Employee Benefits and Wellness Excellence - June 2022

JUNE 2022 • Vol.09 • No.06 (ISSN 2564-1980)

BUILDING EQUITY INTO WORKPLACE WELLNESS - Dr. LouAnne Giangreco, Chief Medical Officer, WellRight

The State of Employee Well-being 2022 Page 23 - 60 Sponsored by

INDEX

Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence JUNE 2022

Vol.09

No.06

(ISSN 2564-1980)

61 Top 3 Questions You Should Ask Your Broker Before Making A PBM Decision The right PBM partner can provide tailored pharmacy care, lower costs and employee satisfaction – Karthik Ganesh, CEO, EmpiRx Health

Building Equity Into Workplace Wellness

07

Key things to consider while building an equitable workplace wellness program

66 Why Benefit Packages Should Include Options For The Educational Needs Of Employees’ Children

­– Dr. LouAnne Giangreco,

It’s time to take HR to school – Ernie Liang, President and COO, AtomicMind

Chief Medical Officer, WellRight

72 When Employers Help Employees Quit Tobacco, Everyone Wins

On the Cover

How smoking and tobacco use impacts productivity and increases healthcare costs for companies – Jennifer Marler, Vice President,

Clinical and Medical Affairs, Pivot

Articles

Sponsored Content

74 How To Combat Employee Burnout And Create A Proficient Work Environment One of the biggest employee challenges is having too many sources of information – Neil Kostecki,

10 The Importance Of Trust In The Workplace How personalized employee benefits make a difference – Alight

13 Support Employee’s Mental Health By Supporting Their Total Well-Being Are mental health apps a panacea?

Are they enough?

– Andrea Bloom, Founder and CEO, and Lori Arden, Director, Wellness Initiatives & Employer Programs, ConnectWell

Senior Director, Product Management, Coveo

78 The Broker’s Role In Creating Excellent Benefits Programs For Employers Assisting employees and employers – Kim Buckey, Vice President, Client Services, Optavise

85 Redefining Business Travel Work Perks For The Post Pandemic Employee Maintaining happy employees is the root of a good, well-run company – Keith Lamb, CEO and Founder, Ardor Travels

The State of Employee Well-being 2022 Page 23 - 60

INDEX

Top Picks

18

Straight Talk with HR.com

“No Amount Of Free Meditation Apps Will Fix A Toxic Work Environment” Exclusive interview with Dr. Darren White, CEO, Aduro

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How Can You Nudge Everyone Toward Financial Wellness Helping less-financially stable employees build stronger relationships with their money - Tim Perkins, Co-Founder, nudge

76

Is Tele-Therapy The Right Approach To Support Employee Mental Health?

Not Always.

How to improve workplace culture surrounding mental health - Connor Patros,

Chief Clinical Officer, Mindyra

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How Migraine Invisibly Steals Worker Productivity What leading employers are now doing about it - Tom Blue, SVP, Healthcare, AndHealth

How are our Employee Benefits & Wellness Products and Services helping to make you smarter?

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EDITOR’S NOTE Raksha Sanjay Nag

Debbie Mcgrath

Editorial Purpose

Editor, Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence

Publisher, HR.com

Our mission is to promote personal and professional development based on constructive values, sound ethics, and timeless principles.

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Addressing Employee Well-being Holistically

T

he Covid-19 pandemic has led to a major shift in workplace demands. With more than 4.4 million Americans quitting the workforce, the “Great Resignation” highlights the physical, mental, and financial burnout employees have been undergoing. As a result, there has been a renewed focus on employee health and well-being and organizations are now focusing on a holistic wellness approach in order to have a productive workforce.

Simply put, today well-being is a central strategy to make sure that employees can work efficiently while navigating the myriad of challenges that impact how they live and work.

In this edition of Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence, we have included a few articles that focus on a holistic approach to workplace wellness, top HR benefit packages, workplace culture and mental health and much more. Also included is an exclusive study by the HR Research Institute, The State of Employee Well-being 2022 that focuses on improving employee well-being through effective initiatives.

