Too Little or Too Much Mental Health Support?

By Dan Eisner, Employee Benefits Advisor

We know that employees continue to face significant mental health pressures. We have emerged from a global pandemic, we have been navigating the highest inflation rates and interest rates in decades, we are dealing with ongoing concerns about a potential recession, and we are trying to cope with widespread global instability. Life is undoubtedly becoming more complex—and that trend is likely to continue. These challenges are reflected in the findings of the Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey 2024:

• 17% of plan members self-reported their mental health to be poor

• 22% of plan members reported currently dealing with a diagnosed mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety and, among them, 54% rated their mental health as poor

• 36% of plan members experience high to extreme stress on a typical day, with personal finances and workload remaining as the top two sources of stress

• More than 53% of those with poor mental health felt their workplace environment does not support mental wellness

Employers have been increasing their support to employees through broader access to Employee Assistance Programs, higher paramedical coverage limits for mental health practitioners, and the integration of Virtual Care with EAP services. Insurers have also been expanding the number and types of mental health practitioners available under a traditional paramedical benefit, including the emergence of iCBT, typically favoured by younger employees.

As a result of the greater pressures put on all employees and the availability of a broader range of mental health support, we should likely expect to see higher utilization of available mental health resources. However, EAP utilization continues to run at 6-10% and while increasing, mental health paramedical utilization, is often well below expectations. It is hard to say why this is all happening. Could we actually be bombarding employees with too much information and mental health resources? One thought is that employees may be becoming overwhelmed and not know which benefit to use and when to use it.

Feedback from many employers is some frustration around the lack of awareness and/or utilization for wellbeing programs that they have already put in place for employees. Understandably, employers invested time and energy implementing these programs and have become frustrated when they do not see expected utilization levels. Most significantly, they are frustrated when industry survey data indicates that employees are not even aware of programs already offered. 

The question naturally arises as to where things might have gone wrong. Here are some thoughts and ideas for consideration:

• Employee education and awareness

  If employees aren’t aware of nor understand the mental health benefits already being provided, they certainly won’t value them. If they don’t value them what is the point in investing in them? A customized employee education and awareness program is key.  While there are a lot of “canned” materials available, organizations should leverage their own internal knowledge as to how to best communicate with their own employees, based on what has worked previously in other areas of their business.

• Timing

  Awareness and promotion of mental health resources and programs should not be a once-a-year event tied to a specific month identified as “wellness month”. While these focused and enhanced campaigns are good and can reinforce awareness, employees need to be reminded throughout the year. Their personal life issues and mental stressors are not isolated to any specific day or month of the year.  Like any human learning initiative, we all need constant education and reinforcement.

• Flexibility

  No two individuals are going through the same life issues, just as no two individuals handle and manage stress in the same way. Human beings are all “wired” a little differently and, in times of stress, some people may reach out to speak with a third party, like a counsellor or social worker, to get support while others may opt to manage it on their own. The good news is that there is a relatively simple solution in spending account programs. Simply give employees an annual allocation of credits and offer a wide range of eligible mental health and wellness options—then empower them to choose what works best for them. This approach not only supports those facing immediate health and wellness challenges but also helps maintain the wellbeing of those who are already thriving.

Most organizations recognize that employees place high importance on joining and staying with organizations that care about them, not only in terms of their career progression but their more holistic wellbeing. In an ongoing tight labour market for key talent, caring about employees is essential to attracting, retaining and engaging your workforce.

At the end of the day, as the saying goes, “you can take the horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. The key is for employees to feel confident that their employer cares about them. Perhaps it is not about offering more mental health resources but about offering the right mental health benefits and more choice and flexibility in how employees utilize these benefits.

We would be pleased to discuss your specific situation with you to identify the best strategy for your employee benefits plans. Should you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact any member of our team.  

ZLC Employee Benefits Solutions is one of the fastest growing advisors for employee benefits and group retirement programs in Vancouver and we are fortunate to have the best people, resources, and clients. We provide value by leveraging one of the most skilled benefits teams – collectively over 450 years of experience within our team of 21 employee benefits specialists. We have been working with businesses ranging from 3 to over 75,000 plan members for the past 40 years.