- In order to implement appropriate mental wellbeing support, employers first need to understand their workforce’s needs.
- The way in which employers offer mental health assistance has changed, as interventions and services have become embedded in initiatives.
- More frequent chances for employees to speak about pressures they face can provide another approach to identify potential modifications.
Peninsula Group’s June 2024 research found that there had been a 140% increase year-on-year in the number of employers seeing an impact from poor mental health across their workforce. This astonishingly high figure suggests that perhaps employees need more support, or that different assistance is needed because what is on offer is not going far enough.
Today’s priorities and support
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, support for employees’ mental health and wellbeing increased in priority and has remained a critical desire. This can be seen in Axa Health’s May 2024 research, wherein 72% of young UK workers feel mental health benefits are important when deciding whether to stay with an employer. In addition, Towergate Health and Protection’s July 2024 survey found 57% of employers said mental health and wellbeing is their greatest concern regarding their employees.
Lesley Cooper, founder and chief executive officer of WorkingWell, says: “In the last several years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, employers have become much more aware of the role that good emotional health plays in performance, innovation, engagement and retention. This has added to the de-stigmatisation of mental health issues in the workplace.”
The mental health support available and its take-up rates can vary depending on how this is offered. Organisations should take time to understand their workforce’s overall health and wellbeing needs and establish targeted interventions and support.
Max Specht, workplace trends expert at Personio, says: “HR teams need to consistently speak and listen to employees to understand what benefits best meet their needs, as the best plan is one that is tailored to a workforce. If an employer can offer a range of different services, such as access to private medical [insurance] plans and counselling, which allow staff to build and tailor a package that works best for each individual, they will put themselves in position to succeed.”
Emotional wellbeing support offered by employers can include confidential services, often in the form of access to 24/7 employee assistance programmes (EAPs), which can have therapeutic support or talking therapy services as a free add-on. In addition, many employers offer the opportunity for employees to train as mental health first aiders to provide initial support to colleagues.
Keith Klintworth, managing director at Vitality Health, says: “In targeting mental health, employers can help avoid it declining in the first place. By offering a range of support earlier to employees, businesses can make a difference to productivity and overall employee health. Where staff need clinical treatment, employers should ensure they get it as early as possible to improve treatment outcomes and help people return to work faster.”
Changes in assistance
How employers offer mental health support today has changed, with interventions and services increasingly embedded in health and wellbeing programmes. Private medical insurance (PMI) scheme add-ons can include virtual GP services, physiotherapy and EAPs, while the latter can offer online support, counselling, and financial and legal advice.
Support is often led from the top of an organisation, as the impact it can have on employees and the business is more recognisable and acknowledged.
In addition, the digitalisation of services, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, has allowed more people to access treatment in their own home at a convenient time, through online video calls and resources.
“The type of services and treatments available to treat mental health conditions has expanded, with access to preventative measures such as mindfulness apps and talking therapies available,” says Klintworth. “This is alongside employee mental wellbeing workshops on managing stress and anxiety, developing resilience, motivation and goal setting, how to prevent burnout, and clinical treatment.”
How an organisation supports employee mental health is also something that employees and job applicants are keen to understand, says Kate Palmer, employment services director at Peninsula.
“Employers are becoming more aware of their role in supporting the workforce with their mental health and how it can help not only the individuals themselves, but also attract and retain staff,” she explains.
Different approaches
An alternative approach to mental health support could include regular opportunities for employees to review with their line managers what their pressure sources are and what changes might be possible to moderate this. This can improve engagement, provide data on improving emotional wellbeing, and enable managers to identify and experiment with new approaches.
“Employers should take steps to create a culture that feels safe enough for employees to say when they are struggling, to fully be themselves or to speak up with ideas that enable them to make better use of the resources they have,” says Cooper.
Meanwhile, preventative interventions can impact mental health and productivity, adds Klintworth. “Employers that provide private medical insurance, access to a virtual GP and manager training can see fewer days lost to sickness and presenteeism," he says. "These can have a positive impact on productivity and bottom line.”
In order to effectively support employees’ mental wellbeing, employers should prioritise creating open conversations on mental health and investing in workplace initiatives that offer meaningful strategies for prevention and awareness.
