We’d been one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” 22+ years. But our employee assistance program’s (EAP) mental health benefits weren’t keeping up with the rest of our best-in-class benefits package.
Employees were struggling to find in-network providers. Plus, scheduling appointments was time consuming.
It was also hard to tell how much of our workforce was utilizing this benefit or how effective the care was. For all we knew, someone could attend five sessions and get absolutely no benefit.
Because this could negatively impact our reputation as a top-notch employer, something had to change.
What do we need?
Data on how our workforce engages with their benefits is important to us. We needed a carrier that can measure the different types of services being utilized, track the outcomes and make the information available to us.
For example, are calls being made to the EAP center without follow-through scheduling for a counseling session? Are employees getting matched with providers experienced in treating their needs?
We looked at benefits programs our competitors are offering and realized we needed a comprehensive employee mental health program.
After a thorough search process, we found a carrier committed to accessible mental health support for our employees and their dependents.
New partnership
Benefits got to work ensuring our people were aware of their new mental health benefit and how to use it. Employee engagement and satisfaction increased as a result.
Anyone looking for care is introduced to an intuitive online platform that recommends nearby providers in minutes.
They can choose to meet virtually or in person and tap into digital tools for building new skills. Most appointments happen within a week of the initial call and our employees love it.
The carrier we chose also gives us the necessary transparency for evaluating their program’s effectiveness. Some key metrics:
- 99% of employees searching for mental health care get successfully matched with a provider
- 11% of employees get matched with a provider within 24 hours of searching, and
- 88% of those in care are experiencing clinical improvement or recovery.
Our new carrier not only removed barriers to care with de-stigmatization campaigns, they helped us build a culture of awareness and support for employee mental health.
(Deborah Olson, principal benefits manager, Genetech, San Francisco)
