Research on workplace empathy reveals alarming gaps between employees’ mental health needs and the support they receive from their employers. Consider employee benefits, for example. In a 2024 Businessolver survey, 90% of employees said having mental health benefits available at enrollment was important. Yet only 35% reported having access to them.
For a long time, discussions around workplace mental health were rare, if not outright taboo. Thankfully, that is changing, as even executives at the highest levels are willing to discuss their personal experiences. In the same workplace empathy study, 55% of CEOs reported experiencing a mental health issue in the last year, a 24-point increase over the year prior.
To stem the rising tide of psychological strain, many employers have or are considering deepening their mental health benefits bench. A recent Mercer survey showed that 94% of large employers either strengthened their coverage for mental healthcare, increased support or instituted new mental health programs in the last three years.
The business case for expanded mental health benefits is clear. From behavioral health programs to employee assistance programs, mental health benefits generate significant ROI in the form of reduced medical claims costs and increased productivity. And they are in high demand. EAPs ranked among the top three benefits in Businessolver’s 2025 Benefits Preference survey of more than 43,000 employees.
Many new and emerging solutions have made broadening mental health benefits easier. From virtual treatment options to 1:1 coaching, innovative employee support is available in all kinds of interesting models. Here are four examples and the early workplace wellness results they’re achieving.
See also: Hoping to boost benefits engagement, employers turn to new ally: AI
Flexible work schedules. Instead of thinking about remote work as a casual perk, more companies are getting strategic by formalizing flexible schedules and acceptable working locations with company- or department-wide policies. Four-day workweeks are one example. In 2024, 22% of participants in the American Psychological Association’s Work in America survey said their employer offered a four-day workweek, up 8 points since 14% reported the same just two years prior.
Policies like this standardize expectations for employees while inspiring confidence within the affected workforce—something that is especially important amid headline-making incidents of surprise RTO mandates from some of the most recognized brands in the world. Employees would not be at fault for fearing the remote-work rug could be pulled out from under them at a moment’s notice. A formal policy can quell some of that worry.
Mental health days off. As designated days that employees can take off work to rest or rejuvenate, mental health PTO recognizes that psychological health is just as important as physical health.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a value held by an increasing percentage of the multi-generational workforce. A global survey of 26,000 workers found that in 2024, work-life balance ranked higher than pay for 79% of workers. This was the first time across the survey’s 22-year history that such a high percentage of employees considered their wellbeing above compensation. Especially as more companies implement return-to-office mandates and experience the resulting drop in employee satisfaction, finding creative ways to enable stress management may prove essential for attracting and retaining top talent.
Virtual therapy. Delivered through a range of digital platforms, virtual therapy aims to increase access to mental health support. Because the connections to licensed therapists are remote, mental healthcare becomes more convenient and often more affordable.
Remote support is especially relevant for employers with dispersed teams. When the National Center for Health Workforce looked into mental healthcare access in December 2023, more than half of the U.S. population was living in designated “Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas.” As “healthcare deserts” become more prevalent, virtual therapy can bridge a gap for employees with limited access to in-person mental health services.
Among the observable outcomes of virtual therapy, researchers have seen reduced absenteeism and lower rates of presenteeism when employees are working while coping with an illness.
Financial coaching. Money problems can be one of the greatest contributors to anxiety. Nearly half (48%) of employees in Businessolver’s most recent Benefits Insights survey admitted they would be “panicked” by an unexpected medical expense. This was an even bigger worry among Gen Z and Millennial workers at 62% and 50%, respectively.
More employers recognize the opportunity to mitigate the suffering of financially anxious—and potentially distracted—employees with financial health benefits. One-to-one coaching is an especially effective option, as hyper-personalized guidance can address employees’ immediate needs while introducing them to relevant financial benefits they may not know about or fully understand, such as high-deductible health plans or dependent care flexible spending accounts. It’s not unusual for employees to feel confused about their benefits. In fact, 86% of employees declared as much in the Businessolver survey.
Thinking beyond the traditional benefits box
Beyond formal coverages and connections, safeguarding employee mental health can take a multitude of formats. Some companies have found creative, no- or low-cost ways to mitigate tension and burnout while making time in (and out of) the office more enjoyable.
