Fear of judgement is stopping employees from opening up about health concerns and using benefit schemes, according to research from Aetna International.
The insurer’s survey of 3,520 workers across the UAE, UK, US and Singapore found many employees were reluctant to use benefits because they were worried about how management would react if they found out.
When respondents were asked what was preventing them from accessing the current health and wellbeing benefits provided by their employer, the top three reasons cited were:
- fear that career progression will be impacted if HR/management finds out about health struggles (29%);
- fear that HR or management will find out details about their mental health (27%);
- and not knowing how to access existing health and wellbeing benefits (24%).
The survey also found a fifth (20%) of respondents did not use health and wellbeing benefits because they were worried about how their colleagues would perceive them.
Improving outcomes
Respondents identified several ways in which employers could create a more supportive atmosphere and encourage them to use health benefits.
Nearly half of respondents (48%) said they would be more likely to use health and wellbeing benefits if they were properly introduced to them and a similar number (45%) say they would like proper training on how to access and use available support.
Four in 10 (42%) added they would like to see training for management to better deal with employee wellbeing.
Nearly a third (30%) said reassurance they would not be penalised for using mental health support would encourage them to use these services more and a similar number (31%) felt their employer could help to destigmatise mental health issues by discussing it more openly.
More than a third (36%) of employees would feel more comfortable using benefits if they knew colleagues were using them as well, and many would make better use of existing support if leadership communicated more about this.
A third (33%) would use available health and wellbeing benefits if they were more personalised to their individual needs and a similar number (32%) said knowing what information was available to others about their use of benefits would encourage them to use these more.
Commenting on the findings, David Healy, chief executive officer for Europe at Aetna International, said: “These findings suggest that a significant minority of employees may try to cope alone when facing mental or physical health challenges.
“Sadly stigma, particularly around mental health, means some employees still believe they could face repercussions if they reveal they are struggling, which should never be the case in any workplace.
“We know from previous research that businesses across the world have notably increased their support for employee health and wellbeing over the last 18 months, and have become much more sensitive to the stress, anxiety and other pressures people face on a daily basis.
“The good news is that the vast majority of businesses are now more supportive of their employees’ wellbeing, the challenge is ensuring employees feel able and empowered to speak up and use the support and resources available to them.”