Employers Should Double Mental Health Benefits in Workplace Plans: Social Workers

OASW says anxiety heightened around return to office, need is immediate

TORONTO, April 11, 2022 /CNW/ - As hundreds of thousands of people return to the office, the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is calling on employers to introduce stand-alone mental health coverage in their group benefits plans worth a minimum of $1,500 per employee.

Workplace mental health benefits are a crucial tool to fight a mental health 'echo pandemic' that has seen large increases in anxiety, stress, substance use and loneliness.

More than half, or 52 per cent, of respondents in a recent poll conducted for the OASW by Leger said that cost was the top barrier in seeking help for their mental health challenges.

"Employers have a critical role to play in our shared recovery. We need them to step up and provide more robust mental health supports in their workplace benefits packages," says Dr. Deepy Sur, CEO of OASW. "Now is the time to do it. For both workers and their employers, there has never been a greater need for these benefits."

Mental illness costs Canadian employers more than $6 billion annually in lost productivity and accounts for 70 per cent of all workplace disability costs. The benefits to organizations of additional mental health care are increased productivity, higher employee engagement and ultimately more profitability.

Despite a strong case for robust benefits, the current median coverage for mental health counselling through benefits is $750, according to Benefits Canada, an amount that can be used up in a handful of visits. "People who are lucky enough to have those mental health benefits find out very quickly they are insufficient," said Sur.

"We're saying to Canadian business leaders: double your mental health workplace benefits to a minimum of $1,500. If you don't have them, introduce them. Ensure access to mental health support, including social workers, within your plan. And do it now. Your entire organization including its most important asset – your people – will benefit."

OASW, which represents over 8,000 social workers, says attention to benefits should be part of a return-to-work plan, and must be accompanied by additional communications with employees.

"Leaders in every field ought to be demonstrating empathy and doubling down on communications with their employees," says Sur. "That means letting them know what help is available, where and how to get it, what is expected of them and what they can expect from you."

Social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in Ontario. They are one of six regulated professions legally authorized to practice psychotherapy and use the title Psychotherapist.

When treating mental health and addictions issues, social workers take a broader approach, by focusing on various parts of a person's environment that impact their well-being. This includes considering factors such as social and financial pressures.

Despite the growing demand for help, only one in three respondents (or 36 percent) to the OASW/Leger poll reported having access to a benefits plan that included coverage for mental health. The online survey sampled 1,000 respondents in February 2022. 

For more detailed information on mental health in the workplace, please visit oasw.org.

About OASW
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is the voice of social work in Ontario. It is a voluntary, provincial, non-profit association representing over 8,000 members. All members have a university degree in social work at the bachelor, master, or doctoral level. OASW works to actively speak on behalf of social workers on issues of interest to the profession and advocates for the improvement of social policies and programs directly affecting social work practice and client groups served.

SOURCE Ontario Association of Social Workers

For media inquiries, please contact: Vanessa Rankin, [email protected], 905-464-0346