A recent TELUS Mental Health Index report found that 12 percent of workers have left or plan to leave their job for better benefits. The first question many employers ask themselves is if that is an easy problem to fix. And the next question is, why don’t they use everything we offer?
The variety of voluntary benefits being offered today is staggering – some of which are hugely valued by the few employees who need them. Too many benefits managers see a low level of employee usage and decide to narrow the scope of offerings by usage. Of course, there is always a cost/benefit analysis with each offering, but the fault may not lie in the benefit. The fault might be in the lack of employee awareness, understanding and ability to control their choices.
To help make decisions about offerings, many large organizations survey employees on their priorities to develop a menu of basic and voluntary benefits. So, yes, offering better benefits is achievable.
Even if a menu is based on employee surveys, HR needs to address which issues and concerns are obstacles to employee use and satisfaction. Without knowing why employees want certain benefits, they may not be able to reduce that 12 percent who have or might walk out the door.
One hint is that this group has a clear connection to mental health. The Mental Health Index score of workers who have left or plan to leave for better benefits is 58.7 out of 100, more than ten points below the national average of 69.9. This connection implies that mental health benefits could make a significant difference in employee perception of the full benefits package and in potential turnover.
The problem with measuring usage without checking awareness
The Mental Health Index report, of August showed that 62 percent of employees said their employer doesn’t offer an EAP, or they are unsure if it does. That is a significant jump from an Unum Insurance report in 2020 that found 46 percent of employees had the same response. Yet, a survey conducted in 2023 by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans revealed that 81 percent of US employers were offering an EAP. The issue is not access, but a lack of regular communication.
Many organizations include EAPs among a menu on their employee website, they might provide a list to new employees as part of onboarding, and some employers have sent an email to employees mentioning the EAP. Very few hold meetings, provide details about all EAP services or provide periodic reminders of EAP availability for anyone who faces a mental health issue. It behooves each employer to educate, re-educate and remind employees about some of the benefits they may not have needed when they were first introduced.
More than issuing a memo that sends employees to a benefits webpage, some leaders create awareness campaigns that are intended to Show, not Tell, what each benefit might do and how it can be accessed. Company-wide presentations given annually with demos to show access can provide important aha moments to employees who had not considered many voluntary benefits when they joined the firm, such as fertility options, disability or mental stress. As years, pass, many employees look at health and dental during enrollment periods without exploring some of the lesser-known support.
More control over health
Previous TELUS Health surveys showed that one in four workers would prefer better support for their wellbeing over a 10 percent increase in salary. The current report shows that one in three workers want better control over their health for overall better wellbeing.
Workers who reported having full control over their health have a mental health score of 79.9, which is 10 points higher than the national average. Meanwhile, workers who reported feeling some control over their emotions have a mental health score of 53.9, whereas workers who feel they have no control over their emotions have a score of 36.7. This situation is particularly relevant to young workers who tend to be in a stressful time of life (building careers, paying student loans, purchasing cars and homes and having children). Workers under 40 are three times more likely than workers over 50 to report having no control over their emotions.
Given that having control in key areas of one’s life is an important driver of mental health, the opportunity for employers is to facilitate employees’ sense of control.
- Offer a menu of benefits to help employees feel empowered to control their benefits.
- Make sure employees have access to guidance on what is there for them and what might be most effective.
- Include mentions of dedication to employee wellbeing as frequently as possible.
As employees prioritize the availability of benefits, the control they have over their health and their need for mental health, many employers have expanded benefits beyond basic health. The challenge in getting the most value from those options is to make sure employees are aware of the support, reminded of the options and given the information they need to control their access and usage of each benefit confidentially, particularly the availability of an EAP.
Digital Health Buzz!
Digital Health Buzz! aims to be the destination of choice when it comes to what’s happening in the digital health world. We are not about news and views, but informative articles and thoughts to apply in your business.
