping CarMax members access and stay engaged in care. Among Members reporting symptoms, 75.1% improved in depression and 65.3% improved in anxiety, while half of high-acuity members engaged in care.
For associates across CarMax, these results reflect what can happen when care is easier to access and leaders help normalize seeking it. TiMarcus now recommends Spring Health from personal experience. He says the experience changed how he leads: rather than asking associates to leave a problem at the door, he makes space for honest conversations and helps connect them with support. For TiMarcus, leadership is not a front. It is showing up authentically for the people around you.
CarMax is demonstrating what it looks like to build a workplace where mental health support is part of how leaders show up for their teams.
“People perform better when they feel cared for.”
TiMarcus Robinson, CarMax
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