THREE GROUP BENEFIT TRENDS THAT SUPPORT EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH

Three Group Benefit Trends That Support Employee Mental Health

It’s clear that mental health and well-being need to be prioritized on an individual and organizational level – employees are speaking out and are seeking support from their employers. To encourage an open and authentic dialog around mental health at work, it’s necessary to offer a robust benefits plan that supports employees’ physical and mental well-being while making sure you are offering what employees want.

From improving employee engagement to reducing absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’ (lost productivity when employees are not fully engaged due to physical or mental health issues), here are three trending group health benefits that can help support your worker’s mental health.

Virtual Healthcare is Here to Stay

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was gaining popularity, but the pandemic has skyrocketed its usage, and it’s now here to stay. On-demand virtual healthcare, like GroupHEALTH’s TELUS Health Virtual Care, gives employees and their families direct access to secure medical consults – 24/7 and across the country – without them having to step foot in a doctor’s office. Digital health solutions such as telehealth are no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have during the new ‘normal.’

Employee Assistance Programs Should Continue to Be Prioritized

Offering and emphasizing the use of an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) that offers online counselling services such as GroupHEALTH’s TELUS health program (formerly Lifeworks), provides a healthier, safer, and more productive workforce by removing the financial barrier, time, and stress associated with locating and arranging counselling.

With the recent trend towards digital health solutions, having access to these free counselling services, financial, health, and life resources at your fingertips has become a valuable means for employees and their families. If you are already offering a similar program like this, remember to make it easy for employees to know who to talk to, where to go to access mental health resources, and to emphasize that your EFAP can be accessed free of charge and confidentially.

Wellness Benefits Are a Necessity

Taking steps to encourage employees to get active and prioritize their wellness continues to be a valuable way to support mental health. Wellness benefits such as subsidized gym memberships, wellness or health spending accounts, or paramedical coverage for things like massage therapy and acupuncture to help relieve stress or treat physical conditions remain in demand.

Employees are seeking personalized wellness health programs such as wellness or health spending accounts where the user gets to drive where they spend their benefit dollars. Health spending accounts, for example, are a great way to promote employee wellness and help eliminate financial stress while limiting costs for the employer (through a pre-determined allowance).

Good Advice is Key

Are you looking for ways to support mental health in your workplace? 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.