Mental health support has ranked top on the list of expected employee needs in 2025, with 31% of employers stating they believe there will be an increased demand, according to new research.
Benefits provider Towergate Employee Benefits surveyed 500 HR decision makers for its research.
It found that other areas where employers think they will see an increased demand for support in the coming year include financial wellbeing (19%), general fitness (18%), male mental health (17%), and caring responsibilities (16%).
They also think they will see a higher demand for support with planning for retirement and line managers’ mental wellbeing (14%), as well as dental care, health screening, 24/7 access to a virtual GP, and the menopause (13%).
Further points include social health and combatting loneliness and isolation, and neurodiversity (12%), preventative support, and eldercare (11%), and musculoskeletal concerns (8%).
Meanwhile, 9% of HR decision makers expect higher demands around LGBTQ+, cancer and heart disease, HR managers’ mental wellbeing, fertility, and addiction, while 7% stated both male and female-specific cancers, and menstruation.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Employee Benefits, said: “Increasingly, people are now turning to their employer for assistance. They therefore need support and guidance, just as much as their employees do. There are a number of ways in which employers are able to support the mental health needs of employees, from providing access to an employee assistance programmes to inpatient psychiatric care. This greater provision has corresponded with increased awareness of the support available and a propensity to access it.
“All of this is positive for the employee, but it does create growing expectations for the employer to provide ever-expanding support. While mental health may top the list of requirements, helping employees to deal with their financial and caring responsibilities, along with their physical fitness, will help too. Employees are being pulled in so many different directions, with a need to keep themselves, older relatives and younger dependants healthy and happy.”
