Almost
two-thirds
of
employers,
or
67%,
are
looking
to
make
mental
health
and
emotional
wellbeing
programs
a
top
health
priority
in
the
next
three
years,
a
new
survey
found.
The
Willis
Towers
Watson
(WTW)
report
surveyed
455
U.S.
employers
in
August.
The
respondents
have
a
total
of
8.2
million
employees,
of
which
19%
have
fully
insured
medical
plans
and
81%
have
self-insured
medical
plans.
The
survey
found
that
88%
of
employers
have
already
acted
on
mental
health
in
the
last
year,
with
38%
taking
“extensive
actions”
and
58%
taking
“some
actions.”
The
top
strategies
to
support
mental
health
issues
were
offering
coverage
for
telebehavioral
health
services
(83%),
providing
onsite
or
virtual
employee
assistance
programs
(69%)
and
providing
access
to
digital
behavioral
health
support
(68%).
The
latter
includes
offering
mental
health
apps
to
their
employees.
“Employers
are
highly
focused
on
supporting
the
mental
health
of
their
employees,
especially
as
they
look
to
retain
and
engage
talent,”
said
Erin
Terkoski
Young,
senior
director
for
WTW’s
health,
equity
and
wellbeing
practice,
in
a
news
release.
“Those
that
prioritize
employee
mental
health
and
increase
access
to
virtual
and
digital
solutions
will
be
uniquely
positioned
to
improve
their
ability
to
deliver
much-needed
care.”
Many
employers
are
providing
training
to
managers
so
they
can
identify
those
struggling
with
mental
health
and
know
how
to
intervene.
About
44%
are
currently
doing
this,
and
another
30%
are
planning
or
considering
doing
so
by
2024.
Addressing
culture
when
it
comes
to
mental
health
is
also
becoming
an
important
strategy
for
employers.
About
38%
are
partnering
with
employee
resource
groups
for
population-specific
mental
health
problems,
while
another
27%
are
planning
or
considering
doing
this.
Additionally,
17%
of
employers
are
examining
cultural
competencies
in
their
behavioral
health
provider
networks,
and
another
27%
are
planning
or
considering
doing
so
in
the
future.
Additionally,
more
employers
are
looking
to
provide
mental
health
days
to
their
employees.
About
9%
already
offer
mental
health
days,
while
21%
are
planning
or
are
considering
doing
so
by
2024.
The
heavy
emphasis
on
mental
health
support
for
employees
is
largely
due
to
the
Covid-19
pandemic,
Young
said.
Employers
looking
to
retain
workers
need
to
make
mental
health
services
available,
Young
added.
“Covid-19
took
a
terrible
toll
on
employees’
lives,
including
substantially
worsening
mental
health,”
Young
said.
“Although
the
pandemic
may
have
started
to
wane,
mental
health
challenges
persist.
Taking
mental
health
programs
to
the
next
level
won’t
be
easy,
but
employers
that
succeed
will
see
improvement
in
productivity,
retention
and
engagement.”
Photo:
SIphotography,
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