What does it take to build better employee wellness programs?

November 4, 2024 12:00 PM

Many employee benefits such as paid time off for illnesses, vacation or other needs are federally entrenched in work culture. But as new generations of professionals enter the workforce with needs more varied than those that came before, companies are working with team members to redefine what "wellness" means.

According to data from mental health services provider ComPsych, employee leaves of absence owing to mental health incidents have jumped by 300% between 2017 and 2023, with an additional 22% rise from 2023 to this year.

"There are increased chronic stressors we are facing as a nation and across the world: the pandemic, civil unrest and community violence, an unpredictable economy and a polarized political environment," Dr. Jennifer Birdsall, licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director at ComPsych, told Employee Benefit News' Jackie Stewart. "We've seen an increase in personal stressors, such as caregiving. There's so much contributing to those feelings of [being] burned out and overwhelmed."

As employees continue to report that the tried-and-true benefit programs aren't working as well as they once did, executives are looking to staff for answers.

Below is a compilation of insight from industry experts about what goes into building a more encompassing benefits program and the immediate and long-term benefits it has for employees.

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Whatever challenges employees face, the right work environment can help

Article by

Jackie Stewart

Workplaces are perhaps emphasizing mental health to a greater extent than ever before.

Because of this, workers have come to expect more from their employer. The HR team at hotel management company Valor Hospitality Partners is working to rise to the challenge.

Over the last year, the company has steadily grown its mental health programs, services and offerings to more adequately meet the spectrum of needs from their workforce. On top of its employee assistance program, which provides free counseling services to staff members and their immediate families, Valor has added access to qualified "mental health first aiders" on site should anyone need. They've also expanded their resources to include financial wellness services, legal guidance and work-life solutions.

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Are your unlimited PTO policies actually working?

Article by

Paola Peralta

Having access to unlimited paid time off may seem like the dream, but without the right management from organizations, it could be the same PTO nightmare employees are used to.

As of 2023, less than 10% of companies in the U.S. offered unlimited PTO, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. And while an increase in employee flexibility is ultimately a good thing for workplaces, it's possible that the effort ends up doing more harm than good without the right measures put in place by employers.

"[Unlimited PTO] caught on quite quickly, especially in the United States," says Catilin Collins, organizational psychologist and talent strategy director at performance management platform Betterworks. "And over the last decade and a half or so, the companies that piloted the concept turned out to be quite successful. But unfortunately, it came up against findings of actual PTO usage, which wasn't as successful."

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Millennials are hitting menopause, and it's impacting the workplace

Article by

Lee Hafner

Menopause symptoms can have a massive impact on a woman's ability to perform at work, and the largest segment of the workforce is fast approaching — or already in — this life stage.

The average age women experience menopause is 51, but the average onset of perimenopause (the stage preceding menopause) is 40, with some women experiencing symptoms as young as their mid-30s, according to New York hospital network Mount Sinai. Women in both stages can experience fatigue, hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, skin and hair changes and increased irritability, stress, anxiety and depression.

"It's a different journey for every woman," says Pamela Smith, vice president of account management at benefits consulting firm Corporate Synergies. "And sometimes women don't really understand what these symptoms are because they might start very early. They just know that it's become much more difficult to function in the workplace."

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Why 'loud vacationing' should be the next workplace trend

Article by

Deanna Cuadra

Last year saw the rise of "quiet vacationing," a trend in which an increasing number of employees took time off from work without informing their managers or logging the days into their HR platform. While quiet vacations will likely continue to pervade U.S. work culture, one chief human resources officer believes she has a solution.

Jennifer Kraszewski, CHRO at HR software solutions company Paycom, is advising employers to embrace "loud vacationing," a term she coined that centers on the idea of employees feeling encouraged to plan, discuss and look forward to their vacation days. Workers should feel proud they're taking time off to recharge, underlines Kraszewski.

"Loud vacationing is the idea that you can take a vacation and not feel guilty about it," she says. "PTO is a benefit that organizations provide to their employees, so it's important for employees to take full advantage of that PTO, and managers should encourage people to do just that."

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How companies can show employees they care

Article by

Jackie Stewart

It's essential that companies support their workers, and there are a number of ways they can do that.

One is squeezing in little moments of personal wellness into the workday wherever possible. A survey from workplace communication platform Slack found that, along with increased productivity, employees who step away from their desks report a greater ability to manage stress and higher satisfaction levels than those who do not.

