How Employers Can Partner With Their Broker to Address the Growing Mental Health Crisis
As the mental health crisis continues to grow, employers need to put together a plan for assisting their employees. Recent research showed that mental health and emotional well-being have plunged to their lowest levels since 2001. According to another study, there has been a 50% rise in depression and a 60% drop in focus among all ages in the workplace at the start of the year.
It’s easy to believe that this crisis is related to the pandemic, economic recession, and many of the other issues we faced in 2020. However, workplace mental health issues was one of the most far-reaching workplace issues of 2019, long before the pandemic.
With statistics like these, it’s clear that something has to be done. Research shows that employee mental health is connected to collaboration, engagement, productivity, and ultimately, the bottom line. Employees not only deserve better mental health care, the truth is, employers can’t afford to continue to ignore it.
In another study, nearly 60% of employees struggling with mental health challenges claimed their employer didn’t provide effective mental health benefits. This demand for better support for mental health issues is not just a trend, it’s a change in the market.
These changes call for change in the current benefits strategy. In this shift, employers must look to their benefit advisors to help navigate the changes to the employee benefits landscape.
Effective Mental Health and Support
Offering employees the appropriate benefits is entirely within the employer’s control. By addressing employee needs with the right benefits, the employer also addresses issues that affect the bottom line. Traditional coverage is no longe sufficient for mental healthcare due to coverage voids created by shrinking primary plans. And while Employee Assistance Plans can offer resources, they are often ineffective for addressing present and future needs.
Evaluate Your Current Plan
Begin with the primary plan to better understand what is currently being covered and where the gaps in care are. Consider things such as high deductibles, out-of-network costs for behavior care, and any limits to the coverage of prescriptions and provider visits. By evaluating your current coverage you can focus on what a better plan can best address. Your benefits broker should work with you directly to evaluate how effectively your current offerings address employee needs.
Stay Informed
It’s important to stay informed of the overall well-being of your employees. With frequent communication and various survey tools you can learn more about the issues employees are facing. Not only does this help gather information about your benefit strategy, it creates an openness to the discussion of mental health in the workplace. A proactive broker will leverage surveys and data to determine program impact on employee mental health.
Support from Management
In order for them to be successful, programs that support mental health and wellness must have the support of management. Change can look different for many, from encouraging discussion that is open about mental health challenges to communicating the company’s intentions for the new benefits.
Eliminate Barriers to Care
The appropriate approach is one that eliminates barriers to care – one that ensures that access to a full spectrum of resources is easy. Additionally, you can better meet the evolving needs of employees if you take a holistic view when developing your solution.
Ease of Use
Increase usage with benefits that have on-demand access, easy scheduling, and other user-friendly features. This is especially true for younger or more digital savvy employees. Additionally, after a period of social isolation due to COVID lockdowns, benefits that include human connection are more valuable than ever. Consider benefits like member services, counselors, and other in-person care providers.
Enhanced and Flexible Benefits
While so many are dealing with mental health issues, not every employee needs the help of a therapist. Many need help with everyday mental health issues such as difficulty sleeping, grief and loss, or stress related to caregiving for another. More enhanced benefits that are flexible can help to meet the evolving needs of your employees.
Promote well-being
Your entire workforce can benefit from a more strategic approach to well-being. By combining coverage for certain wellness treatments like prescribed massage therapy or acupuncture with resources for support that is more full spectrum you help your workforce to better cope with stress. This preventative approach ultimately boosts engagement and productivity.
Employers find themselves in a unique position to help employers nurture healthier and better supported employees. By partnering with your broker to put in place a better approach to mental health, you can ensure that your organization is ready to respond to the mental health crises in the most impactful way possible.
