The ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on mental health. It exacerbated existing conditions and opened the door to new issues and problems. To put that in numbers, The National Institute of Mental Health says one in five U.S. adults live with mental illness. Moreover, the Washington Post reports higher rates of depression and anxiety among U.S. citizens.
Mental Health in the Workplace
In the workplace coping with mental health issues has been an even bigger challenge with the start of COVID-19. Employees and companies understood that a 50/50 work-life balance is an unrealistic concept, while the two are now more intertwined than ever.
Some of the employees, especially women taking care of children and families and those who look after the elderly, weren’t even left a choice. Therefore, many of them were (and still are) quitting their jobs.
Thus, the employers had to act. According to a 2021 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have implemented significant changes to support their employees. These changes include:
- Increased coverage for out-of-network mental health or substance abuse services (3%)
- Canceled of reduced cost-sharing for mental health or substance abuse services (4%)
- Increased number of mental health or substance abuse providers in their plans’ networks (6%)
- Established new resources, such as an employee assistance program (16%)
- Extended ways to get mental health or substance abuse services, such as telemedicine (31%)
- All changes mentioned above (39%)
Benefits & Policies to Support Mental Health
Consequently, behavioral and mental health companies have increased the demand for their services. Employee benefits can significantly impact employees’ mental health and wellbeing and improve employees’ mental health at work.
Some of the mental health benefits that may support and promote employees’ mental health in the workplace are:
- Flexible working
The hybrid work models are here to stay. Both employees and employers are satisfied with the opportunity to choose whether to work from home or in the office. In fact, 83% of employers said that the shift to remote work has succeeded their company.
Even though there is no consensus of the number of days in the office vs. at home, one thing is sure – flexibility is important for employees, especially those who suffer from mental health challenges and disorders.
- Mental health and wellbeing training
With more and more employees feeling burnout, depression, or anxiety, there is a greater need for mental health training. This educational approach to addressing mental health in the workplace should include:
- Training managers or HR teams to spot struggling employees
- Raising mental health awareness
- Promoting open communication
- Providing educational sessions, seminars, other resources, and more.
- Virtual doctor visits
This is where technology comes to help in addressing mental health challenges. Telemedicine or virtual doctor visits are some of the benefits in the employee benefits package that can be useful, especially for employees who may not have time to seek help.
- Employee assistance program and health insurance
An employee assistance program can greatly aid companies that want to address mental health in the workplace. It usually offers various services that provide help for different financial, marital, legal, mental health issues, and more.
Health insurance also covers a large list of mental health services vital for treating mental health issues and challenges.
On a Final Note
Mental health is of great importance for both employees and employers. Therefore, employers should find ways to address mental health issues, promote wellbeing, and provide benefits and solutions to support employees’ mental health.
Tanja Todorovska Malakjan is a content writer at Shortlister. She has experience in writing guest posts, articles, and editorials on various topics. Her fields of interest include wellness, well-being, and HR.
