TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2024 /CNW/ - A new report from GreenShield, Canada's only national non-profit health and benefits provider, reveals a significant shift in the expectations of Canadian employees when it comes to mental health support in the workplace. The data highlights that mental health challenges are pervasive across the workforce, with younger generations and marginalized groups feeling the pressure most acutely. This growing concern has led to a strong demand for more accessible, inclusive and culturally sensitive mental health benefits. 

The findings come as mental health issues reach an all-time high, with over two-thirds of Canadian employees grappling with stress, anxiety, and burnout in the past year. Women and younger workers are the most affected, with those aged 18-24 reporting the highest levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.  

Key Findings 

• 1 in 3 Canadians would leave their current job for more comprehensive mental health benefits. Younger generations and marginalized groups are leading this trend, including 63% of 18-24 year-olds and 57% of 2SLGBTQ+ workers.
• 67% of employees have faced a mental health challenge in the past 12 months, with stress and anxiety being the top concerns across all age groups.
• Confidentiality is paramount: 85% of employees rank confidentiality as the most important factor when accessing mental health services.
• Cultural relevance matters: More than half of employees (62%) say it's important that their therapist understands their cultural background, language, or religion. This number rises to 71% for workers aged 18-24.
• 75% of employees want easier access to health professionals and simpler claims reimbursement processes, citing frustration with the current complexity.

"These findings send a clear message: Canadians want more from their employers when it comes to mental health. The fact that a third of workers would leave for better mental health support highlights just how critical this issue has become," says Zahid Salman, President and CEO of GreenShield. "As mental health challenges grow, so does the expectation for employers to step up. It's not just about offering benefits—it's about delivering the right kind of care that's accessible, confidential, and culturally responsive to meet the diverse needs of today's workforce."   

GreenShield is a non-profit health and benefits company that reinvests earnings back into the community, enabling ongoing innovation in health solutions. Through its health division, GreenShield has become the fastest growing mental health provider in Canada, offering access to a wide network of clinicians and a personalized therapist matching tool that simplifies the therapist search. This inclusive mental health support is available virtually within the GreenShield+ platform, addressing the needs of today's diverse workforce by offering an accessible integrated experience. GreenShield+ connects coverage and care by integrating benefits, telemedicine, pharmacy, mental health services and more, all in one place.  This simplifies healthcare access, allowing employees to focus on their well-being without navigating complex disjointed health and benefits systems.  

"Employees are demanding more personalized, seamless solutions and employers who meet these evolving expectations are more likely to attract and retain top talent. GreenShield leads by example by offering our own employees total rewards that set the standard for modern benefits," says Nadim Kara, Executive Vice President, People & Culture. "Our total rewards program allows employees to tailor their experience to what matters to them most. Our offering combines comprehensive mental health coverage with an integrated, easy-to-use platform. From connecting with healthcare providers, to checking coverage and getting reimbursed, this solution meets the varied needs of today's workforce and helps them prioritize their well-being."

Reflecting the company's commitment to Better Health for All, GreenShield's rewards program is market-leading across three priority areas that are core to the company's values: mental health, social impact and inclusion. Notably, the program includes $10,000 of mental health coverage per year, and donation matching of $3,000 per year towards charities of each employee's choice. In addition, GreenShield has extended its market leading inclusive benefits to its employees, including family building, gender affirmation and more, along with expanded plan choices that employees can customize to their lifestyle. GreenShield employees will access their benefits through the company's cutting-edge integrated health and benefits platform, GreenShield+. 

GreenShield is proudly named one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures, an Imagine Canada Caring Company, and was recently recognized for their commitment to social impact on the prestigious Fortune Change the World List for 2024* 

About the survey   

This survey is based on findings from a SAGO survey conducted online between September 13 and 19, 2024, on behalf of GreenShield. A sample of 1,500 full time and part time workers aged 18+ who live in Canada and are members of the AskingCanadians community participated.  

About GreenShield  

GreenShield is an integrated health and benefits organization and the first organization in Canada to operate as a payer-provider — offering insurance, administering benefits, and paying claims as a 'payer' while offering health services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine and chronic disease services as a 'provider.' Integrating both sides of the payer-provider equation enables GreenShield to simplify access to care, remove administrative barriers, and improve health outcomes for its customers.   

GreenShield is uniquely structured as a non-profit social enterprise that reinvests its earnings and redeploys its services to support equity-seeking Canadian communities via its social impact brand, GreenShield Cares. The company's overarching goal is to generate $75 million of social impact investments to improve the lives of at least 1 million Canadians by the end of 2025, focusing on mental health, oral health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management.   

As the industry's noble challenger, GreenShield continues to innovate, evolving its offerings and services to deepen its mission of Better Health for All. 

‍GreenShield is comprised of three non-profit entities: Green Shield Canada (GSC), Green Shield Association (GSA) and Green Shield Canada Foundation (GSCF), and GSA's wholly owned subsidiaries, including Green Shield Health Inc. and Green Shield Administration Inc. 

SOURCE GreenShield