Promoting mental health globally

Customer story

A true mental health solution is for everyone—for people who talk about their struggles, and those who don’t.
“The tricky part with addressing mental health needs is that you don’t know when somebody needs support,” said Julie Fernandez, benefits manager at SurveyMonkey. “A lot of times they’re quiet,” Fernandez added, “and a lack of having a benefit puts people in a bind that you wouldn’t otherwise ever realize.”

SurveyMonkey turned to Lyra to implement a benefit that would be quick and easy to access to support both employee well-being and productivity. With Lyra, the median wait time to the first available appointment is just one day, which means employees can often see a provider the next day after requesting care. Fernandez reflected, “Being able to provide something so easy to access, that’s so robust and flexible? There’s no way to put a number on that. The value is just so inherently there.”

Lyra offers an accessible mental health solution for a remote-first environment.
“We have embraced the remote work environment, and we want to make sure we’re providing a wide range of benefits that can be used in the way that employees need to use them,” Fernandez said. Providing access to local, in-person providers as well as virtual services was a key driver in the company’s decision to partner with Lyra. Reflecting on employee feedback from their annual total rewards survey, Fernandez pointed out that “Everybody’s need is unique—some folks felt really passionate about wanting an in-person experience, and other folks felt passionate about wanting the opposite. So we need to provide something that can cover all of those things.”

“I really enjoy working with my therapist,” shared one SurveyMonkey member. “The whole remote experience is very smooth from a technical perspective, so it doesn’t impede the actual therapy. Very happy with my experience so far.” Another shared, “Scheduling is super easy and low pressure, and the assignments have been very helpful/manageable.”

SurveyMonkey achieves parity across benefits with Lyra’s global provider network.
The company’s previous mental health provider had limited global offerings and no access to therapy for employees outside the U.S. SurveyMonkey is a global company and Fernandez noticed that “the gap between what the U.S. employees had access to and what everyone else had was large, and it didn’t suit the need.” Switching to Lyra, which has a global provider network of over 22,000 physicians, therapists, and coaches who speak over 60 languages, gives SurveyMonkey employees 24/7 access to therapy, coaching, and resources regardless of location, and allows SurveyMonkey to achieve parity across their benefits offerings.

Lyra develops up-to-date, hyper-local resources so SurveyMonkey can focus on global, company-wide initiatives.
Lyra provides partners with content and resources relevant to local and current events, as well as materials that help employees access the benefit. For Fernandez and her team, who take a global approach to promoting employee wellness, Lyra’s content is “very relevant,” and “it’s easy to keep it top of mind because it’s constantly evolving.” Whether sourcing content for monthly wellness newsletters or preparing internal communications about a current event, Fernandez said, “We always have a lot at our fingertips, should we want to promote.”

Beyond effective access, Lyra helps SurveyMonkey lead the charge in raising awareness and promoting mental health on a global scale.
“We are trying to make a statement: ‘Hey, this is an important benefit,’” said Fernandez.” We want everyone to feel encouraged and empowered to use it.” Even in localities that are more reluctant to promote mental health services like therapy, SurveyMonkey leverages Lyra to help raise awareness. As Fernandez put it, “It’s important, fundamentally—from a philosophical standpoint—that we’re giving global employees the same opportunities we’re giving to everybody else, in hopes that that does help shift the culture over time.”

Providing a mental health benefit is caring for the whole person, and for the business.
Offering a mental health benefit is essential “because it’s making an impact in people’s day-to-day. Employees know if they need something or if they’re going through a tough time, they can get the quick support they need,” said Fernandez. She added, “Being able to support employees’ mental well-being also gives them a better chance at being at work and being engaged. So it’s in our interest as a company to make sure that people are doing OK, taking care of themselves, and able to bring their best selves to work. It really is about taking care of people—that’s what we’re all about, that’s what we live and breathe.”

Mental health advocacy starts at the top.
Fernandez feels “very lucky we have leadership that believes in [the mental health benefit] and sees the importance of it, and has benefited from it themselves. They really advocate for us. It’s not the benefits team having to push for it. It’s coming from the top down.”