Survey identifies a triple gap, which results in only 5 per cent of employees turning to benefits as a 'go-to' support for wellbeing
Despite a widespread wellbeing crisis, declining mental, physical, and financial health across Canada, employees in this country either don’t have, don’t know about, or don’t use the wellbeing benefits that could make a significant difference in their lives. That’s the key takeaway from an RBC Insurance survey published last month which identified a ‘triple gap’ in coverage. The survey found that 26 per cent do not, or are unsure if they have, employer-provided benefits. It found that 24 per cent of those who have benefits don’t know much about their coverage. Perhaps most worryingly they found that only 5 per cent of those with benefits use them as their ‘go-to’ support for their wellbeing.
The survey highlights a somewhat worrying trend for plan sponsors, and one that Andrejka Massicotte says they should be aware of. Massicotte is head of Group Benefits, RBC Insurance, she spoke with BPM about the key lessons learned in the survey, why this triple gap exists, and what plan sponsors can do to help close it.
“Considering how vast employer benefits can be and the amount of supports that are available I was hoping that engagement would be much higher than that,” says Massicotte. “So people are turning to the internet and their family doctor and family and friends and family more than their than their employer provided benefits.”
Massicotte says that for employees with benefits, the gaps begin at the information stage. Many employees, she notes, simply don’t take the time to look through their benefits booklet. While it’s crucial to their overall compensation, many employees don’t look at their coverage until they actually need it. While employees could do a better job of informing themselves, Massicotte emphasizes the opportunity for employers to improve how they communicate about their benefits plans. Active communication and engagement around the subject of benefits are key.
So too is the platform by which employees are informed. We live in an age of easy access to information. Most employees won’t store a benefits handbook on their desks, let alone read it in full. They prefer the model of a search engine, where their specific question can be answered. Massicotte notes that many successful organizations will operate intranets with an HR or benefits side that can allow employees to access information about their coverage quickly.
While those intranets can help meet employees where they are more easily, Massicotte argues that proactive communication should be the gold standard in closing that knowledge gap. By closing the knowledge gap, too, employers can begin to close the engagement gap.
Massicotte notes that the engagement gap identified in the survey emerges from a few distinct areas. One is that knowledge gap, but another is the relative novelty of wellness offerings in benefits plans. This is an area in a steady state of flux and plan members may not have kept pace with all the changes.
There is also a potential for stigma to play a role. While Massicotte believes that Canada as a whole has done a good job of destigmatizing the need for wellness supports, she notes that some element of stigma still exists around mental health concerns. Moreover, employees may simply want to keep their wellness concerns private, or at least separate from their employer.
Closing the engagement gap, in Massicotte’s view, is also a matter of communication. Plan sponsors can work to ensure they’re taking the right steps in their communication to better promote employee engagement. As well, she says it’s crucial for plan sponsors to listen to employees and tailor their wellness benefits to suit what is being demanded.
While the survey identifies some glaring gaps, Massicotte doesn’t believe plan sponsors need to treat it as a source of alarm just yet. Rather, she thinks they should see it as a challenge to overcome and an impulse to step up the work they’re already doing.
“It shines a light on the need to do a better job. I think there's just an opportunity across the board for plan sponsors to work with their providers to do a better job of communicating what's available to employees,” Massicotte says. “Whether it's financial stress or mental health or physical health, there's a number of challenges that Canadians are facing. We know that employees need the help. It’s a chance for employers to take a step back and ask themselves what they can do better.”
