What’s the difference between a 63-year-old employee worried about retirement savings and a 22-year-old employee suffering from depression?
Nothing. Not according to many wellness programs, anyway.
And that spells trouble for employers.
Companies witnessed employees leaving in droves during last year’s “Great Resignation.” In 2022, we’re now entering a “Great Reshuffle,” where employee retention is improving and workers are no longer leaving the workforce. Instead, they’re reassessing their current roles in search of more fulfilling pursuits, like starting their own businesses, finding better pay or more flexibility in a similar job, or making a career change altogether.
At the heart of it all is a job shift where work is starting to collide with personal values and life choices.
Many employers have started addressing this issue by offering more financial perks: higher pay, bigger signing bonuses, upskilling opportunities, and other solutions.
But it hasn’t worked as well as they’ve hoped.
Uncertainty.
If we had to pick one word to describe how employers and employees feel about work and workplace wellness, that would be it. Uncertainty about the future, job security, physical safety, finances, and an overall sense of belonging in an increasingly remote world.
Today’s employees want safety and security in their workplace, and they want to feel supported by their employers.
We talk a lot about managing the mental health of employees, but what about the mental health of managers in your organization?
After all, they’re also employees, and with the challenges they have to deal with, it should come as no surprise that managers are struggling just as much as the people they lead.
Employee wellness platforms are most valuable if they’re flexible and can adapt as your company goals and employee needs evolve over time. Just because a platform has all the bells and whistles doesn’t mean it will still be relevant in five years—or even one year.
Among the essential factors to consider when choosing a corporate wellness platform is the ability to integrate with additional health and well-being partners. The more seamlessly you can integrate your platform with other solutions your business will need, the more effective your wellness program will be.
Financial wellness has become a hot topic for employees, particularly women.
A 2021 financial wellness survey found that women are more concerned about their finances than men—and it’s not just because women earn less than men do.
Women still aren’t being compensated equally, and the situation is worse when we break it down further. Overall, women earn 83% of what men make, but Black and Hispanic/Latina women fare worse, earning 64% and 57% compared to white men, respectively.
While June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we’ve reached the point where companies must move beyond simply showing support for one month with messaging, media, and products.
Consider this month the opportunity to begin making LGBTQ+-affirming practices an inherent and essential part of your organization year-round.
But to do that, companies need a culture shift.
A successful wellness program isn’t as simple as just communicating company benefits and offering a few additional services—especially in today’s work environment where it’s a challenge keeping employees happy where they are.
Instead, effective wellness programs have to be designed to meet employees where they currently are and where they will be as they progress on their wellness journeys.
This means your wellness program should never be static.
In our webinar “Why Personalization is the Secret to Your Wellness Program Success,“ WellRight Chief Medical Officer LouAnne Giangreco, M.D. talks about common barriers health plans face when creating personalized wellness programs—and how engaging the right mix of stakeholders improves offerings and demonstrates value to employers.
As companies consider a systematic approach to wellness program development where stakeholders are engaged, they must account for equity. Are they considering the needs of every member of the employee population? How can they leverage qualitative and quantitative data, have conversations within teams, and build out new programs? Are those programs truly applicable to the needs of diverse groups so everyone can participate?
In this blog, we’ve highlighted four ways to garner interest and engage stakeholders.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a perfect time to talk about one of the biggest factors in employee mental health: relationships with direct supervisors and managers.
We know from a 2020 McKinsey study that this relationship is critical to job satisfaction. In fact, a January 2022 MIT Sloan Management Review article titled “Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation” cited toxic culture as the No. 1 predictor for employee resignations.
Toxic work environments don’t just happen on their own. They’re fostered by toxic policies, procedures, and leaders—all of which can have a negative impact on employees.
