“I’m not an employee’s babysitter, mom, or therapist,” the CEO insisted. The problem that led to his call: His company’s 2024 employee survey revealed that many employees expect mental health benefits.
“What are these employees thinking?” he asked. “We offer generous sick leave benefits, but are we asking for paid mental health leave on top of that? Employees need to deal with their own personal issues.”
Good luck, I told him. According to a national survey, 61% of Gen Z employees, 48% of Millennial employees; 41% of all US employees They reported that they were much more likely to quit their current job if they were offered a job with significantly improved mental health benefits.
These employees have high expectations of what their employer has to offer, with 58% asking for paid mental health leave (in addition to regular sick leave). 48% want paid or unpaid time off to deal with mental health issues. 44% want flexible scheduling, including part-time work hours, job sharing, and flexible start and finish times. 35% want mental health coverage as part of their employee health care plan. and 35% seek free or subsidized virtual mental health services.
reason? Due to the rapid increase in mental health problems, 86% of employees reported They suffer from at least one type of mental health problem.MetLife Life’s annual event U.S. Employee Benefits Trend SurveyA paper published in March confirmed that U.S. employees are experiencing an increasing number of mental health problems.American Psychological Association have equal weight, suggesting that American workers are experiencing the psychological effects of collective trauma from mass shootings. global conflict. Climate-related disasters. An unpredictable economy with high inflation. The aftermath of the pandemic and an increasingly polarized country.
In late March, ComPsych, the world’s largest mental health service provider, analyzed more than 300,000 cases in the United States and found that report Anxiety increased dramatically among U.S. employees in 2023. Anxiety wasn’t even among the top five mental health concerns in 2017, but by 2023, employees will be more likely to report anxiety than to seek help for stress, depression, addiction, or relationships. More employees asked for help. Family Matters.
When I spoke to the manager who made the call that started this column, he said: How can we give our employees what they want: paid mental health days and coverage for mental health counseling?”
I replied that you might find that you can benefit from increased productivity.Employees with poor mental health report They are four times more likely to have unplanned absenteeism than people with good mental health. According to a report from ComPsych, mental health-related leaves of absence ranging from days to weeks were 33% higher in 2023 than in 2022, and a whopping 300% higher than in 2017.
Furthermore, 4 out of 10 employees saying They are more likely to leave their current jobs for jobs that offer better mental health benefits, and employers that offer mental health benefits benefit in employee recruitment and retention.
Should employers address employee mental health issues? It’s a new reality.
