5 communication strategies to drive mental health benefit usage
Companies must take a more calculated and consistent approach to communication in order to encourage utilization.
It’s no secret the pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone’s mental health. Studies show that remote employees are working longer hours than ever before while faced with distractions at home, including childcare and homeschooling challenges. Meanwhile on the hospital, factory, retail and restaurant floor, staff shortages have also forced these essential workers to put in more hours, sometimes under extremely stressful conditions. Not to mention, the general stress caused by the pandemic itself, social unrest, isolation, loneliness and the seemingly never-ending gloom and doom have piled on to an already difficult situation.
Related: Employees are stressed, but they’re afraid to admit it
Employers know their employees are struggling and 84% of CFOs say their company has successfully addressed employee wellness. The problem is, fewer than 1/3 of employees agree. This begs the question: if more companies are offering more mental health benefits, could it be that employees simply aren’t aware of them? Having benefits in place is of little use if employees don’t know about them or take advantage of them.
Simply sending out an email announcement isn’t nearly enough. Companies must take a more calculated and consistent approach to communication in order to encourage utilization of these important benefits. Here are five strategies that can help.
1. Normalize the mental health conversation in your organization.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 60% of employees say they have less energy for activities outside of work, 52% have trouble sleeping and 42% have had symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder. If you think it’s not a problem in your organization, the statistics prove you wrong. But the stigma we’ve seen for years around mental health makes many of us uncomfortable to bring it up. So, we offer a program and hope that suffices.
But that’s not good enough. As leaders, we need to talk about mental health challenges and make sure employees feel comfortable and empowered to talk to us if there’s an issue. Train managers to recognize the signs and how to appropriately broach the subject with employees. We must also make it easy for staff to take advantage of mental health services and benefits without feeling uncomfortable.
2. Create unique experiences.
Mental health is extremely personal and unique for every individual. For some, it could be anxiety or anger management issues caused by overwhelming stress, or depression brought on by isolation. For others, it could be problems with addiction—during lockdown, nearly 40% of people say they consumed more alcohol or other substances than usual, with 1 in 3 admitting they were even more likely to drink during work hours. Managers have struggled, too, not only from having to navigate their own personal challenges, but also from feeling a sense of responsibility to support their teams.
The wide range of issues and individuals requires that companies offer a wide range of services and options and that they communicate them uniquely—not with a one-size-fits-all approach. Managers may have different needs than their team members. Frontline workers certainly have much different needs than administration and support staff. And remote workers face different concerns than on-site staff. Tailoring communication around benefits to these unique circumstances is critical to encourage utilization. Otherwise, employees may think the benefits aren’t right for them.
3. Create a culture of inclusion.
While the pandemic has affected everyone, women and minorities have been hit especially hard. As the primary caretakers, women took on an even heavier load of childcare and looking after family members sick with COVID-19, and millions have been driven out of the workforce. Black workers have experienced more burnout and depression than their non-Black peers, with Black women feeling the worst impact based on both their race and gender.
To communicate mental health benefits effectively, companies must use messages that are inclusive of—and sensitive to—all workers of all races, genders and their workplace status. Not only should leaders customize messages appropriately, but also the delivery methods and means of accessing information. As we move toward a hybrid workplace, with some employees still working remotely while others are back on-site (or maybe never left), use a variety of communication channels, like email, collaboration platforms or a dedicated, multi-channel employee communications solution to make sure everyone has equal access to the information they need and no one feels left out.
4. Communicate regularly.
Mental health issues aren’t like the cold or flu—there is no mental health “season.” These are often chronic issues that require ongoing care, and they can crop up any time. That’s why companies can’t just promote mental health benefits during Mental Health Awareness month or open enrollment. It has to be an ongoing program.
In order to drive benefits utilization, companies must communicate regularly to reinforce the availability of benefits. Using multiple channels and targeting specific groups with tailored messages on a regular cadence can remind employees that if they’re struggling, help is always available. For example, remind new parents about mental health benefits when they add a child to their plan, send an offer for a free yoga app subscription to the product development team after a particularly arduous development sprint, or remind floor staff of their quarterly mental health day off after a prolonged period of overtime. Keeping benefits top of mind is key for utilization.
5. Ask for feedback.
Of course, you’ll want to gather feedback from employees on the mental health programs you’ve offered to make sure they’re meeting their needs and find out what else might be helpful. But, don’t stop there. Communication is never a one-way street. You need to know not only that your messages are being received but how.
Be sure to solicit input from employees on the information you’ve provided about those programs, to make sure the communication is getting through and it’s sufficient. If they’re not using benefits, ask why or what would incentivize them to do so. By asking for feedback on the communication, as well as the programs themselves, you can ensure that your employees are fully aware of the benefits available to them and devise better ways to encourage utilization.
Offering mental health benefits is becoming essential in a post-pandemic world, not only to help employees recover from one of the most difficult periods in modern history, but also to help them stay healthy, satisfied and productive members of your team. It’s also a key factor in recruiting as well, which is becoming increasingly important as talent shortages plague businesses in every sector.
But just as important as offering the benefits, communicating those effectively to employees is critical for adoption and utilization. By developing an inclusive, relevant and regular communication program, companies can be sure that the benefits they provide are actually having the desired impact.
Keith Kitani is CEO of GuideSpark.
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