Employers’ biggest worry: A breakdown in mental health
Results from the Unum employer survey, September 16, 2020
It doesn’t take much imagination to predict that parents who have already spent five months working at home with children present — or trying to find child care while schools and daycares were closed — might soon reach a breaking point as the pandemic drags on. A troubling 85% of employers we recently surveyed are concerned about their employees’ mental health and wellness amid school-schedule disruptions this fall.
How concerned are you with your employees' mental health or wellness needs as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact life?
 |
85% Somewhat or very concerned |
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8% Neither concerned nor unconcerned |
 |
7% Not very or not at all concerned |
Almost half (49%) put employee mental health in their top three concerns, often citing the ongoing stress of “trying to juggle everything” — and the anxiety and depression that can result. Female employees have been especially hard hit by school disruptions, erasing gains in equality and endangering their families’ financial well-being.
As evidence of the mounting pressure, more than half (58%) of employers said employees had been increasing their use of the mental health or wellness benefits offered at work, and two-thirds (67%) said they thought usage would increase even more in the coming months.
How much do you anticipate the usage of existing mental health or wellness benefits will change in the coming months among your employees?
 |
67% Increase |
 |
20% No change |
 |
7% Decrease |
 |
6% Not sure |
Quick links
- Executive summary
- Part one
School disruptions: Parents who aren’t at work— even when they are - Part three
Enrollment concerns: Financial resiliency in danger, too
New: Unum Behavioral Health
A better way to keep your employees healthy and productive
Many indicators of employee stress were worrying global mental health experts even before the pandemic. “Lifestyle and stress-related illnesses had been surpassing communicable diseases, and burnout was reclassified by the World Health Organization as a workplace condition and occupational risk rather than a health condition,“according to Dr. Kristen Lee, Lead Faculty for Behavioral Science at Northeastern University.
The pandemic has accelerated the arrival of the crisis, and coping with it is now a business-critical issue.
People are isolated, working remotely without a support system, trying to
provide childcare and elder care — a lot of issues will affect productivity.
Robert Hecker
Vice President of Global Total Rewards at Unum
“People are isolated, working remotely without a support system, trying to provide childcare and elder care — a lot of issues will affect productivity,” says Unum's Rob Hecker. “Employers need to get creative in developing programs and services to help employees better cope — and even thrive — in this challenging situation.”
Fortunately, nearly two in three (61%) employers have plans or offerings in place that specifically address their employees’ mental health needs. The most frequently mentioned offerings include counseling or therapy — often on site and employer-paid, employee assistance programs (EAPs), helplines/hotlines, telemedicine, and additional time off.
What specific plans or offerings are in place to address employees' mental health needs?
Selected responses
Flexibility/work-life balance
- Flexible work schedules
- Reduced work hours
- Flexibility to work from home
- On-site space for kids to learn
Counseling and well-being services/benefits
- On-site counseling services/therapy
- Access to clergy
- Reimbursement for outside services
- Group classes/webinars/support groups
- EAPs
Facilities
- Meditation rooms/relaxation spaces
- Workout rooms
- Comfortable work spaces
Enhanced compensation/benefits
- More paid time off
- More breaks
- Expanded health, life, disability and wellness benefits
- Telemedicine coverage
- Emergency financial assistance
- Added pay/bonus pay
- Targeted assistance, like meal delivery and faster internet access for home workers
Other initiatives
- Management communication and support/manager training
- Periodic health and wellness check-ins/employee hotline
- Morale boosting efforts/company retreat after pandemic subsides/job-security assurances
These benefits will be critical well into 2021. Because fall is also typically the height of enrollment season, some are concerned that the recent shift to virtual and hybrid worksites will complicate how employees enroll in their benefits. Read on to learn how some employers are changing their communication strategies as a result.
Up next
- In part three: Employers need to get creative about enrollment.
Explore the report
- Report executive summary
- In part one: Modified school schedules will stress parents and employers.
About the survey
We surveyed 409 employers from August 12 to August 20, 2020, with roughly 100 responses coming from employers in each of four employee-size categories: 1 to 99, 100 to 499, 500 to 1,999 and 2,000+. Respondents were limited to persons involved in employee benefits decision-making or administration at U.S.-based organizations representing a wide variety of industries. We are actively keeping a pulse on the market and employers’ concerns amid the pandemic’s disruptions and have been releasing bi-monthly reports since April 2020.