Jennifer Schmidt
Partner and Innovation Leader | Mercer Marsh Benefits
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Canada
Women need greater employer support when it comes to the provision of healthcare and the creation of a culture of safety and well-being.
Our Health on Demand research shows that men are faring better than women when it comes to mental health and psychological safety, and even in relation to healthcare access and affordability.
This is a critical issue. Both female and male employees note it is important that their employers strongly support women’s health with internal/external statements, reporting and/or tangible actions. In fact, it was deemed to be the second most important issue after living wages, with 72% of all respondents saying it was extremely or very important. The general interests and equity of women came fourth, as identified by 69% of respondents.
Understanding the gaps
Despite the clear demand from employees for businesses to support and protect women’s equity and health, major gaps persist.
Closing the gaps begins with benefits design. There is strong evidence to suggest that much more can be done when it comes to providing essential women’s healthcare coverage. In fact, the research revealed that only 55% of women say that the benefits they are offered at work meet their needs.
This has a significant impact on the way that women view the firms they work for. For instance, just 53% of women in the findings agree that leaders throughout their organizations are committed to and support a healthy culture, compared to 60% of men. Less than half say that their employers design jobs with health and well-being in mind.
All of this creates an environment in which women are less likely to thrive in their roles, as shown by recent Health on Demand research of more than 17,000 employee voices. This is a major missed opportunity, as adapting benefits to meet women’s needs can lead to a happier, more engaged and more loyal workforce.
Key areas to address
There are four key areas where employers can do more to support women:
selected option
- Affordable healthcare
- Mental health
- Reproductive benefits
- Psychological safety at work
26% of women are not confident they can afford the healthcare they or their family might need, compared to just 18% of men. At the moment, benefits programs are currently targeted towards senior managers and high earners. However, employers can “flip the pyramid” and make sure that healthcare benefits are available to the broader workforce, including lower earners and part-time workers, many of whom are women.
Source: Mercer Marsh Benefits. Health on Demand 2023
Actions to consider: How to succeed
Women face specific health challenges and too often feel overlooked by employers. They feel that their employees could do more when it comes to designing jobs and benefits that work for them. There is a huge opportunity here for employers to make a real difference that will be valued by the women in their workforce.
Helping women thrive at work should now be a priority for employers and benefits design. It is key to achieving a fully inclusive workforce.
Four key steps to addressing gaps in women’s health coverage:
Meet the authors
Alison Byrne
UK Workplace Health Consulting Team Leader, MMB
