Non-profits are overlooking practical wellness supports that are already built into even modest benefits plans, argues consultant
Wellness has become a fixture of corporate benefit strategies. But for non-profit organizations, as one consultant highlights, it remains a concept that sounds good in theory and falls apart in practice.
“From our experience, wellness outside of the corporate world has really been a nice to have but hard to implement type of ideal in that I think a lot of the plans who are operating outside of that corporate world, they see the value in it, they hear the buzzwords, they are faced with increasing plan costs so they know that prevention and wellness is definitely a way to get there. But when it gets down to actually working on implementation, that's where it becomes tricky,” said Avinash Maniram, senior consultant at PBI Actuarial.
According to Maniram, non-profit and trustee plan sponsors recognize the value of wellness and feel the pressure of rising plan costs, but the concept has remained easier to talk about than to act on. Notably, the sheer number of stakeholders – from unions, multiple employers, plan members and their families, and the trustees who hold legal responsibility - makes it difficult to determine several factors.
“It’s sort of a grey zone, it’s like you end up in this situation of who is actually responsible for this,” Maniram added. “And if they decide to do something, they’re asking, ‘How do we publicize it? How do we roll it out in the workplaces? How do we roll it out in a situation where the workforce might be spread across the province, so you don't have a centralized lunchroom or a centralized venue for it.”
Whereas corporate employers have it simpler. A single management team deals with a single workforce, making it straightforward to align a wellness program with business goals, measure ROI, and roll out communications. Non-profits and trustee plans don't have that luxury. In the Employee Life and Health Trust (ELHT) environment, Maniram explained, regulations cap how much of the benefit budget can go toward anything beyond core coverage, and the wellness reward programs that carriers promote like air miles or fitness points raise unresolved questions around CRA compliance.
Maniram argues that many non-profits are overlooking practical wellness supports that are already built into even modest benefits plans. Rather than treating limited budgets as the main barrier, he suggests employers should make better use of what they already offer. That starts with mental health coverage.
Yet, plans that restrict support to psychologists are often too narrow, both because those providers can be hard to access and because the benefit dollars run out quickly. Broadening coverage to include other qualified counsellors and digital care options can make support easier to reach and stretch the value of the plan further, especially for workers who may be more comfortable using an app or online platform than seeking help in more traditional ways.
He makes a similar point about employee assistance programs, which he sees as underused and underpromoted. Not only for counselling or crisis support, but for a much broader range of needs, including financial issues, legal concerns, family pressures, fitness, nutrition, sleep, and even digital habits. He believes non-profit organizations are sitting on wellness resources that are broader and more practical than employees realize.
According to Maniram, employers don’t necessarily need to invent new wellness infrastructure. Rather, they need to communicate existing supports far more effectively. After all, the most common misconception, he suggests, is that installing “a program” is the same as doing wellness.
"It has to be something that you live and breathe in order for it to become successful," he said, adding for non-profits who are unsure where to start, he suggests simply using what you already have.
"Putting that toe in the water with what you already have as a way to overcome any of those obstacles," he added.
Additionally, he suggests wellness often ends up being treated as an individual responsibility in the non-profit sector because organizations are already stretched thin and operating with limited staff and resources, Maniram suggests. As a result, employees are used to taking on multiple roles, and that same dynamic shapes how wellness support is delivered. Even when the organization wants to help, it may not have the people or infrastructure to build and manage a strong, hands-on program.
Still, the real issue, in his view, is the working environment itself. While the employer can offer every program available, if the conditions employees are working in remain unhealthy, those programs are just a band-aid.
"You can build the most wonderful road, but if you still put them in a dangerous car, you're still putting their lives at risk," said Maniram.
That’s why non-profits often take a lighter-touch approach as they can point employees toward resources, run awareness campaigns, and encourage participation, but much of the follow-through is left to the individual. Furthermore, non-profits also face a particular vulnerability here as employees are often mission-driven and willing to give more than they should, and organizations that are short on resources can lean on that goodwill without realizing the cost.
"You don't want to take too much advantage of the goodwill because those people will burn out," he said, adding employees in these sectors also need to recognize their own limits.
To that end, he sees a real opportunity for non-profits to lean on free community-based wellness resources. He points to public and non-profit programs focused on issues such as diabetes management, coaching, and general health support, and suggests these can fill gaps without adding major cost.
He believes non-profit employers are especially well placed to promote these services because they often have a stronger culture of trust with employees than more adversarial union or corporate environments. That trust, he suggests, makes it easier to encourage uptake if employers are willing to actively raise awareness.
That’s why he sees leadership buy-in as the most critical factor in making wellness work within non-profits. He believes these programs can’t be treated the way traditional benefit plans are - published once in a booklet and left for employees to find when they need them.
He emphasized employers should lean more heavily on insurers and account managers, who often have a clearer view of what wellness initiatives, add-on supports, and free provincial or community programs are available. According to Maniram, those providers can point employers toward resources they might not know exist, whether through public health programs, insurance-backed services, or community organizations.
“Once you know those things, it's just a matter of communicating it, getting it out there on your website, your employee newsletters, and continually pushing those messages every month,” he said.