Employers can stimulate movement in a workplace setting by creating a community space for employees to eat lunch and organizing social activities to get people up from their desks and engaged. Wellness benefits and promoting healthy practices, such as midday walks and stretch breaks throughout the day, are also simple ways to make it clear that employee health is a priority.

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4 ways to make wellness a part of the workday

Article by

Lee Hafner

As more employees head back into the office, squeezing moments of personal wellness into a workday isn't always easy, but it pays off.

Ninety percent of companies plan to have employees return to the office in some capacity by the end of the year, according to Resume Builder. For all workers, especially those who are commuting or sitting at a desk for a large part of the day, building breaks for self care into a daily routine is more important than ever, says Katherine Bagby, a physical therapist and co-founder and COO of HudCo, a collaborative work and wellness space in New York.

"I have treated many patients who suffer from postural issues, fatigue, jaw disorders, headaches — all these things related to poor posture and stress and burnout," Bagby says. "This can be prevented by incorporating daily movement breaks, maybe breath work, healthy food, plenty of water, fun, social activities and having inspiring connections. If you are in a workplace, the company can encourage these healthy behaviors in order to cultivate a dynamic and inspired staff of professionals."

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Expect the unexpected: How this company helps employees through hardship

Article by

Lee Hafner

From an unexpected medical crisis, to the death of a loved one, to a natural disaster, what do employees need from their workplaces when an emergency — especially an expensive one — occurs?

Traditionally, in times of need, organizations may have things like time off and various insurance offerings in place. However, there are many instances when employees are going to need more if they hope to make a successful return to work. Recognizing this, global tech company Banyan Software is bringing financial relief to workers affected by such events.

"Even when someone is compensated correctly for the work they're doing, it doesn't mean that a several-thousand-dollar hit in some category wouldn't be destructive," says Erica Golden, Banyan Software's chief people officer. "It would be, and it would pull away from their ability to stay connected to their work."

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Creating benefits that care for the whole employee

Article by

Lee Hafner

Employers are on a never-ending quest to build benefits options that make healthcare more efficient and personalized. Looking at the entire spectrum of employee wellness and how to best reach them with solutions is a necessary part of this.

Heather Dlugolenski, U.S. employer chief strategy officer at Cigna Healthcare, addressed this during her fireside chat at EBN's Benefits at Work conference last week. While strides have been made to make benefits more personal and adaptable, there is more work to be done, she says.

"When you think about 10-15 years ago, it was a plan design that we gave to everyone," says Dlugolenski. "It was a disease management program that had maybe a shallow sweep across asthma, diabetes and cardiac — it was the same thing, just with a little bit of different content. The industry has definitely sub-segmented into narrower, more precise, more personal solutions."

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10 leaders share how they prioritize well-being

Article by

Deanna Cuadra

Juggling work and family while still making time for yourself is no easy feat — but a leader who prioritizes healthy boundaries not only for themselves but their team can make all the difference.

As it stands, burnout continues to be a national concern: Over half of employees have reported feeling burned out this past year, and 37% reported feeling so overwhelmed it impacted their ability to do their job, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health. Notably, managers are the hardest hit, with a higher rate of burnout over entry-level employees at 54% versus 40%.

In other words, leaders owe it to their team and themselves to prioritize their well-being. EBN is celebrating 10 Excellence in Benefits winners who do their part to promote work-life balance and wellness. They are transforming their work culture for the better.

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Meeting fatigue is bad for business

Article by

Deanna Cuadra

Does your meeting schedule keep you away from actual work during the week? You're not alone.

According to work collaboration platform Miro, 43% of workers report that meetings negatively impact their productivity, and 65% have felt panicked due to their meeting load. In total, WorkLife estimates that workers spend 37% of their workdays in meetings or coordinating them. While the rise in remote work demonstrated that office workers are more than capable of completing tasks and projects asynchronously, the number of meetings people have on their plate has increased by 60% since 2020, according to Harvard Business Review.

"If you had a bad meeting culture before, hybrid work has amplified it," says Dom Katz, Miro's way of working lead. "It has a lot to do with the lack of trust — leaders feel if they can't see their workers, then they are not working. So, meetings have become a crutch for control, whereas companies should have embraced distributed work."

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