We’re encouraged to bring our whole selves to work at Liberty Mutual, which includes all our feelings and emotions. And in times of change, like reopening from the pandemic, it’s especially important to tune in to how we and our employees are feeling — and to understand the challenges that change presents.
Globally, mental health concerns were exacerbated during the pandemic and they won’t disappear with reopening. As a global organization of 45,000 that puts people first, employee well-being has always been a priority. For benefits leaders looking to build a robust program to support mental health and well-being, let me share some of the ways Liberty Mutual is continuing to build employees’ resilience and support their mental health during re-opening and beyond.
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Open conversations
The first thing that employers can do to support the well-being of their employees is to acknowledge that change can be hard — even good change. Last year was a challenging year on so many fronts and we responded by communicating openly and often about our support for mental health and well-being. We gave managers tips and resources to help them check in with employees and stay connected, even in our virtual environment.
We’ve found that it’s powerful to have these open conversations start at the top, with executive leadership sharing their own stories of vulnerability. During Mental Health Awareness month this year we partnered with our Employee Resource Groups and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team to offer powerful webcasts addressing mental health stigma in communities of color and mental health storytelling. These open conversations help normalize the discussion around mental health and reduce stigma, which is a major barrier to getting help.
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Benefits to support changing needs
Flexibility and agility have been crucial during the last year, as benefit teams were pushed to launch new programs quickly and evaluate current benefit plans in real-time.
Our global employee experience team fielded a series of pulse surveys to give us a deep understanding of employees’ concerns — pointing the way to solutions. Employees were concerned about their emotional well-being, so we promoted benefits to help address stress and burnout — such as our digital sleep improvement program and our resilience skill-building app, as well as the counseling and behavioral health services available through our EAP and Health Plan.
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We heard that employees were lonely and felt isolated, so Liberty developed a guide to help employees “connect with purpose” and fielded its first-ever global team activity challenge. Caregiving was a worry for our employees, so we offered a platform and concierge service to help find caregivers for children, elders, and pets. We also added new time-off code for COVID-related illnesses for employees or a family member as well as for COVID-related childcare needs. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to pulse how employees are feeling as well as be flexible and thoughtful around how our benefits and policies support them.
Peer support and social connection
Liberty Mutual has had a robust ERG program for many years, enabling employees to connect, learn, engage, and explore shared experiences — and these connections were especially crucial during the pandemic.
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For example, WE@Liberty, our ERG for empowering women and allies, offered an ongoing self-care series and their Parenting Community sponsored support groups moderated by our onsite EAP counselor. When racial injustice events were brought to the forefront in 2020 and 2021, our LEADA and LEAAP ERGs sponsored powerful roundtable discussions to address the impact.
By creating open forums for dialogue, internal communities, and a holistic approach to benefits we can encourage employees to take care of themselves and help others who may be struggling. While we may be on the road to recovery, many are still feeling the effects of pandemic-related challenges. We need to continue to listen to employees to understand their concerns, communicate about the importance of taking care of their mental health and well-being and consistently provide support.
