Rethinking employee supports
Traditionally, more attention has been given to physical or visible illnesses. However, in 2023 alone, insurers paid out over $600 million in mental health-related claims, an increase of more than 50 percent since 2019. This surge, fueled in part by the pandemic, reflects a troubling reality: Canadians are struggling now more than ever with mental health and the impact is being felt across workplaces, families and communities.
Mental health care is multi-dimensional and influenced by overlapping factors. Recognizing this complexity is key for employers wishing to provide meaningful support.
Before 2020, roughly 8 per cent of Canadians described their mental health as “fair” or “poor.” In 2021, that number tripled to 26 percent, with youth and women reporting the steepest declines. Loneliness is a growing trend post-pandemic that compounds this challenge and can impede recovery. In addition, for those living with chronic health conditions and disabilities, stress and isolation showed even greater spikes, with many individuals reporting lost access to the services that once supported them.
Against this backdrop, and the fact that Canada’s healthcare system is challenged to keep up with only 6% of funding going to mental health services rather than the recommended 12%, there’s a crisis at hand with many missing out on early interventions necessary to avoid crises, long-term absences and a harder road back. For instance research shows that:
• Once an employee has been off work for six months, the likelihood of returning drops sharply.
• Early intervention strategies facilitate the difference between recovery and long-term disengagement.
• With timely interventions employees realize increased self-confidence, better family relationships and improved overall health and wellness.
Fostering a culture of accommodation
With the invisible nature of many mental health conditions, employers are advised to play a critical role through the development of more robust, time sensitive disability management programs and the delivery of innovative solutions.
When managers and employees are all better equipped to understand how to recognize signs of mental health struggles, it has been shown that pathways to support open earlier. In-house disability management programs play a key role in this process, providing structured prevention, routine check-ins and ongoing support programs that enable employers to take an active role in their employees’ well-being and/or recovery.
In a culture where mental health is openly acknowledged and supported, evidence shows that there is more likely to be a healthier, more resilient workforce that can handle challenges. Recent research shows that nearly half (47 per cent) of Canadian workers are feeling burned out. Substance use has risen, with 3 in 10 Canadians reporting increased alcohol consumption since the pandemic.
There is also growing scientific evidence supporting higher likelihood of employees accessing short and long term disability related benefits when dealing with chronic sleep issues, with 33 percent of claimants experiencing insomnia when going on disability benefits.
A culture of openness, consistency and compassion helps ensure that employees feel safe and valued. Equally critical is the willingness to provide accommodations, from modified duties to gradual return-to-work plans, that make it possible for employees to remain engaged and productive while managing their health. Flexibility in schedules, workloads, and expectations, including regular check-ins to adjust support as needed, allows employees to balance professional and personal responsibilities. Maintaining regular contact with employees who are off work is an equally important part of their recovery. This helps preserve the connection to work, especially in situations where someone may feel isolated from family, friends, or peers.
In addition, when leaders model empathy and normalize conversations about mental health, it signals to employees that seeking help will be met with support, not judgment.
Leveraging virtual care
One of the benefits of the pandemic was the rapid advancement of technology and the emergence of more virtual services involving the delivery of healthcare. While digital-first care is not a perfect fit for everyone, it represents an essential role for bridging gaps and reducing barriers to access as virtual care has made support timelier and more accessible. Today, 87 per cent of patients say they feel as comfortable with virtual care as they do with in-person visits, and more than 70 per cent of physicians agree it improves access and efficiency.
Many group health benefit plans are also offering expanded access to innovative virtual services and self-led programs for mental health and related conditions such as substance use, grief, stress, sleep hygiene, and more.
According to The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, 10 million Canadians are covered by employer-paid virtual care. In 2023, this amounted to just over half a million virtual care visits paid for by Canadian employers through health benefit plans at no cost to individual Canadians.
For many employees, virtual programs are not only convenient but also remove logistical barriers like geography, scheduling and stigma surrounding mental health.
The way forward
The case for action is both economic and human. For businesses, implementing formalized accommodation programs and mental health offerings can lead to reduced costs, improved employee engagement, and lower turnover.
For employees, access to mental health supports promotes early recovery, enhances well-being, and improves overall quality of life. And, when employers commit to education and early intervention, invest in mental health solutions and build cultures rooted in empathy and accommodation, they help shift the narrative.
Kim Zinck is the President of the Disability Management Institute.
Photo: iStock
