Mental health benefits, digital offerings increasingly popular: Survey
Employer support is one of the most important determinants in whether or not an employee will be happy on the job and, more crucially, will want to stay, according to new research by Mercer.
Among those who had good or very good support, 64 per cent say that they felt their employer was really caring about their wellbeing and close to four out of 10 say that they are less likely to leave their job.
A further 72 per cent feel energized, says Marie-Josée Le Blanc, partner and innovation leader at Mercer Canada in Montreal.
The numbers were reversed for those who received fair or poor support: 39 per cent felt energized and only 17 per cent were less likely to leave their jobs, found the Health on Demand report, which heard from 14,096 employees in 13 countries and 1,005 in Canada and was conducted between March 6 and April 13.
How employees fared during the pandemic also showed that importance of employer support as 23 per cent viewed the experience as negative when they had good support versus 57 per cent of those who had poor support, says Le Blanc.
“The employer can greatly influence their employees’ wellbeing and that’s where the return on investment will ultimately come from: not by miraculously decreasing the level of claims but more in terms of the stickiness of the workforce and appreciation and engagement.”
Canadian HR Reporter spoke with three powerhouse professionals recently for a roundtable discussion on employee benefits amid the pandemic – and beyond.
Popularity of digital health
Digital health or telemedicine was also found to be highly valued by employees, as 82 per cent of Canadians surveyed planned to access it the same or more during the pandemic.
The options are much broader and the benefits outweigh the risks, says Kiljon Shukullari, team lead advice team at Peninsula Canada in Toronto.
“Now we’re in better position to be able to say that information is more securely stored,” he says. “Benefits would be accessibility: you don’t have to come to the office or buy a laptop or a computer to access this program; you can do it on your phone; you can take it with you; you can track your progress.”
But for some employers considering digital health benefits, cost is still top of mind, especially for smaller businesses, says Shukullari.
“We’re pushing this as an investment, not a cost. We’re trying to approach this conversation that we believe will help small or medium-sized employers to be better able to retain or even be a brand that people would want to join because [they] have this in place.”
The challenge is compounded by the realities of Canada’s public health-care regime and the belief by some employers that certain benefits need to be provided. But that is the wrong take, as 71 per cent of employees are unsure that quality mental health care is easy to find or access.
That highlights the need to facilitate access, says Le Blanc.
“Sometimes I hear from organizations: ‘We have the public healthcare system.’ They should not undermine their role in facilitating access to care, whether it’s to replace a family physician with telemedicine or mental health.”
Canadian HR Reporter recently spoke with Andrew Miki, chief science officer at Starling Minds, a software company that offers a digital mental health therapy program, about delivering mental health benefits through digital means.
Mental health important
Another area that is provided adequately by many benefits plans is mental health counselling, she says.
“Forty-nine per cent [of respondents] were saying… the most highly valuable solution to get is good insurance coverage that reduces the cost of mental health treatment highlighting that maybe still benefits plans do not cover [it] sufficiently.”
The study also showed that 49 per cent of Canadians feel extremely, highly or somewhat stressed on a daily basis, and digging deeper into these results highlights the inequity between different groups of employees, says Le Blanc.
“So 29 per cent of the members of LGBTQ said that they experienced anxiety and depression, where it was 19 per cent amongst the people not identifying as LGBTQ -- a significant difference.”
This further shines a light on the importance of “developing a culture of D&I of inclusiveness and trying to look at benefits with that lens,” says Le Blanc. “All these stats basically showed that ‘the more the better.’”
One Canadian retailer has turned to mindfulness benefits as a way to help employees cope.
HR should be ready to boost offerings in mental health, she says, because the effects of the pandemic will be felt for years to come.
“It’s going to take years to recover so invest in mental health, [and make] sure benefits are inclusive. Support moments that matter, really be there when your employees need it the most. Employers who were able to do that in the past 18 months will really benefit from a more energizing productive workforce, but a more loyal workforce as well and higher retention rates as well.”
