Why Companies Should Offer Mental Health Benefits
As awareness of mental health issues increases, so does the help many companies are offering to their employees. Lots of businesses are now offering mental health options with their standard healthcare options, such as coverage for therapy sessions or extra paid time off. Although it’s making waves in some industries, these progressive ideas haven’t quite infiltrated every market yet. One reason could be that some businesses don’t know or understand the benefits they could see if they offered such options to their employees. The truth is a happy workforce is a productive workforce, so investing in the mental and emotional well being of your employees will most likely spell growth for your business.
Employee Assistance Programs
Sometimes having mental toughness just isn’t enough to get through the day, and there’s no shame in that. Everyone needs a little help now and then, so offering employee assistance programs can go a long way to helping employees feel supported and cared for. These programs are designed to either connect employees directly with partnered mental health professionals or with a plan administrator who can then direct them on the correct path. It’s not only about therapy sessions, either. It can help people who are struggling with financial problems, marital problems, or issues within their immediate family. The purpose of this plan to create a sort of support network employees can utilize whenever they’re feeling overwhelmed or aren’t sure where to turn.
One important aspect of these plans if a business is using an administrator is to hire a third-party to run the assistance program. Employees might feel uncomfortable going to a supervisor or HR member to discuss something as personal as their mental health or familial issues. They might fear losing their job, being put on leave, or being judged for their reaction to a difficult situation. A third-party entity removes those stigmas and can make employees feel much more secure in sharing their feelings.
Open Communication Options
A major barrier to getting help for most people is not knowing where to turn. That’s why having multiple options for employees to express their feelings is important, but making them known is just as key to the programs success. An easy option to support mental health in the workplace is to set up a 24/7 hotline that connects to a local health office with licensed professionals. This gives employees the comfort of knowing there is always someone around if they need to talk or if they feel overwhelmed. You can mention that your company has a hotline in a regular meeting or to each new hire, and also keep posters or flyers around the office with the number listed in easy-to-find areas.
If a business is not using a third-party or an employee assistance program, then there should a member of the staff appointed as the health communications professional. This person will typically be in the human resources department, and should be well-versed in mental health topics such as intervention coaching. It can be left up to the person how they’d like to operate in this role, but having an open-door policy or regular office hours when employees can stop in to discuss their issues is an excellent way to make everyone feel welcome. Sometimes just having a person to listen can make all the difference. An additional upside to having this person is that they know all the protocol and options the company offers, so if someone needs to take a leave for work or needs financial assistance for mental health reasons, the HR team member can easily provide them with all the information they need.
Build A Positive Culture
Company culture can have a major impact on employees’ mood and state of mind. If the business makes it clear they value profits over people, the workforce will feel that push and possibly think they have nowhere to turn. Maybe they get to work and aren’t allowed frequent breaks or don’t accrue reasonable paid time off to rest each year. An easy way to avoid burnt out employees is to foster a positive culture in your workplace where every team member is valued as an individual. You can do this by building in extra sick time the longer someone is at your company or offer sick days as something separate from paid time off so employees can still take an annual vacation even if they caught the flu earlier in the year. It can also be helpful to hold an annual or quarterly meeting addressing mental health so employees see the company is aware of the struggles its workers face. Those meeting are perfect times to implement new programs, inform people about a hotline, or ask for feedback about how the company could better meet their needs.
Direct Action
Aside from bigger campaigns that can improve mental health, there’s also direct actions a company can take to improve wellness benefits for employees. The first is to offer free counseling sessions to all employees. There are tons of online and virtual counseling options today that this service has never been easier to opt into. A company can contract with a specific app, website, or counseling office to be the go-to resource for their employees. Some companies are offering up to 20 free sessions for the employees to help them cope with work stress and burn out. There’s varying levels of counseling such as HR professionals with advanced certifications, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists and psychiatrists, and companies can decide what level of care would best serve their employees.
Another option is to give employees access to top-rated meditation apps or online mental health resources. Perhaps there’s an app that helps people unwind after a stressful day and teaches mindful meditation, but it requires a $15 per month subscription. A business could offer to reimburse employees who opt into the service or try to strike a deal with the company who makes the app to get a discount or charge the company directly. The same goes for online resources. Many of them can be extremely helpful, but also costly. Giving employees the opportunity to utilize these websites at no cost could make a big difference in their mental wellness.
Lastly, even things as simple as offering more paid time off can improve employees’ mental health. Two weeks out of the year might be the standard amount of vacation time, but it certainly isn’t much when looking at the big picture. Some companies are offering a paid day off once a month as a “mental health day.” Others are beefing up their accrual systems or flat out offering more time. If a company simply can’t afford to offer more time off, then they can always offer more flexibility. Especially for people who have to take care of their families, whether it’s small children or ailing parents, things will come up they have no control over. Allowing employees to take off when they need and make up the time later, such as over the weekend or working late, can reduce their stress about missing work and having smaller paycheck.
Mental health benefits are incredibly important for employees’ emotional well-being, and there are lots of ways companies can offer helpful services.
