Eighty-three percent of employers offered behavioral health services via telehealth, and an additional 9 percent are considering or planning to offer it by 2024, according to a recent survey by insurance company WTW.
The company's survey of 455 employers in the U.S. also found that 67 percent of respondents plan to make employee mental health and wellness one of their top three priorities in the next three years, according to an Oct. 20 news release from WTW.
More key findings of the survey:
- Forty-four percent of employers train managers on mental health awareness, identification and intervention methods and another 30 percent plan to offer this training in the next two years.
- Sixty-eight percent of employers offer digital mental health resources and 27 percent plan to add those services before 2024.
- Nine percent of employers offer designated mental health days and 30 percent plan to offer them in the next two years.
"Although the pandemic may have started to wane, mental health challenges persist," Erin Terkoski Young, senior director for WTW's health, equity and well-being practice, said in the release. Taking mental health programs to the next level won’t be easy, but employers that succeed will see improvement in productivity, retention and engagement."