We’ve heard it all before. Our nation’s collective mental health is in peril. Post-pandemic work and life pressures, financial instability, skyrocketing housing costs, health issues and job stressors are all contributing to depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and other mental health problems in society. The other societal change at play is that workplaces are getting into the business of mental health, by offering related employee benefits, developing programs designed to improve mental health, examining workplace culture and policies, and more.
A wide range of studies point toward increasing mental health needs and the need for employers to support their employees’ mental health at work and home. Here are some statistics to chew on:
- The 2023 Alright International Workforce and Well-Being Mindset Study showed 75% of employees experiencing moderate to high levels of stress.
- The Alright survey also showed only 41% of employees agreeing that their employers genuinely care about their well-being, down from 47% in 2022.
- The American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America survey showed 92% of workers saying it’s very or somewhat important to work for an organization that provides support for employee mental health.
- According to the 2023 Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health report by Headspace, 49% of employees feel a sense of dread at work at least once a week.
- Psychologists are stressed out too. The American Psychological Association’s 2023 Practitioner Pulse Survey reported that more than half of psychologists had no openings for new patients, 36% were burned out, 41% saw an increase in the severity of patients’ symptoms, and 52% saw an increased length of treatment for patients.
In an environment of increasing mental health needs, increasing employee expectations and the necessity to keep costs down and improve the return on investment for benefits, benefits managers are often left scrambling.
Sara Burhans is the wellness specialist for New Belgium Brewery, a Colorado-based company with about 1,300 employees. She said New Belgium has recently expanded its wellness offerings within Headspace, a mental health support organization. Where New Belgium used to provide free access to Headspace’s mindfulness application, the company now partners with Headspace to offer 24/7 access to coaching and therapy.
Burhans noted that, while some companies are reluctant to spend money on mental health benefits, there is a return on investment from increased productivity, reduced absences and more employee engagement. “When you’re taking care of your employees, they’re more willing and able to show up and be engaged,” she said.
Headspace has defined five mental health benefits trends for 2024:
1. Inflation is impacting healthcare costs, and benefits leaders are being called upon to demonstrate the return on investment for benefits.
Healthcare costs are on the rise, and that means human resources and benefits managers will need to demonstrate the return on investment for their offerings. This means there must be solid data to show how mental health programs are affecting productivity in the workplace.
2. Comprehensive solutions are in; traditional employee assistance programs are out.
This is not to say EAPs are a thing of the past — just that these programs must provide access to a range of resources and be designed to help employees address mental health issues before they affect work and home lives.
3. Vendor consolidation and streamlined benefits are on the rise.
During the pandemic, many organizations were scrambling to help employees through difficult times. The result: the average self-funded employer works with 16 different health and wellness vendors. There’s nothing wrong with that, but so many touchpoints can be confusing to employees. Headspace advises benefits professionals to work on streamlining offerings, contracting with fewer vendors if possible, or least providing one common, accessible point of contact that acts as a gateway to other services.
4. Benefits need to meet the needs of multiple generations.
Five generations make up the workforce today, each with a different perspective on mental health and work. Younger generations are more open to talking about mental and emotional health, while older generations are not. Therefore, benefits programs must meet a wide spectrum of needs. For example, Gen Z employees might be more comfortable texting a health coach with questions, while other generations might request video or in-person appointments.
5. Vendors must employ innovative care delivery programs and payment options.
Employees are looking for options, including the ability to text and video call or see health care professionals in person. In addition, since benefits professionals are looking for evidence of a return on investment, many providers are starting to offer value-based care, meaning they guarantee a certain level of performance and success with treatment or offer cost discounts.
Wellable, which helps organizations achieve their wellness goals, has provided some strategies for reimagining employee wellness in the current environment. They include personalizing benefits programs to reach as many diverse people as possible, improving communications about mental health benefits, creating a culture that values health and well-being (including offering ample time off to access benefits), leveraging technology to monitor benefits costs and providing employee incentives to participate in well-being programs.
Susan Bailey, culture, well-being and DEI practice leader for Marsh McLennan Agency, gave another piece of advice. “Create social norms around seeking help for mental health issues,” she said. A company can’t reap the benefits of its wellness offerings if employees don’t know about the benefits or are wary of using them. She advised communicating success stories about employees who’ve sought help and how they benefited.
