Challenge 2: Understanding workforce needs
Recent research shows that
of employees would leave their current organization for one that offered them better support for their wellbeing (even for less money!).20
This may be shocking, but it shows the importance that employees now place on their own health and wellness. It also suggests that adapting supports for mental health is key to retaining talent. Gone are the days when benefits could be treated as an afterthought. In today’s labour market, benefits—mental health benefits specifically—are the key to keeping employees happy, and keeping them at all.
Organizations understand this, so they want to give employees what they need. The research shows, however, that they don’t always have the information they need to do so. Before making changes to existing initiatives or creating new ones, employers must start by listening to what their employees have to say.
Surprisingly, only
ask employees what they would like their mental health and wellness initiatives to include, suggesting that many have a limited understanding of how to best to provide the support.
"Before offering anything new, each organization should do an inventory of their programs and ask people directly what they like/don’t like, why they are using/not using them, and what they are hearing from their colleagues about these programs."
– An employer (interviewee)
The importance of feedback and communication
Why are some organizations successful in meeting employee needs and others aren’t? The successful ones tend to take an individualized approach and implement continuous improvement initiatives to make sure benefits are aligned with employee needs. But how do they decide what types of improvements to make? By collecting information.
This should be the first step for any mental health initiative. One effective way to do so is through engagement surveys. Engagement surveys are nothing new, but the scope of what they measure has recently expanded.
The study showed that nearly
of organizations conduct engagement studies, which is good news. But these surveys may not be keeping up with the changes in employees’ lives – half of the organizations studied survey their employees once a year or less frequently. Given the pace of change today and the uncertainty in so many areas of people’s lives, that may not be often enough.
"What we're really trying to do is make sure that we get the feedback from employees on what they want, rather than what the mothership thinks they want."
– An employer (interviewee)
8 ways to meet employee needs
When it comes to re-evaluating benefits plans, increasing communication and collaboration with employees is key. Organizations should be sure to:
- Ask employees what mental health and wellness benefits they want through confidential engagement surveys, personalized requests to HR, and mental health and wellness surveys.
- Question their own assumptions. What employers think employees want might not be what they actually need.
- Consider plans with flexible components.
- Clearly communicate to employees the benefits offered to them on a regular basis.
- Reach out to employees in different ways (emails, newsletters, webinars, presentations, drop-in hours, etc.).
- Make senior decision-makers aware of the value of additional mental health services.
- Consider reviewing coverage for mental health services.
- Assess the relevance and impact of benefits based on relevant data.
Communicating wellness initiatives to employees
Over the years, organizations have implemented a variety of initiatives to support employee mental health, but many are finding that benefits use is low. As a result, many are prioritizing initiatives and awareness campaigns designed to increase benefits use, particularly the use of preventive programs such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
These campaigns are often focused on better communicating with employees about what their plans offer. Many use a range of communication tools and practices to help destigmatize mental health. Examples include townhalls on specific issues such as burnout and work/life balance, testimonials by employees who have dealt with mental health issues, newsletters, e-bulletins, and Mental Health Week/Month events. Some organizations (41%) also offer information sessions (typically during onboarding) on how to navigate and understand the benefits plan.
"We’re not doing enough, but we’re also doing too much. We need to focus our mental health efforts and investments on what actually works."
– An employer (interviewee)
After organizations have gotten feedback about what works and what doesn’t, and after they’ve made changes to their mental health and wellness initiatives to better reflect employee needs, one important step remains. Change for change’s sake isn’t going to move the needle—organizations need to measure the effects of their programs to see whether their investments are paying off.
20 Glassdoor, “4 in 5 Employees Want Benefits or Perks More Than a Pay Raise”; Morneau Shepell, “Morneau Shepell Finds Employees Would Accept Lower Pay for Enhanced Well‑Being Support.”