In addition, 31% of employers with 50 or more employees expanded the ways in which enrollees could get mental health or substance abuse services, such as through telemedicine, and 16% developed new resources. Employers can help provide more mental health support by upgrading and expanding employee assistance programs, which typically provide a number of free counseling sessions per year, and includes telehealth access to benefits. Implementing wellness days that can be used separately from paid time off (PTO) is also a practice to consider, and one that employees will greatly appreciate.

To ensure that employees actually utilize newly-provided and existing mental health programs and substance abuse services, they must address two key employee challenges: low awareness and lack of understanding of their benefits. Three ways employers can improve awareness and understanding include:

1. Creating a package menu — Wellness programs and EAPs are great resources that are appealing but oftentimes underutilized if the employee cannot find the basic information needed. Employers can improve access to wellness benefits by creating a simple menu of options packaged in a format that clearly outlines which benefits are available and how to access them. The key is making sure the benefits are easy to find. For example, EAPs are valuable and should be visible on the landing page, not buried within different tabs of the HR section of the company intranet.

2. Clarifying the benefits process — Sometimes, the overall process of using or accessing benefits can become more frustrating than the actual benefit. With various contacts, depending on each benefits program or service, including everyone from HR representatives, managers, health advocates, and outside vendor partners, it can be confusing for employees to understand who they should contact or what action to take in order to receive the help or support they need. Employers can eliminate this burden and potential delay of care by identifying what is available to the employee within wellness programs and connecting them with the proper representatives that help employees obtain those benefits.

3. Actively engage in employee surveys and obtaining feedback — Wellness plans alone cannot meet the needs of all employees. Conducting regular employee surveys can help provide insight into emerging needs and unique situations. Equally important is creating a feedback loop between employees, HR and managers to get a pulse on what challenges employees are facing and to understand expectations around what is needed for their benefits.

The pandemic has brought unique challenges which, aligned with additional compound stressors, have increased mental health issues for employees. Employers must be mindful of the impacts associated with these stressors on workplace performance and productivity. In order to help address these concerns, it is critical that employers consider all aspects of employees' wellbeing and provide clear programs that will help them navigate through difficult times.

Debra Villar is a manager of disability management resources for The Standard where she leads a team of nurse case managers, vocational case managers, and behavioral health managers to deliver an exceptional claims experience. Debra joined The Standard in 2012 as a behavioral health case manager evaluating conditions, and treatments and making outreach calls to patients during their time of disability. She is a licensed mental health counselor and certified case manager. Her work experience includes a background in individual, group, and family counseling. Prior to joining The Standard, she spent several years providing intensive case management support to individuals in the community who suffered from severe and chronic mental illness and substance abuse issues, as well as jail system experience as a transitional case manager assisting psychiatric inmates to reintegrate into society with the appropriate medical and housing services. Brenda Smith is the Workplace Possibilities Senior Director at The Standard. Growing up in a small Alaskan town instilled a love of the outdoors and an independent spirit in Brenda Smith. Her tight-woven community also exposed her to the ramifications of job loss and disability and the toll they can take on a family. This empathy for others led her to the field of human resources, where she gained experience in benefits, staffing, and overall operations. Her insights into the benefits world and background in customer experience led her to work with the Workplace Possibilities team in 2014, where she is now the senior director of the program. In this role, Brenda helps insurance advisors implement the Workplace Possibilities program with employers and oversees a team of return-to-work, absence and Americans with Disabilities Act consultants.