The ongoing impact of the pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for companies to provide and promote mental health support for employees and actively encourage participation in these products.
For employers, the challenge becomes finding individualized solutions that deliver effective results. Effective solutions understand and meet the diverse and dynamic needs of each individual, while also applying to the entire workforce. Connecting employees to digital programming or face-to-face or virtual therapists through an employer’s health benefits offering is an important step — but achieving lasting mental health often doesn’t stop there.
While this may sound like a complex problem to solve, the latest generation of health and wellness products enables employers to provide tailored solutions for their entire workforce. These apps and programs often leverage big data analytics with a high degree of human touch to identify and connect with employees.
Anticipating needs and customizing value propositions through data are key elements in building a trusting relationship. Identifying who may need additional support in achieving personal health goals makes health plans more effective for employers and more effective for employees.
Rather than focusing on one health issue at a time, products emphasizing a whole-person approach to health connect the dots between the interconnected domains of participant health. A whole-person approach utilizes a biopsychosocial model that links biomedical science with an appreciation for personal feelings and insights and an awareness of the social and environmental responses that shape health. The overarching goal is to provide the right support to the right people at the right time.
Here are three important ways employers can use technology to provide better, more targeted support for their employees’ mental health in 2022.
Leverage data analytics and technology.
Advances in data technology and machine learning offer employers the opportunity to conduct a more comprehensive analysis of their employees’ health behaviors—even when employees may not be able to express themselves. In addition to the siloed disease state information that informs most health plans, the data can highlight key indicators and predictors of individuals who are likely to experience health problems in both physical and mental health.
Leveraging data analytics, such as stacking multiple data models and applying machine learning to stratify employee populations, can help determine who is most likely to engage and benefit from lifestyle and medication coaching. In some cases, individuals with chronic diseases, drug use patterns, or certain use behaviors are identified and exposed to specific opportunities.
These data techniques also reveal individuals who ostensibly appear to be at minimal or no chronic disease risk, but may show the utilization of health systems and therefore may benefit from service offerings.
We must never lose sight of an appropriate and responsible balance between information access and use and respect for privacy. The key to leveraging data is determining how much information is needed to generate insights and drive efficiencies. Data is great for forming predictions, but only human-individual interactions can validate predictions and best orient service.
Take advantage of personalized solutions.
At the heart of healthcare is the connection between people. Today, health solutions must transform to meet individual health needs. Using a manual, one-size-fits-all solution to address employee health issues is less effective in achieving results and is not an efficient use of healthcare benefits resources.
An effective solution for employers must start by addressing the needs of employees. Self-Determination Theory outlines the key elements of personal health: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
First, when a person has the confidence and ability to successfully manage their health, they feel good and in control. Second, individuals need the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices and execute plans to achieve healthy outcomes. Finally, individuals need to feel supported, connected, and safe through healthy relationships. For many people, these elements of health are not automatic and require time, effort, and often help. This is where technology can play a key role.
Technology gives us the tools to engage on a deeper level with people who may not have access to personalized and responsive care. The proliferation of telehealth technology has made personal contact available to those who may not be geographically close to a specialist or unable to travel to a therapist’s office. Save time at work or home, increase capacity and allow for more frequent service, which can lead to meaningful results.
A whole-person approach—considering medications, nutrition, fitness, and other health-affecting factors such as sleep and mental health—is key.
As the telehealth sector rapidly evolves to become a normal part of mainstream care, it has a responsibility to ensure that the human-to-human connection remains at the center of the technology-enabled platform. For employers to implement meaningful health and wellness benefits, these products must be easy to access and use—fit for employees’ lives—and meaningful enough to keep participants engaged long-term.
Employers should look for partners who can provide solutions that employees want to engage and stay engaged; a partner who understands the diverse needs of individuals can provide meaningful metrics for measuring success and can do so without increasing profits. Employers should ask their benefit partners if they can achieve the ultimate goal—helping their employees be healthier and happier—and provide data to demonstrate their impact on that goal.
Prioritize mental health.
The Covid-19 pandemic, social and racial tensions, employment and economic hardship, and restrictions on healthcare have negatively impacted the lives of most people. The past two years have brought tremendous stress, often felt through a broader sense of burnout, emotional exhaustion, or a lack of control.
Telehealth and telecare have become natural and accepted options for addressing mental health issues in our health system. However, the success of mental health platforms depends on their ability to support the individuals who use them. A recent study, MOBE 2021 Workplace Health Index44% of respondents with confirmed mental health issues had not visited or called a mental health professional in the past year, although the majority (77%) reported receiving mental health benefits through their employer.
As we enter the third year of the pandemic, we need to prioritize investments in the biopsychosocial scope of health and recognize key health ingredients. Workers need benefit options that meet a wide range of individual needs in a personalized manner. The fundamentals—the elements of quality sleep, adequate exercise, nutrition, and emotional well-being—remain complex challenges. Connecting people with personalized one-on-one support can make a big difference in helping people achieve their personal health goals, which also supports a healthier, more productive workforce.
Photo: marchmeena29, Getty Images
