By providing mental-health benefits, employers take strides to improve their employees’ lives as well as satisfaction and productivity in the workplace.
Employees are more likely to be engaged and motivated when they are happy, satisfied, and fulfilled in their roles. However, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately one-third of American adults experience mental illness each year.
With such a high prevalence of mental illness in our workforce, organizations should consider how they can improve the emotional well-being of their employees by improving access to mental health benefits, such as counseling and therapy. Doing so will pay off not only in the overall health and wellness of your workforce, but result in higher productivity and lower turnover rates, making your business more successful overall.
Understanding the Impact of Anxiety & Depression
Unfortunately, Americans' mental health has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, with both the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depression increasing exponentially. In fact, recent surveys have found that an alarmingly high 73% of Americans feel anxious at least a few days per week, and 30% of employees report feeling "burnt out."
It’s clear that Americans are having an increasingly difficult time coping with everyday life. With this in mind, it’s no wonder why more people are taking sick days off work or becoming medically disabled due to their mental-health issues—up almost 14% since last year—according to new data from BlueCross BlueShield.
To improve Americans’ mental health while also safeguarding your workforce, it’s vital for employers to provide better access to mental-health services.
Ensuring Employees Receive Proper Care
It is up to employers to ensure that their workforce has proper mental-health support should it ever be needed. Providing mental-wellness benefits—and educating your employees on its existence—is crucial, even without having first been asked for it. This is incredibly important in certain industries, such as construction, where employees are less likely to seek out help.
Ultimately, by providing and educating employees on their mental-health benefits, employers may indeed be saving—or at the very least, drastically improving—the lives of workers who would never otherwise ask for support.
Mental health coverage allows employees and their families to get the help they need, when they need it. A number of major insurance providers already offer at least one mental-health benefit, but more can be done to ensure those who suffer from mental illness have access to quality care.
Consider offering your employees the following to not only improve their emotional well-being, but strengthen your company’s ability to retain valuable employees:
- Offer an employee assistance program (EAP) through which they can speak with someone who specializes in mental health for confidential counseling.
- Provide workshops or seminars that teach people how to cope with stress and other challenges.
- Offer support systems like employee resource groups that foster peer-to-peer support for those struggling with mental-health issues.
- Most importantly, make sure your benefits include access to mental-health services.
Improved Peace of Mind for Both Employees & Employers
The extra peace of mind provided by mental-health coverage can improve employees’ job satisfaction and well-being, while also increasing their overall productivity. Employers, in turn, benefit from decreased absenteeism and turnover rates.
If you’re ready to provide a better benefits package to your workforce without the complexity or added paperwork, reach out to the experts at Arista Consulting Group. After an easy discovery conversation and free survey, we will provide you with a custom benefits blueprint outlining the perfect solutions roadmap for your staff.
