Not enough is being done by employers to support the mental health of their staff despite them largely acting on commitments to tackle physical health and wellbeing issues, according to findings from Aetna International.
The insurer’s survey of 3,520 office workers across the UAE, UK, US and Singapore found that employers’ actions were not living up to their verbal commitments around mental health support.
Almost two fifths of staff did not believe organisations would prioritise their mental health, while very young or part-time employees had a more negative view of their company’s approach to health and wellbeing.
The insurer suggested this meant more had to be done to cater to the needs of the entire workforce.
Aetna asked respondents to rate their employer’s response to mental and physical health challenges in the workplace, to understand if corporate commitments to employee health and wellbeing had been put into practice over the last 12 months.
Health benefits improvement
The survey found that 40% of global employees felt health benefits at their organisation had improved in the last 12 months and results suggested that businesses were meeting verbal commitments when it came to support for physical health conditions.
More than two in five (43%) respondents rated the communication from their employer on physical health as good and the same number (42%) said the action their employer had taken to support employees’ physical health was also good.
More than a third (35%) believed their employer had done a good job of communicating about work-related postural problems; while a similar number (38%) rated the action their employer had taken to address this issue as good.
Mental health gap
However, when the subject of mental health was brought up responses suggested there was still a gap between what employers said and what they did, and compared to physical health support.
More than a third (36%) of global respondents said their employer’s communication around mental health issues had been good over the last year, but only a quarter (25%) said the same about the actions their employer had taken to support mental health and wellbeing.
While three quarters (75%) of workers trusted their employer to prioritise their physical health in the workplace, close to two in five (38%) have little or no trust that their mental health will be treated as a priority by their organisation.
Younger workers had the most negative view about whether health and wellbeing benefits had improved over the last year.
Less than a third (30%) of 18-24-year olds thought the health support provided by employers was better than it was a year ago, compared to around two in five workers in older age groups.
The research also showed that some demographics felt more negatively about their employer’s actions over the last year. For example, only 39% of female respondents agreed that health and wellbeing played an important role in their company’s culture, compared to nearly half (47%) of men.
While close to half of contract (46%) and full-time (44%) employees believe health and wellbeing is an important part of their company’s culture, less than two in five (38%) part-time workers agree.
Almost a quarter of part-time workers (23%) thought their company’s internal culture was detrimental to their health and wellbeing.
Employee preferences
Echoing these findings, a report from Mercer Marsh Benefits found more than a third (34%) of respondents would be more likely to stay with a company that had strong mental healthcare provisions in place.
The report also indicated significant variations in healthcare provisions between the preferences of different cohorts.
A third of ethnic minoritie employees valued tools to help build skills, like mindfulness and resilience, to better cope with pressure.
More than a third (36%) of women said they valued services to help support others with mental health issues, compared to just 29% of men.
And almost half (49%) of LGBTQ+ employees said they highly valued support with mental health, resilience and personal relationship concerns, compared to 38% of non-LGBTQ+ employees.
Workers feel mental health is not as important to employers
David Healy, chief executive officer for Europe at Aetna International, (pictured) said many workers still felt their mental health was not as important to their employer as their physical health and safety.
He urged businesses to build on progress made and ensure strategies and internal culture support everything from physical health to an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
He further called on employers to ensure communication and support was visible and available to everyone – regardless of their position, location, working status or personal circumstances.
“Not only is this the right thing to do, it could also have significant implications for productivity, recruitment and retention,” Healy said.
“The pandemic has made many employees reassess their priorities and the hunt for talent is becoming increasingly competitive.
“This is a trend that will almost certainly continue this year, possibly longer. When it comes to finding and retaining the best people, companies that do not prioritise, value or respect their employee’s wellbeing will simply be left behind.”
