GreenShield research highlights growing demand for meaningful, inclusive workplace support
This article was produced in partnership with Greenshield
It starts with a simple but telling data point: over 60% of Canadian workers want a therapist who understands their cultural background. For younger and racialized employees, that number is even higher, according to research by GreenShield, Canada’s only national non-profit health and benefits company.
It’s not just a matter of personal preference. Today’s workforce is looking for care that resonates —they want care that ‘sees’ them.
“Today, support for employees has to go beyond simply offering coverage,” says Joe Blomeley, Executive Vice President, Head of GreenShield Health. “It needs to reflect who people are. And increasingly, that means offering care that is inclusive, personalized, and easy to access.”
This shift in expectations carries weight. According to GreenShield’s research, one in three Canadians would leave their current job for better mental health benefits. For employers, that’s not just a human issue – it’s a retention and competitiveness issue too.
Employee assistance programs have long been a standard feature of workplace benefits, but many follow a uniform model that lacks flexibility and relevance for a diverse workforce.
Having a therapist who understands a person’s lived experience – including gender, cultural background and regional context – can foster trust, improve engagement, and help employees feel less isolated during treatment. For racialized and equity-deserving individuals, that kind of connection can make a real difference.
It also reduces the risk of being misunderstood, which can discourage people from continuing care. Even without shared identity, an informed provider can avoid harmful assumptions, respect individual backgrounds, and create space for healing that feels safe and authentic.
For employees, that often translates to better outcomes. For employers, it means a workforce that is more likely to use the resources available to them before problems escalate into burnout, turnover, or long-term leave.
“Plan sponsors we work with are starting to recognize this,” says Blomeley. “The question is no longer, ‘Do we offer mental health benefits?’ It’s, ‘Are those benefits meaningful to the people who need them most?”
Despite increased investment in workplace mental health, gaps persist – especially for underserved groups. This disconnect is where organizations can make a tangible difference through thoughtful plan design.
“This is about building benefits that are truly effective in improving health outcomes for all,” Blomeley says. “And that starts by asking: Who’s not being reached? What’s stopping them? And how do we fix it?”
GreenShield is doing this through its platform, GreenShield+ – a first-of-its-kind solution that offers unprecedented levels of integration between health services – including telemedicine, pharmacy, chronic disease management and mental health services – and benefits plans.
Blomeley says the services offered on GreenShield+ were built “with inclusion at their core.” This includes a therapist matching tool with over 50 filters including religion, language, culture, gender identity and more to ensure employees can find a therapist that suits their personal needs and preferences.
The company also invests directly in building inclusive health programs with community partners representing equity-seeking groups. As a non-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield reinvests earnings directly into expanding care for communities that have long been underserved, including women, youth, racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and low-income Canadians. Through deep partnerships with organizations like Black Mental Health Canada, Noojimo Health, and Rainbow Railroad, they then co-create mental health programs that are integrated into the GreenShield+ platform—ensuring the care they offer is accessible and culturally appropriate.
Recent GreenShield data shows that three out of four workers say they want simpler access to health professionals and easier claims processes.
As Blomeley points out, right now, Canadians are spending 2.5 times more time navigating their health benefits than they are actually receiving care. That friction hurts utilization. GreenShield’s integrated model – combining coverage and care in a single platform – aims to change that by removing administrative barriers.
“We make it easier for Canadians to access the support they need when and where they need it,” he says. “When someone is struggling, the last thing employees need is a maze.”
The pressure on employers to meet the needs of workers in this moment is real. Disengagement, absenteeism, and disability claims related to mental health continue to rise. And as employee expectations grow more sophisticated, the gap between traditional offerings and what people actually need is widening.
Employers who get ahead of this trend have a clear advantage.
“We believe in leading by example,” Blomeley says. GreenShield’s own rewards program includes offering $10,000 in annual mental health coverage, $3,000 in donation matching to the charitable cause of an employee’s choice, and inclusive benefits, like gender-affirming care and family-building support.
“We want our people to feel the same care and commitment we extend to our clients,” he says, “and that means offering accessible, inclusive support that surpasses market standards.”
Offering inclusive benefits is essential -- but it’s only part of the picture. Utilization rates for many traditional programs remain low, especially among BIPOC employees. Reasons range from cultural stigma to mistrust of the system, but lack of visibility also plays a role.
“Many employees don’t know what supports exist, or they assume those supports aren’t for them,” says Blomeley.
To improve engagement, plan sponsors need to move beyond generic promotion. Effective communication starts with real-world examples, not broad statements. It helps when employees hear from peers who’ve used the benefits, or when organizations share stories that reflect different paths to care.
Education matters too. Employers can work with employee resource groups or affinity groups to host peer-led conversations and webinars that normalize mental health and explore how identity intersects with wellbeing. These touchpoints can help break down stigma and show employees that their employer is serious about building a supportive environment.
Finally, outcomes matter. Plan sponsors should be able to demonstrate how their programs are improving mental health across different ages, genders and diverse populations. This includes tracking who is using the service and whether employees are reporting meaningful improvements over time. Without those metrics, it’s hard to know whether a program is truly working – or just sitting unused.
The good news is that employers don’t have to build these solutions from scratch. But they do need to ask the right questions: Are our programs reaching the people who need them most? Are they flexible, culturally informed, and easy to access? Are we seeing real outcomes, not just uptake?
For plan sponsors, the message is clear. “Given the current mental health crisis, mental health programs can no longer be generic or passive. They need to be active, inclusive, and measurable,” says Blomeley. And they need to start from a place of understanding – of who people are, and what they need to thrive.
