A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.
The problem is… most companies treat mental health benefits as an afterthought. They check the box on their insurance plan and move on.
The result?
Burnt out employees, sky-high turnover, and a workplace culture that quietly falls apart.
The best news is that creating improved behavioral health benefits can be simple and affordable. Any organization can learn how to support their employees and see productivity soar.
What’s inside:
- Why Behavioral Health Benefits Matter Right Now
- What Employees Actually Want From Their Benefits
- 5x Ways To Improve Behavioral Health Benefits
- How To Measure What’s Working
Why Behavioral Health Benefits Matter Right Now
Mental health is no longer a “nice to have”… It’s a business essential.
Consider this: employees are exhausted, stressed, and seeking help. When their company doesn’t provide it, they walk away. And the price of hiring someone new is punishing.
New research found that untreated mental health conditions cost U.S. businesses $47.6 billion annually in lost productivity. That’s a lot of money being flushed down the drain for problems we know how to fix.
Even more telling?
82% of workers say mental health resources are important when considering a job offer. That doesn’t just factor into retention – it’s how you win the talent game.
One solution smart employers are beginning to implement is qualified behavioral health providers to help bridge the gap. Top-rated vendors are utilizing affordable telepsychiatry solutions that allow employers to provide every employee access to licensed clinicians without the extended wait times associated with traditional face-to-face care.
Pretty straightforward, right?
What Employees Actually Want From Their Benefits
Here’s a question most HR leaders never ask…
What do employees really want from behavioral health benefits? Employers assume. And employers assume incorrectly.
The truth is that employees want three things:
- Easy access to care
- Affordable copays
- Privacy and confidentiality
Deliver on those three things and you’re already ahead of most companies out there.
The greatest hurdle? Access. Employees don’t want to wait six weeks to see a therapist or psychiatrist. They want help immediately, before the situation escalates.
That’s why telehealth has been such a disruptive innovation for behavioral health providers. It removes the friction. An employee can schedule an appointment from their smartphone, during their lunch hour, instead of using a half-day of PTO.
Convenience matters. And convenience drives utilization.
5x Ways To Improve Behavioral Health Benefits
Now to the good stuff…
Here are five actionable steps for developing behavioral health benefits that really make a difference. Select which options work for your organization and implement them individually.
Expand Telehealth Access
This is the easiest win out there.
Traditional face-to-face care is broken. There simply aren’t enough behavioral health clinicians to meet demand. Waitlists for appointments are many months long in many communities. Telehealth can help fix this.
By adding telepsychiatry to a benefits package, employees get:
- Same-week appointments
- Coverage in rural and remote areas
- Less time off work
- More privacy when scheduling visits
This single change can transform how a team uses their mental health benefits.
Lower The Cost Barrier
Cost is the number one reason employees skip therapy.
High copays deter people from seeking services even if they have insurance coverage. Solution: Negotiate reduced copays for mental health visits or provide a certain number of sessions per year for free.
Many companies provide 6-12 sessions of free therapy before your insurance benefits begin. This minimal investment is returned many times over with increased productivity, decreased turnover, and lowered medical claims.
Train Your Managers
Managers are the front line of mental health at work.
But few have ever received training on how to recognize burnout symptoms or how to approach an employee who is obviously suffering. A brief, effective manager training can solve that problem.
Cover these topics:
- Spotting warning signs early
- Having sensitive conversations
- Pointing employees to the right resources
- Knowing what NOT to say
Two hours of training can transform how your whole workplace approaches mental health.
Promote The Benefits You Already Have
Lots of companies offer great behavioral health benefits…
The problem is no one is aware they exist. Recent research indicates nearly half of managers don’t know how to access mental health care through employer sponsored insurance. If managers aren’t aware, employees certainly aren’t.
The fix is simple. Promote those benefits regularly with:
- Email reminders
- Lunch and learn sessions
- Posters in common areas
- Clear onboarding documents
You can create the world’s greatest program but if no one knows it’s there, it won’t benefit a soul.
Build A Culture Of Support
Benefits don’t matter if a workplace culture punishes people for using them.
Employees need to feel like it’s okay to ask for help. They need leaders that exemplify healthy practices. Employees should feel that taking a mental health day is just as acceptable as taking a sick day.
This is the difficult piece of the puzzle. However it is also the most critical. Culture will trump policy every time.
How To Measure What’s Working
You can’t improve what you don’t measure…
Too many organizations provide behavioral health benefits and never evaluate if they’re working. Big fail.
Monitoring the correct KPIs will inform you of ROI and where to improve.
Look at these key metrics:
- Utilization rate of mental health benefits
- Employee satisfaction scores
- Turnover rates by department
- Sick days and absenteeism trends
- Anonymous employee feedback surveys
Establish a benchmark, then review every 3-6 months. The numbers will clearly show you what is working and what isn’t.
Fearlessly cut the strategies that aren’t working. Invest more heavily in what’s working.
Bringing It All Together
One key to developing a healthier workforce is to treat your behavioral health benefits as one.
Companies that get this right will:
- Attract top talent more easily
- Keep their best people for longer
- Save money on healthcare costs
- Build a culture that competitors envy
Companies that continue to mess this up will continue to lose staff to companies that do care. Behavioral health providers are table stakes.
The best part?
Start small. You don’t need billions in the bank. Choose one tactic from the list. Measure your results. Scale up.
It really is that simple.