Take one of our healthcare clients, for example. The company recently overhauled its PTO policy to infuse more flexibility, financial freedom and work-life balance for all employees. The new program gives employees more choice for how to use their PTO, whether that’s cashing it out early to offset pre-tax contributions or keeping so-called “bankers’ hours.” The change has resulted in better retention rates and employee satisfaction.
Similarly, one of our global financial services clients offers additional time off policies for career development, caregiving and volunteering, separate from PTO, to give employees more flexibility around community engagement, professional development, caregiving and managing their wellbeing.
Within our own company, tenured employees are rewarded with funded trips. Once they hit a specific milestone anniversary, they receive a financial stipend for use on excursions that allow for relaxation, adventure or simply more time with the ones they love.
More benefits won’t matter if employees don’t know about them
Regardless of the creative thinking and smart strategizing that goes into an expanded mental health benefits strategy, employees can only be drawn to benefits they know about. At Businessolver, we have a mantra we love to share with HR colleagues who recognize the importance of awareness and are searching for proven practices to achieve it: “Think Like a Marketer.”
Of course, lack of awareness is not always the root cause of underutilized benefits; often, it comes down to a perceived lack of relevance. Do all employees who stand to benefit most from a mental health perk or program understand how it relates to their unique circumstances? With a deepening bench of benefits, answering “yes” is becoming trickier.
HR benefits pros who think like marketers come straight at this challenge with strategic communications strategies that are highly executable—and importantly, scalable. Thanks to the rapid acceleration of generative AI and decision support engines, HR is finding increasingly effective and efficient ways to achieve personalization at scale within their omnichannel strategies.
And it’s working: Employers that promote their most important wellbeing programs and point solutions with personalized reminders experience an average 18% unique impression-to-activation rate.
What’s more, 85% of employees who engaged with personalized decision support technology during the 2025 enrollment period reported feeling confident in their benefits election. That’s an especially significant achievement in the context of the confusion about the pervasive benefits mentioned above.
Marketer’s mindset meets personalization at scale
HR benefits teams can deploy several strategies to amp up the personalization of mental health benefits marketing. Here are just a few:
Speak directly to every employee. Underpinned by proven user experience practices, custom communications speak directly to each employee’s circumstances. Businessolver data shows that when the UX meets employees in their moments of need, they engage at much higher rates.
Offer smart, individualized prompts. HR teams can manage individual benefits activation paths with personalized nudges. Our clients see an 18% average lift in benefits activation (clicks, calls and other forms of active engagement) when employees get personalized reminders about a relevant benefit or point solution.
Integrate adaptive virtual assistants. When trained thoughtfully, chatbots and other AI-based tools uncover “the question behind the question” during interactions with employees. If someone asks about the deductible for an in-office therapy session, for example, Businessolver’s virtual assistant Sofia is trained to not only answer the question but also address the root of the question, such as reminding employees about additional benefits available to them, like an EAP or virtual therapy.
Beyond making it personal for every employee, benefits marketing campaigns must also consider the full employee journey. An individual newly diagnosed with a panic disorder, for example, may suddenly find a benefit like care navigation essential, even though it previously was not on their radar. For that reason, it’s just as essential for HR benefits pros to generate campaigns that drive high recall as to build familiarity.
One effective way to make a lasting impression is through storytelling and testimonials. Integrating this kind of content into benefits communication brings perks and programs to life for employees, enhancing recall. Pro tip: Many point solution providers have this kind of content ready for their clients to use.
Balancing skyrocketing costs with care
Even as the business case for greater investment in employee mental health solidifies, skyrocketing healthcare costs (up to 9% per some estimates) will have a significant influence on HR’s ability to secure buy-in for greater investment in well-being initiatives.
However, being able to articulate strategies for earning ROI on that investment may help build consensus. With a marketer’s mindset and the technology to personalize communication at scale, HR can position the expansion not as an expense but as a strategic way to demonstrate care for the people who drive the business forward.
Credit: Source link
