Nearly two-thirds (62.3 per cent) of Canadian employees rarely or never access mental-health services and more than three-quarters (78.6 per cent) say they’d access these services at least twice a year if cost wasn’t a factor, according to a new survey by Humi.
The survey, which polled nearly 650 employees, found roughly a quarter aspired to access mental-health services on a monthly basis (25 per cent) or on a bi-weekly basis (22.3 per cent). Meanwhile, six in 10 (60.8 per cent) said they don’t spend any money on mental-health services, while 11.5 per cent said they spend up to $2,500 per year, 7.1 per cent spend up to $1,000 per year, 8.1 per cent spend up to $500 per year and 6.4 per cent spend up to $250 per year.
Read: Survey finds a third of Canadian workers finding cost a barrier to accessing mental-health support
Nearly half (42.9 per cent) of respondents said they can’t afford to access mental-health services as frequently as they need them. Just a quarter (24.5 per cent) felt they could afford to access mental-health services as frequently as they need them with coverage from employee benefits, with the number decreasing to 5.6 per cent among those without employee benefits.
One in four Canadian employees reported relying on their employer benefits to afford mental-health services; however, the frequency in which they could access services was determined by their benefits plan, not by their need.
“Mental-health benefits need to be approached differently than vision and dental, as many people need to access them more frequently than an annual checkup,” said Courtney Lee, vice-president of people at Humi, in a press release. “We urge employers to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and expand initiatives to support employee well-being.”
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