According to 2021 data compiled by Medavie Blue Cross, younger members are significantly more likely than older insured to submit claims for the services of a psychologist or other mental health professional.
The group insurance specialist sees this trend as a positive sign. “Our figures show that people from generations Z and Y are increasingly willing to seek out mental health services,” Olivier Pagé, Director, Group Disability Management Operations at Medavie Blue Cross, told Insurance Portal.
For Gen Z (ages 9-24), mental health professional services is the top group insurance claim category, accounting for 20.5 per cent of total claims for this generation. Among millennials, ages 25 to 40, this category ranks second, representing 13.8 per cent of total claims.
Stigma waning, usage rising
Pagé told Insurance Portal that the use of telemedicine and self-treatment services is on the rise among people from these generations. He acknowledges that those groups are growing up with a high level of distress. At the same time, stigma attached to mental illness is steadily waning.
“These data also suggest that parents are placing increasing emphasis on early access to therapies for their dependent children who may be experiencing learning difficulties, or who have other developmental disabilities,” Pagé adds.
To expand its mental health service offer, Medavie Blue Cross Medavie launched text therapy coverage in 2022, provided through Focus Mental Wellness. Available to group and individual plan members, this service lets clients communicate with a therapist via text message, without having to make an appointment.
Preliminary results from a five-year longitudinal study conducted by the Observatoire sur la santé et le mieux-être au travail (OSMET) prompted Medavie to cover this therapy. According to the OSMET study, which the insurer commissioned, more than one in three working Canadians report experiencing some form of psychological distress. This situation is occurring in a context of mounting cases of psychological problems and the digitization of mental health services, Medavie adds.
Openness to managers
Capterra surveyed 1,100 Canadians (including 145 Quebec residents) in 2022 and found that workers are just as likely to talk to their manager about mental health as they are to seek tools outside of the workplace. The fact that these two options are equally appealing demonstrates the varied approaches employees prefer to take when it comes to ensuring their mental health, the software review platform notes.
“Canadians have varied comfort levels when it comes to discussing their mental health, so both in-person and virtual channels should be made available for employees to express mental health concerns,” says Tessa Anaya, the analyst for the study.
Among the benefits Canadians see as most helpful to their mental health, flexible work hours topped the list for 81 per cent of respondents, followed by mental health days/personal days (paid time off), at 76 per cent, and access to a trained health care professional, at 69 per cent, the Capterra survey finds. Reimbursement for wellness-related expenses comes in fourth, followed by ergonomic equipment for working from home.
Staving off the great resignation
Another recent study finds that compensation is key to employee satisfaction. According to an ADP Canada survey conducted in collaboration with Maru Public Opinion, 24 per cent of respondents said they were new to their current role or position. Conducted from June 29 to June 30, 2022, the survey polled 1,512 randomly selected Canadian adults from among Maru Voice Canada’s online panelists.
The ADP Canada survey found that compensation is the number one key factor in moving “from the great resignation to retention.” Eighty-eight percent of Canadian workers who are considering a job change in the next six months cited compensation as the most important determining factor.
Advice to companies
To retain top talent, employers should track the various factors that can affect overall job satisfaction, ADP notes. For example, employers should regularly gather feedback through anonymous surveys and create a regular cadence of check-ins to identify current priorities, concerns and needs.
“These findings highlight the wide range of factors that play a role in employee retention, most importantly the growing need for job flexibility and competitive compensation,” says Ed Yuen, Vice President, Strategy and HR Outsourcing at ADP Canada.
“While many Canadians find themselves in a new job, employers also need to put the focus on those who stayed in their roles. It's now time for the ‘Great Recognition’ and to build a culture of appreciation,” he adds.
