ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH IN AN EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN: STEPS TOWARDS A HEALTHIER WORKFORCE

Mental health has become a critical aspect of overall employee well-being. Employers are recognizing the impact that mental health has on productivity, engagement, and retention.

Understanding Mental Health’s Impact on the Workplace

As an employer, it’s important to understand how mental health challenges can affect the workplace. Unsupported mental health issues can lead to lower productivity, increased absenteeism, decreased employee morale, and higher overall medical costs. Employees struggling with mental health are often not operating at their full potential, leading to presenteeism where they are physically present but not fully engaged. Additionally, mental health challenges can lead to physical health issues, further increasing the burden on health benefits plans.

Taking Steps Towards a Healthier Workforce

Your employee benefit plan is an ideal mechanism for supporting the mental health of your employees.

Step 1: Offer comprehensive mental health coverage

One of the fundamental steps you can take is to ensure that your employee health benefits plan includes comprehensive mental health coverage. This includes access to therapy, counseling, and psychiatric care. By covering these services, you reduce the financial barriers that might prevent employees from seeking help. Comprehensive coverage encourages employees to prioritize their mental health and seek professional assistance when needed, promoting a supportive environment.

Step 2: Include Employee and Family Assistance Program in the plan

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provides support for employees and their families. The program usually offers free, confidential counseling services for personal and work-related issues. All GroupHEALTH plans include EFAP that provides a digital platform and app with access to a wide range of resources such as articles, videos, podcasts, and toolkits. These resources are available 24/7, ensuring that employees have continuous access to mental health support.

Step 3: Encourage employees to use virtual healthcare

Incorporating virtual healthcare into your health benefits plan is beneficial for mental health support. Employees can connect with mental health professionals from the comfort of their homes, reducing the barriers associated with in-person visits. This convenience is especially valuable for those in remote areas or with busy schedules. Virtual counseling ensures continuity of care and makes it easier for employees to seek help when they need it most.

Step 4: Promote wellness and preventive care

Promoting wellness is a key strategy in supporting mental health. Look for the employee health benefits plan that offers a variety of wellness programs that focus on stress management, mindfulness, physical fitness, and nutrition. These programs encourage employees to lead healthier lifestyles, which positively impacts their mental health. Regular mental health screenings and assessments help identify issues early, allowing for timely intervention and support.

Wellness benefits, such as subsidized gym memberships, walking clubs, and fitness challenges, also play a significant role. Physical activity is known to improve mental health, and these initiatives motivate employees to stay active and engaged.

Step 5: Go digital

Technology can significantly improve your employees’ life and their mental state. Digital platforms make it easier for them to access their health benefits anytime and anywhere, improving convenience and utilization. Online tools and wellness programs provide employees with practical resources that they can use daily to manage their mental well-being.

Good advice is key

Are you looking for ways to support mental health in your workplace? Does your current employee benefits plan offer tools for addressing mental health issues? Review your options with one of our licensed advisors on the phone or contact us for a comparison quote.

Whether you’re looking for extended health and dental coverage, disability coverage, or life and critical illness coverage, GroupHEALTH has affordable benefits packages that work as hard as you do.