Mental health benefits: Meeting employees’ needs 

In the wake of the pandemic, we have seen a worrying increase in mental health struggles among the U.S. employee population. This trend poses a variety of challenges in the workplace, including decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, heightened turnover, and declining employee wellbeing. In response, many employers are looking to enhance their benefits packages with offerings to support employees’ mental health. 

There is a significant need for these solutions. Recent LIMRA research finds that 75% of workers have experienced a mental or behavioral health challenge at least “sometimes” during the past year, while 37% have struggled with these issues “often.” Workers are most likely to report challenges related to anxiety, stress and depression. However, concerns such as relationship, marital or family conflicts, grief or loss, and alcohol or substance abuse are also prevalent. Alarmingly, more than 1 in 10 workers say they had thoughts of suicide sometimes or often during the past year, while only three quarters “never” thought about suicide. 

Younger workers seem to be struggling with mental health issues more than their older colleagues: 62% of Gen Z employees have experienced a mental health challenge often in the past year, compared with only 19% of baby boomers. In addition, workers who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community are twice as likely to report frequent mental health struggles compared with non-LGBTQ+ employees (67% versus 33%). Other groups that report heightened mental health challenges include Hispanic employees, lower-income workers, part-time workers, and those with lower job levels. 

Given the scope of these challenges, it is not surprising that most employees are interested in having their employers provide benefits or resources to help them cope with mental, emotional, or behavioral health issues. Almost half (49%) of workers are very or extremely interested in these benefits, with another 27% “somewhat” interested. 

Employers looking to introduce new mental health offerings will want to prioritize those benefits that provide the greatest value to employees. Workers voice the most desire for paid time off to cope with stress or mental health issues, with 58% requesting this benefit. Employees also display significant interest in offerings that provide access to free or discounted therapy sessions, or to have mental health appointments covered by their health insurance with no cost-sharing. Employee assistance programs and services to help find a therapist round out the top five mental health benefits workers are looking for. 

It is worth noting that only 28% of employees are looking for education about mental health issues through the workplace. When looking to enhance mental health benefits, educational resources are often the easiest offerings for employers to bring in. However, employers that choose to offer only educational benefits are unlikely to meet the full scope of their employees’ needs.

Employers have a valuable opportunity to help improve the mental health of the U.S. workforce through expanding the mental health resources they provide. Doing so will not only improve employee wellbeing, but is also likely to boost productivity and business outcomes by helping workers perform at their best. However, it is vital to ensure that workplace mental health offerings are truly meeting employee needs. Benefits advisors and other benefit providers can help by connecting their customers with relevant, high-value mental health solutions that help where they are needed most. 

Kimberly Landry is Associate Research Director, Workplace Benefits Research, at LIMRA and LOMA.