The WellRight Blog

In 2016, the average tenure of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was eight years. That average fell to 6.9 years in 2020, according to a study from organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry.

Similar to the employees they lead, 70% of executives are opting for roles that better support well-being and offer more advancement opportunities. And while many still tend to stay at their companies for several years, more than ever, executives are exploring new opportunities to expand their roles in an increasingly complex job ecosystem. 

A new era of employee well-being is quickly setting the framework for workplace culture. As younger generations enter the workforce, new wellness pillars like financial stability, mental health, and social connectedness are shaping what it means to be supported at work.

And in 2023, a critical must-have for candidates and employees alike will be the freedom to explore career advancement opportunities as the job market evolves.

Editor's Note: We recently updated this post with new insights.

As we head into a new year, employees everywhere are enjoying a fresh start and setting new and timely wellness goals.

But as temperatures begin to drop, so too can employee engagement. Chilly winter temperatures and snow days may be welcome treats after the holidays, but they also serve as effective barriers to exercising, eating healthy, and getting adequate sleep. 

If your employees are struggling to stay motivated now that the holiday season is over, now is the perfect time to give them ideas for staying active, productive, and fulfilled long term.

Editor's Note: We recently updated this post with new insights.

What if there was an easy way to help employees combat depression, increase life satisfaction, improve holistic well-being, and live longer—all while making the world a better place?

Including it in your corporate wellness program would be a no-brainer, right?

Spoiler alert—one of the most effective solutions to boosting well-being involves the simple act of helping others. 

Enter volunteering.

The enrollment window has officially passed, employees are set up with their benefits, and your clients can finally breathe.

Or can they? While the sprint to the finish of enrollment is tough enough, the marathon effort of keeping employees informed about — and engaged with — their benefits can be just as tricky.

Fortunately, benefits consultants can play a huge role in sustaining and improving engagement for clients. But what will truly determine your unique value as a benefits partner is how strategic and proactive your communications are.

Millennial and Gen X employees are quickly becoming the new “sandwich generation”—but unlike their parents, they have significantly less resources and far more responsibilities on their plates.

It’s even caught the attention of the Department of Health and Human Services, which published its first-ever National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. The guidelines aim to provide agencies, governments, and private companies with proven recommendations for supporting caregivers and families.

With nearly 53 million people serving as family caregivers, plus approximately 2.7 million grandparents (including many Gen Xers) caring for children who cannot live with their parents, it’s clear that this issue is table stakes for today’s workforce.

How can employers offer more flexibility to caregiving employees in an attempt to combat burnout and attrition?

For years, corporate wellness programs were designed to help employees access health care, company-sponsored services, and other benefits to maintain and improve their well-being.

And while that hasn’t changed, the world has.

Today’s employees are dealing with stressors that stretch beyond their day-to-day work tasks. From inflation and pandemic-induced mental health issues to direct and indirect discrimination, employees need different levels of support now than they did before 2020.

Is your wellness program equipped to keep up with what your employees truly need to thrive?

There’s a lot of conversation right now about how the pandemic has impacted workers across the country. However, younger employee populations, particularly members of Gen Z, are currently exhibiting more signs of mental and social health issues than older generations.

After graduating college and entering the workforce amidst the pandemic, Gen Z hasn’t been shy about making mental health and wellness one of their top priorities in accepting job offers. In October 2022, LinkedIn reported that 66% of Gen Z employees want a company culture built on mental health and wellness. Given that Gen Z will represent 27% of the workforce by 2025, companies are starting to take mental health in the workplace more seriously than ever before.

But there’s another area of well-being that Gen Z workers are especially grappling with on the heels of the pandemic—social wellness and connection.

Companies actively working on how to measure the impact and effectiveness of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs might not realize they can lean on another related initiative to help quantify those efforts.

And they may already have the data available.

The initiative? ESG, which stands for “environmental, social, and governance.”

November is National Gratitude Month, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. With colder, darker days approaching—and times already tough for many—it’s invigorating to feel the warmth of little moments of sunshine.

You may already be familiar with some of the many benefits of gratitude, but have you ever thought about making gratitude even more of a focal point in your life? What about the lives of your employees?

Here are six wellness challenges that will not only transform your organization, but that will also help you experience a more fulfilled outlook on life.