How advisers can raise the subject of mental health

As a result, says Brett Hill, managing director for The Health Insurance Group, as mental health is such a big issue for individuals and organisations alike, it is "important that advisers help support their clients to ensure they and their employees are fully aware of the support available to them".

From the types of cover available at group and individual level, and the conditions covered, to the range of support services on offer as part of the policy package, it is vital that advisers know the benefits and emphasise these to their clients.

It is also important to flag the 'successes' - the numbers of policyholders who have already been helped - as a way of busting the myths that protection isn't worth it, or that the policy will not pay out.

Advisers play a vital role in helping make their clients aware of the support services now widely available. Deepak Jobanputra

For example, the infographic from Canada Life Group Insurance, below, shows how more than 1,200 people have been helped by employee care programmes in just three months

However, shockingly, only one person in 20 says their employer is helpful to them when they have raised mental ill health.

Somewhere along the line, the positive messages about support services and the benefits of cover are not getting through to the people who need the most help.

Figure 1: Mental ill-health in the workplace

Source: Canada Life Group Insurance

Emma Wilson, employee benefits consultant at Drewberry, believes communication is mission critical.

She says: "As a minimum, all advisers need to let their employer clients know these additional employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are available and make them aware of the benefits of using them."

In 2015, Drewberry carried out a survey of 1,800 workers. The Wealth & Protection survey found that as many as one in six people had to take time off work due to mental health problems. This was the joint top reason for needing to take time off, along with back pain.

Ms Wilson adds: "An employee who has access to a valuable helpline to counter stress in their life may be less likely to take sickness leave from work due to that stress."

Too much information?

For Alan Lakey, founder of CI Expert, one of the biggest problems is that people do not tend to read the information that comes with their policy or HR information packs.

"Whether it's group or individual, a major problem is getting plan-holders to read the brochures. There must be thousands of plan-holders who fail to claim or take advantage of additional services", he says.

"This is partially their fault", he adds, "which is because of apathy - but it is also down to the length of the brochures and the lack of Plain English descriptions within them.

"Insurers really need to rethink the design of descriptive brochures, because these are simply not achieving the main aim, which must be to explain succinctly exactly what is included."

This is where personal communication is important. While individual and group policies often make provision for supporting policyholders through such times, often there is a lack of communication about the benefits.

After all, who wants to read a 32-page document on the company intranet when they are already feeling stressed?

Phil Jeynes, head of sales and marketing for UnderwriteMe, comments: "As an industry, both in terms of distribution and providers, we are poor at forming an ongoing relationship with customers.

"We tend to talk to them a lot at the point of purchase and only meaningfully thereafter at point of claim.

"Modern policies are rich with additional benefits and both advisers and insurers should have regular contact with their clients to make sure the policy is not forgotten or underused.

"Doing so will increase consumer trust and create additional sales opportunities through cross sales and referrals."

This is a point reiterated by Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for Group Risk Development. She says: "It's really important for advisers to encourage their clients to re-look at their group risk purchase to understand what comes along with it, how best to use it and to embed it into their organisation's culture and working practices.

"To do that, employers need to engage fully with their provider and all the support services on offer and to communicate it all effectively as a support and return to work offering. Group risk providers will be more than happy to help with this."

Practical ways to engage

Christine Husbands, managing director for Red Arc Nurses, says: "Advisers can recognise mental health is a difficult area for employers, and certainly one where expert help is needed.

She also suggests "taking the time to look at the support services offered alongside the protection policy" as a "good-quality support service, with a strong mental health solution, can make a massive difference to employers and the individuals within that firm."

Mr Hill advocates a range of practical ways that corporate advisers can help bring into their clients' workplace better awareness of mental health issues, the support available through employee benefit schemes, and the value of protection policies.

He suggests: 

• Carry out onsite benefit days.
• Use a combination of online, phone and email contact.
• Provide webinars and other online tools.
• Ensure remote workers receive the same member experience as their office-based colleagues.

Ms Wilson agrees: "In an ideal world, advisers would also assist with the communication of these benefits to staff, possibly by email communication and even seminars."

It is one way of providing a value-added service to corporate clients which validates the fees clients are paying to their advisers.

For individual clients, Alan Knowles, managing director of Cura Financial Services, advocates really getting to know the client. He advises:

• Taking time to research the most suitable options.
• Prepare clients for the underwriting process - such as getting GP reports and tele-interviews.
• Establish realistic expectations of terms from the start.

"Where cover cannot be sourced, the client could be signposted to a specialist firm, who may be able to help with the more bespoke policies", he adds.

This is a point emphasised by Deepak Jobanputra, deputy chief executive of Vitality Life, who comments: "Advisers play a vital role in helping make their clients aware of the support services now widely available with many protection products, and helping them understand how valuable they are, often for no additional cost.

Insurers really need to rethink the design of descriptive brochures, because these are simply not achieving the main aim, which must be to explain succinctly exactly what is included. Alan Lakey

"These support services should be as much a part of the conversation as the product benefits. There is particular focus on preventative support, helping individuals understand their mental health, and can be the difference between making a claim and not", Mr Jobanputra adds.

For example, Unum and Canada Life have teamed up with Lifeworks; others have brought the RedArc nurses on board, while Vitality has partnered with Big White Wall, an online mental health and wellbeing service, to provide support and recovery services from trained professionals.

All these services are available confidentially through helplines or online applications, which are available for free to policyholders. 

All they need is someone to point them in the right direction, whether they have taken out group or individual protection.

simoney.kyriakou@ft.com