The reality is this topic can no longer be overlooked. As employers, it's important to ask your teams if they feel supported in their mental health journey and determine if more needs to be done. Consider reviewing and incorporating the following mental health benefit offerings:

Through the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act (MHPAEA), group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance use disorder benefits must be equal to the medical or surgical benefits that are covered. The question to determine with your workforce is – are these benefits sufficient or do I need to offer voluntary benefits that can supplement these?
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide free and confidential counseling services to speak on topics that affect mental and emotional wellbeing, including grief, family problems, psychological disorders and more. An employer can choose to offer an EAP on a standalone basis or through another benefit, such as life insurance.
One of the more promising shifts during this pandemic has been the increased access to telehealth appointments for patients to interact with their providers virtually. This option is available within many health plans or could be offered as a voluntary benefit. With the easy access that allows people to face their mental health questions in a more relaxed setting, this virtual interaction will likely become part of the new normal.
There are a growing number of apps that employers can help make employees aware of that can provide further support of their mental health and wellbeing. For example, AbleTo is a virtual behavioral healthcare portal, and Mindstrong provides virtual therapy through your mobile device. Similar tools are sure to be the next option on the mental health market as the need increases.

Mental health has been lurking in the shadows for many years and the pandemic has placed a spotlight on its back. With conversations increasing and concerns rising, there has never been a greater sense of urgency to further the conversation by continuing to advocate for mental and emotional wellbeing.

Instant Insights /

How to meet the growing needs of employees' mental health

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