Everything HR leaders need to know about building an effective mental health strategy

'Healthy, happy employees perform better, experience greater satisfaction and engage more at work'

Everything HR leaders need to know about building an effective mental health strategy

This article was produced in partnership with Inkblot Therapy.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified Canada’s growing mental health crisis. In the past few years, especially, employees have experienced increased levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace, placing additional strain on both businesses and HR leaders. Employers have an opportunity to play a key role in improving mental health in the workplace.

Not only is mental health one of the leading causes of workplace disability, but about 72% of HR professionals said that mental health is the greatest external challenge facing their business. Unfortunately, only 38% of HR professionals felt the mental health support they offer to employees was effective.

To help address this gap and ensure that employees have the right tools and resources for their mental health and wellness, HR leaders need a simplified approach, as well as outcome-focused mental health strategies for the workplace.

“Healthy, happy employees perform better, experience greater job satisfaction and engage more at work,” says Harriet Ekperigin, Vice-President at GreenShield, an integrated health services company that includes digital therapy and EAP.

“The good news is that after the lessons of the pandemic and with increased pressure from employees, many employers want to invest in their mental health programming. However, some employers don’t know where to start when it comes to building a strategy that works.”

Webinar on building a better employee mental health strategy

In the upcoming webinar, “How to build a better workplace mental health strategy,” presented by Inkblot Therapy by GreenShield, an innovative digital-first employee wellbeing solution will be shared.

The event, which takes place on May 2nd, 2023 at 12 p.m. EST, will feature insights from Ekperigin, who brings more than 20 years’ experience in the mental health sector, as well as Joe Blomeley, Executive Vice-President, Head of Health Services and Enterprise Growth at GreenShield, HR experts Kerilee Snatenchuk, Director, People & Culture at ATB Financial, and Joann Bokanovic, Vice-President, Global Total Rewards, People & Culture at Sunwing.

Attendees will learn how to build an effective strategy, common challenges facing HR leaders today and what the future of better employee mental health support looks like.

“Normalizing mental health is the first step to creating healthy workplaces and, an effective employee mental health strategy starts by offering effective support. We know that Canadian workers expect better mental health benefits, but long wait times and fragmented care experiences have deterred workers from getting the help they need,” says Ekperigin.

Read more: 85% of employees overlook mental health benefits, survey reveals

“Even the best mental health solution won’t work if employees aren’t accessing them regularly,” she says. “The best thing HR leaders can do is to recognize that everyone’s mental health journey is different, and ensure their workplace chooses a solution that makes getting the right support easier.”

“Utilization of traditional employee assistance programs (EAPs) hovers around 11% of the average workforce. At Inkblot by GreenShield, we solve this by offering a better model of care. Our digital mental health solution is personalized and easy-to-access anytime, anywhere. We make it simple for an employee to connect with a therapist and other health practitioners in just a few clicks. That’s why our utilization is more than double the industry standard.”

“Inkblot by GreenShield’s digital mental health solution’s utilization is more than double the industry standard, because of the simplicity. This statistic — and, more importantly, employee health outcomes, are likely to improve with the release of a new integrated health solution by GreenShield later this year,” says Ekperigin.

“By the end of the year, our care experience will be even more streamlined and robust as we join GreenShield’s unprecedented payer-provider solution: GreenShield+. With GreenShield+ employees will be able to connect with thousands of different health providers, fill their prescriptions, and get seamlessly reimbursed for benefits claims — all in one platform. The result of choosing a solution with better convenience? Higher employee engagement and better health outcomes for your team.”

‘Ask for support’

For HR leaders, struggling to support their employees now, it’s important to remember that there are resources to help craft a winning strategy.

“For the past few years, HR leaders have been on the frontlines of almost every business challenge — from supporting employee mental health during the pandemic to solving hiring issues as resignations surged. Having that level of responsibility takes a toll; in a study from employee communications startup Workvivo, almost 98% of HR leaders reported feeling burned out at their job,” says Ekperigin.

“If you’re an HR leader, remember that a good employee mental health program will make your life easier and allows employers to take a proactive approach to workplace mental health,” she says. “Employers have a huge responsibility when it comes to workplace culture and employee support, that’s why investing in an integrated, mental health solution provides a simple foundation for building a healthy workplace culture.”

To learn more about how to improve your employee mental health strategy, register here today.

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