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In the last few years, mental health in the United States has been on the decline. A 2024 Gallup poll revealed that only 31% of Americans report “excellent” mental health, down from 43% in 2019. The rise in mental health concerns has led to the demand for employers to offer more robust mental health benefits.
Despite employers prioritizing mental health benefits as part of their offerings over the last few years, many employees still do not utilize them. This lack of utilization prevents employees who may benefit from these offerings from receiving help and can negatively impact employers. Workforces with poor mental health can lead to decreased employee well-being, lower morale and productivity, increased absenteeism, and potentially high turnover rates.
To improve mental health outcomes, it’s crucial to do more than just offer the right benefits. Employers can take measures to increase employee utilization of their mental health resources.
Here are common mental health benefits, reasons why employees aren’t using them, and tips for employers to improve the utilization of these benefits.
7 Common Mental Health Benefits
By offering various mental health benefits, employers can provide their employees with multiple options for managing stress, enhancing their emotional and mental well-being, and supporting their focus and productivity in the workplace. Here are common mental health benefits employers offer:
- Flexible work schedules encompass a range of options, including flexible schedules, compressed workweeks, and remote or hybrid arrangements.
- Therapy coverage can help cover the costs of accessing mental health professionals, such as therapists and counselors. Employers that offer mental health or substance abuse disorder benefits are required to provide them on equal terms with medical and surgical benefits.
- Psychiatric care coverage can assist with expenses for psychiatric services, such as evaluations, medication management, and ongoing treatment.
- Employee assistance programs are voluntary programs offered by employers that provide confidential support for personal or work-related issues.
- Mental health days are paid time off (PTO) specifically meant for employees to focus on their mental health.
- Wellness programs offered through employers are designed to target physical, mental, or emotional health.
- Mental health first-aid training teaches employees how to recognize signs of mental health issues and provide support.
Why Aren’t Employees Using Mental Health Benefits?
A report from Amazon’s One Medical found that in 2022, only 19% of workers accessed mental health care benefits. To strategize ways to increase mental health benefit utilization, it’s essential to understand the barriers preventing employees from utilizing these benefits. There are several reasons why employees are not widely utilizing employer-provided mental health benefits, such as the following:
Lack of communication
According to a survey conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness with Ipsos, about 1 in 4 workers don’t know if their employer offers mental health benefits. Employees may simply be unaware of the benefits their organization provides.
Insufficient education
Employees may lack the training and information on how to access mental health benefits.
No time
Many workers fail to take advantage of the mental health benefits their employers offer.
Mental health stigma
Some employees may still face a stigma related to mental health or be perceived negatively for seeking assistance.
Cost concerns
While many benefits resources may be low- or no-cost to employees, they may not be aware of what resources are cost-effective or have concerns about costs. Potentially high costs of some mental health benefits, such as deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, could prevent employees from utilizing them. Additionally, employees may not be aware of what care is covered under their health plans.
5 Tips to Improve Mental Health Benefits Utilization
To improve the utilization of health care benefits among employees, employers can consider the following practices:
1. Train managers on the available benefits
Managers can play a key role in the utilization of mental health benefits. Since employees often interact with managers, these leaders are well-positioned to promote mental health care and related resources among their employees. Thoroughly training these leaders on available benefits enables them to effectively share information with employees and be readily available to answer questions.
2. Regularly educate employees on offerings
While open enrollment is a great time to highlight benefits resources, mental health benefits should be communicated regularly throughout the year so that employees are continually aware of the resources available to them. Employers can effectively communicate and provide education through multiple channels, including emails, newsletters, and meetings.
3. Foster a mental health-friendly culture
Creating a company culture that supports mental health may encourage employees to utilize their mental health benefits. Employers and managers should foster open communication about mental health and the availability of resources.
4. Help employees understand and access their benefits
Providing clarity on how to use their benefits can make employees feel more confident in accessing them.
5. Get feedback on desired benefits
Gathering employee feedback on which mental health benefits they find useful can help employers tailor their benefits options to maximize utilization. Employers can use anonymous surveys to obtain this information, and they should communicate any changes made based on the feedback received.
Conclusion
Even though the availability of mental health benefits has increased in the last few years, many employees have not been using them due to a number of barriers. By understanding these barriers to utilization and implementing strategies, employers can improve the effectiveness of their mental health benefits. This can enhance employees’ well-being, as well as support productivity and engagement, ultimately contributing to an organization’s bottom line.
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