5 reasons why mental health should be a top priority for employers
Mental health and substance use services are needed more than ever, and it’s time for employers to reevaluate their benefits package.
As employees are settling into new ways of working, they are bringing pandemic-related challenges with them, including unprecedented rates of mental health and substance use issues.
In fact, according to a study from The Standard conducted during the pandemic, 65% of employees reported losing 10% of their productivity per week due to mental health issues (up from 58% pre-pandemic) and 57% say they’re less productive due to substance abuse. This is particularly pronounced in younger generations, with 59% of millennials and 71% of Gen Z workers reporting mental health issues.
Related: Employer medical claims likely miss 75% of employee mental health issues
Mental health and substance use services are needed now more than ever, and it’s time for employers to reevaluate their benefits package with this in mind. But helping employees who are currently experiencing behavioral health issues is just one reason to prioritize mental health and well-being.
Here are four more:
Employee recruitment and retention have become more important as workers leave their jobs in search of better opportunities for advancement, pay and benefits. A combination of mental and physical wellness benefits, such as employer-sponsored well-being programs, Employee Assistance Programs and health insurance plans can be an attractive reason to join or stay at a company, but companies should work with their insurance brokers and consultants to design a comprehensive benefits package that meets the specific needs of their workforce. This may include services that may have been overlooked, such as disability insurance offering stay-at-work services designed to help employees remain productive at work despite medical conditions that might otherwise result in taking disability leave.
Expanding your benefits to include resources and tools to support workers’ behavioral health also helps increase employee morale, productivity and retention.
Next, don’t forget about your company leaders and managers, who may also be experiencing mental health and substance use issues while juggling work and family obligations. Managers should practice self-care by taking breaks to re-energize and step away from daily pressures. In addition, creating meaningful connections with peers who are facing similar challenges allows them to learn about other, perhaps unique approaches, as well as increase their own engagement and sense of belonging.
To get a sense of how “healthy” your company is, look at your company culture, especially your level of organizational resilience. Resilient organizations are marked by a culture of civility and psychological safety, which make them better able to adapt and respond to market trends and demands. Fostering individual resilience among the workforce is equally important. Employees who feel supported bring their full capacity to their jobs, which means they can anticipate barriers and effectively cope with change.
And finally, a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) can positively impact the behavioral health of employees from diverse backgrounds. It’s important to understand how the two are linked. Employees from underrepresented populations can face many stressors that impact their mental health at work, including microaggressions and unconscious bias. Additionally, they tend to face health disparities, such as being three times as likely to become infected with COViD-19 as white Americans, and nearly twice as likely to die from the virus.
Employers who value diversity, equity and inclusion in order to increase a sense of belonging must also prioritize accessible behavioral health care because the two initiatives are mutually reinforcing, and each makes the other more effective. Put another way, DEI efforts are both an ethical imperative with respect to social justice and a strategy to maximize opportunities for everyone to contribute to their greatest ability.
From recruiting and employee engagement to building a resilient and inclusive workplace, there are many reasons to take a fresh look at your mental health benefits.
Daniel N. Jolivet, Ph.D., is the workplace possibilities practice consultant at The Standard, where he provides leadership, analysis, and consultative insights into the Workplace Possibilities service line. He is a designated subject matter expert on Stay at Work and Return to Work services, ADA, and behavioral health. He is a clinical psychologist licensed in Georgia and Oregon, and has worked in behavioral health since 1980. Prior to joining The Standard, Dan worked in managed behavioral health care organizations for 20 years in a variety of management roles, and he was in clinical practice as a child psychologist until 2003.
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