Mental health has become a dominating presence in employee benefit discussions, as new entrants to the workforce face higher levels of burnout, rising healthcare costs and stagnating benefit packages.
Employers that are drafting new suites of benefits are wondering how to take the first step towards change.
Wysa, a mental health resources provider,
The report found that many managers responded inappropriately to instances of coworkers showing signs of a mental health episode, according to their employees. Roughly 32% of respondents aged 18 to 24 reported such offenses, the highest percentage recorded, while those over the age of 64 accounted for the lowest percentage at 9%.
"You can't tell an employee who is having a low moment to suck it up and get back out there," Rachel Barski, director of sales for employers at Wysa, told Employee Benefit News. "You have to be sensitive. … This could be that person's worst day, and they're struggling."
The data also paints an interesting disparity between how older and younger professionals handle mental health episodes of their own.
Those under the age of 45 preferred paid time off for recharging, offering safe spaces for talking things out, workload reductions and digital mental health tools more than did their counterparts over the age of 45. The older end of the spectrum instead favored professional support, occasional check-ins and PTO for wellbeing.
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Benefits are only one variable in the mental health equation, however.
The
"An inclusive office is created with all lived experiences in mind," Alex Suggs, co-founder and partner at consulting firm Different DEI, told EBN in a
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Below are the latest industry mental health trends that benefit managers should be aware of.
Employees worried about work buildups are hoarding their PTO
Employees are
This practice, known as "holiday hoarding," can lead to higher amounts of burnout among staffers and impact the quality of their work as well as their physical and mental wellbeing. Experts like Peter Duris, the CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, an AI-based career tool, told EBN that workplace
"Stressed-out workers are not taking the time off that they need to rest," Duris said. "Some employees might be reluctant to take time off because they feel worried they will be overlooked [and] others might be saving up their PTO in case of an emergency."
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Lyra is empowering employee efforts to improve their mental health
Lyra Health, a Burlingame, California-based healthcare fintech, launched its artificial intelligence-powered platform last month to help employees keep closer tabs on their mental health and take steps to
Lyra Empower combines the firm's Connect, Engage and Care offerings into one portal. Lyra Connect helps human-resource professionals get deeper insights into employee engagement and mental health by continually analyzing data, then recommending areas ripe for investment and new ways of improving employee communications.
Lyra Engage and Lyra Care respectively offer employees access to evidence-based therapy and personalized support. They also assist providers in keeping track of multiple schedules and documents.
"Evolving technology creates the opportunity to take that to a whole new level, improving care for members and guidance for organizations while delivering the highest ROI in mental health," Jennifer Schulz, chief executive officer of Lyra Health, said in a
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Do employers have a mental health blindspot for Gen Z?
There's a negative perception of Gen Z professionals as self-centered, lazy, more prone to
Wysa polled more than 6,000 workers across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and found that while younger employees are experiencing more mental-health volatility than other demographics, they're less likely to voice these issues or seek out help.
Roughly 35% of 18-24 year-olds and 30% of 25-34 year-olds have dealt with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, but are 14% less likely to seek professional help than older generations.
"It's not only that there are so many issues around the world, but Gen Z has so much awareness of it," Rachel Barski, director of sales for employers at Wysa, told EBN. "How are they supposed to interpret all this information? It's so negative, and it breeds fear, depression and anxiety."
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How to know when mental health benefits work, and when they don't
Roughly 90% of employees experienced a mental health challenge last year, and stress and burnout levels are once again on the rise, after declining year-over-year since 2021, according to data from Lyra Health's annual
Burnout is an issue that many workplaces often overlook, but it can have noticeable impacts on employee turnover rates and the
"When we think about burnout as being predictive of all of these costly problems to an employer, it makes us look at what are the most efficient areas for employers to intervene to reduce burnout, and we know it's work life," Joe Grasso, Lyra's vice president of workforce transformation, told EBN.
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How well-crafted polices can stop overwork, and how to implement them
Following findings from the World Health Organization that working 55 or more hours per week is linked to a
Ramon Velazquez, a neuroscience consultant at Mind Lab Pro, a company focused on brain performance and health, told EBN that many employees feeling the pressures of work often turn to their managers for direct assistance with maximizing their time usage.
"Healthy work relationships based on trust and open communication enable employees to voice their concerns and ask for help," Velazquez said. "Even just listening can go a long way in helping employees to feel better, thereby restoring motivation, productivity and overall job satisfaction."
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