Providing a range of policies, resources, and management trainings that foster a healthy and flexible work culture are fundamental strategies for supporting employee mental health. Occupational psychology considers these primary intervention strategies aimed at preventing major stress and mental health conditions. But even with excellent preventive strategies in place, mental health conditions will arise, and employees will need support, making comprehensive health insurance benefits that cover psychological services essential.
American Psychological Association. (2024, May 16). Reexamine health insurance policies with a focus on employee mental health. https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/mental-health/reexamine-health-insurance
Why this matters to leaders
- Untreated mental health conditions like depression can contribute to decreased productivity.
- Treatment for conditions like depression is significantly associated with improved productivity.
What the research says
- 64% of U.S. employees ranked pay and benefits as very importantopens in new window when deciding whether to take a job with a different organization (February 2022 Gallup Poll).
- 87% of employees say that certain actions from their employer would help their mental health (APA’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey).
- Research supports the connection between mental health disorders and decreased work productivityopens in new window.
Approaches to consider
- Make sure your organization’s health insurance benefits reflect the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Actopens in new window, at a minimum. This law requires health insurers to provide coverage for mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorders that is comparable to their physical health coverage. It applies to all commercial insurance plans, union-negotiated plans, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
- If your organization’s insurance coverage already aligns with federal policy, help remove perceived and actual barriers to employees looking for psychological support. For example:
- Choose a plan with out-of-network mental health benefits so employees can access clinicians who may not be in network with your provider.
- Ensure that mental health benefits and resources are easily accessible (i.e., easy to locate), understandable, and support employees across the continuum of mental wellness.
APA offers a guide for employers on what they need to know about mental health parity laws.
Acknowledgments
APA gratefully acknowledges the following contributors to this content.
CEOs Advancing Health Equity is a group of executives from some of the nation’s largest nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations who joined forces during the Covid-19 pandemic to improve health equity, with a focus on vaccines and mental health in the workplace.
