Benefits plan sponsors’ efforts to reduce stigma around mental-health challenges and encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work are bearing fruit, said benefits and wellness experts during Benefits Canada’s launch event for the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey.
The survey found three-quarters of plan members and 87 per cent of plan sponsors agreed their workplace encourages health and wellness, while roughly the same amount said they feel it supports mental wellness. A wellness culture has trickle down effects for plan members: those who felt their workplace had one were more satisfied in their jobs and rated their benefits plan and their own health higher than those who didn’t.
“Many years ago, wellness [initiatives] were a bit of a nice-to-have from an organizational perspective. . . . Now it’s more of a must-have,” said Andrejka Massicotte, head of group benefits at RBC Insurance. “It’s something that attracts then retains and engages employees.”
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Massicotte credited employers with several initiatives, such as having senior leaders talk about their own mental health, increasing mental-health benefits and creating numerous avenues for employees to access wellness supports.
Some key measures of plan members’ psychological health and safety indicate those efforts are resonating with employees. The survey found a majority of plan members said they feel they can be their authentic selves at work (80 per cent) and can share their honest opinions at work (71 per cent).
Sunil Hirjee, vice-president of sales and partner experience for Ontario, Western and Atlantic Canada group insurance at Beneva Inc., said these findings are positive but indicate plan sponsors still have some work to do to address psychological risks in the workplace.
The now decade-old National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace can help plan sponsors in that work, he said. The standard helps plan sponsors identify risks to employees’ mental health within their workplace and introduce protective measures. However, the survey found just 44 per cent of plan sponsors were aware of the standard and only 16 per cent had implemented it in their workplace.
“You can take a step back and look at things like, is there [the] risk of isolation in my workforce? If so, what protective measures can I put in place, like making sure there are regular touch points with individuals?” said Hirjee. “There are ways to . . . build a foundation and then keep assessing and putting in new actions.”
The survey found large employers were more likely than their smaller counterparts to have a documented wellness strategy. But Hirjee noted it isn’t impossible for small employers to achieve. He encouraged them to work with their advisor partners to consider the effectiveness of — and reasons behind — their existing wellness offerings and, from there, communicate more intentionally with members about how the programs can help them.
He also said training people leaders can go a long way. “The first people [employees] ask when they’re faced with a difficult time is their trusted manager. If [managers] are very well-equipped to understand that there are these programs in place, you have that first line of defence of getting them quicker access to what they need.”
Download the full 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey report here.
Tune in for the rest of the coverage of this year’s event throughout the week.