By Canoe Benefits
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in Canada. Organizations post about mental health at work, share resources, and encourage employees to take care of themselves. These efforts matter, but awareness alone doesn’t create the support employees need.
A real mental health strategy goes deeper. It means offering employee benefits that are accessible, comprehensive, and communicated in ways that reduce barriers instead of adding to them. It means understanding why utilization is low and what you can do to change that.
Why Awareness Campaigns Aren't Enough
Talking about mental health at work is important. It reduces stigma, opens conversations, and reminds employees that support exists. But if employee benefits are hard to access, limited in scope, or unclear, awareness doesn’t translate into help.
Employees need more than encouragement to seek support. They need to know what’s covered, how to access it without confusion, and that using their mental health benefits won’t be complicated or costly. Awareness creates the conversation. Strategy creates the structure that makes support usable.
What Comprehensive Mental Health Support Includes
Most organizations offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and that’s a start. EAPs provide short-term counseling, crisis support, and referrals. But for many employees, a few sessions aren’t enough to address what they’re dealing with.
Comprehensive employee benefits for mental health at work go beyond the basics and include:
- Extended mental health coverage that covers therapy, counseling, and psychiatric care beyond what an EAP offers
- Access to a range of providers including psychologists, therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists so employees can find the right fit
- Coverage for different types of care such as virtual therapy, in-person sessions, and group support
- Prescription coverage for mental health medications without high out-of-pocket costs
- Proactive mental health resources like stress management programs, resilience training, or workplace accommodations for mental health conditions
- Clear information about what’s covered so employees know what their employee benefits include and how to use them
Mental health at work improves when employees understand what’s available, feel safe accessing it, and don’t face financial or logistical barriers that make support feel out of reach.
Addressing Barriers to Access and Utilization
Employees Don’t Know What’s Available
If employee benefits for mental health are only mentioned during open enrollment or buried in a benefits guide, people forget they exist. Communication about mental health at work needs to happen year-round, especially during Mental Health Awareness Month and other moments when mental health is already part of the conversation.
Stigma Around Asking For Help
Even when employee benefits are available, some employees worry about judgment, confidentiality, or how using mental health support might be perceived. Make it clear that mental health benefits are confidential, normalize their use, and talk about them the same way you’d talk about any other health resource.
Coverage Limits or Costs
If employees hit a cap on therapy sessions or face high out-of-pocket costs, they stop using care even if they still need it. Review your employee benefits coverage limits and cost-sharing structure to make sure they’re not creating barriers for people who need ongoing support.
Difficulty Finding Providers
Long wait times, limited provider networks, or a lack of virtual options can make accessing care feel impossible. If your employee benefits include mental health coverage, make sure employees can find and book appointments without frustration.
If you’re not sure where the barriers are in your mental health benefits, ask. Surveys, exit interviews, and conversations with employees can tell you what’s getting in the way. Your Canoe advisor can also help you review your employee benefits and identify gaps that might be limiting access to mental health at work.
Measuring Whether Mental Health Benefits Are Making a Difference
Offering mental health support is one thing. Knowing whether it’s working is another. Here’s what to pay attention to:
- Utilization rates. Are employees using the mental health benefits you offer? If EAP usage is low, that’s a signal that communication, access, or stigma might be an issue.
- Employee feedback. What are people saying about mental health at work in surveys, exit interviews, or informal conversations? Are they aware of what’s available in their employee benefits? Do they feel supported?
- Retention and engagement. Mental health at work affects turnover, absenteeism, and productivity. If you’re seeing improvements in these areas after expanding mental health benefits, that’s a sign the investment is working.
- Claims data. If your plan administrator provides it, review claims data to see how mental health coverage is being used and whether employees are hitting limits or facing cost barriers.
Employee benefits for mental health can do more than check a box. They can give employees real support when they need it. If you’re not sure whether your current strategy is working or where to start improving it, your Canoe advisor can help you assess your coverage, address barriers, and build a mental health benefits strategy that goes beyond awareness.
Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder to talk about mental health at work. Building employee benefits that provide real, accessible support makes the difference. If you’d like to explore how your mental health benefits can better serve your team, connect with your Canoe advisor.