According to WellRight’s CMO, Dr. LouAnne Giangreco, until we build programs that are equitable for all, we can’t move the needle on wellness. Her article, Building Equity Into Workplace Wellness, talks about building wellness programs that address six key dimensions of well-being through an equity lens.

Is therapy really the right solution for everyone?

What if we helped employees better navigate the existing mental healthcare space, learn about what’s out there to support their specific needs, differentiate the good from the bad resources, and let them be the drivers of their own care? Mindyra’s Connor Patros in his article, Is Tele-Therapy The Right Approach To Support Employee Mental Health? Not Always, talks about improving the workplace culture surrounding mental health.

In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Aduro’s CEO, Dr. Darren White talks about investing in employee wellbeing, the role of company culture in employee well-being, top workplace wellness trends, and so on.

In brief, more than ever, employees need to feel safe, healthy and supported at work today.

And organizations need to understand their employees’ needs to build a workplace that enables them to thrive in their roles and as part of their team. Undoubtedly, a broader focus on holistic health is mandatory in today’s work environment.

We hope you find the articles in this issue informative and helpful and, as always, we welcome your valuable feedback and suggestions.

Happy Reading!

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Is it possible to nudge everyone toward financial wellness? nudge’s Tim Perkins, in his article, How Can You Nudge Everyone Toward Financial Wellness outlines ways to help your less financially stable employees build stronger relationships with their money.

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COVER ARTICLE

Building Equity Into Workplace Wellness Key things to consider while building an equitable workplace wellness program

By Dr. LouAnne Giangreco, WellRight

O

n the “severed floor” at Lumon Industries, employees seem to have perfected work-life balance. Thanks to a medical procedure, they can’t remember lives outside of work while in the office, and vice versa.

the workplace, just as what happens at work affects employees off the clock.

And employers have embraced that, with many encouraging employees to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

While it’s an interesting premise raised by AppleTV’s thriller, Severance, we know that’s not how it is in real life. In reality, there is no such thing as a separate “work self”. What happens at home gets brought into

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A 2021 survey from the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership found that 90% of respondents agreed authenticity in the workplace is important.

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And those who could be authentic at work said they felt more confident, engaged, and happier overall.

They need different levels or types of support to achieve the same outcome.

To achieve those positive outcomes, employees first need to feel safe to bring their whole, authentic selves into work. That’s why organizations need to support their employees as the whole people that they are — so they can be their best, most authentic self, both inside and outside the workplace.

That’s why organizations need to build their workplace wellness programs on equity, not equality; giving individual employees the resources and opportunities that they need to reach an equal outcome.

Until we build programs that are equitable for all, we can’t move the needle on wellness.

It’s possible by building wellness programs that address the six key dimensions of well-being through an equity lens. That way, all employees have the chance to achieve optimal outcomes.

Instead of making assumptions about what resources and opportunities employees will need to have successful outcomes, organizations need to gather quantitative data, about employee demographics, health needs from claims data, and other sources, as well as qualitative data through, for example, employee surveys and interviews with employee resource groups.

An Equitable Base

Most employee wellness programs today are built with equality in mind. That is, employers give all employees access to the same resources or opportunities.

Once that data is gathered, parsed through and understood, organizations can move on to building an equitable, whole-person wellness program.

But in the real world, people don’t start from the same place or bring the same life experiences to the table.

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Every organization’s wellness offering will look a little different if they’re truly built on equity, because no two employee populations are the same. However, here are some things to consider within each dimension of whole-person wellness when it comes to building an equitable workplace wellness program:

access to healthy recipes and offering access to an on-site gym. But those recipes may not resonate with people from different cultural backgrounds, and the gym may not be open when night shift employees are on the clock. Organizations need to ask the right questions to make sure offerings are culturally appropriate and and accessible to all.

1. Emotional

6. Purpose

In addition to more traditional offerings like an employee assistance program (EAP) and insurance that covers behavioral health needs, a program built on equity would listen to employee feedback and potentially add tools to empower employees to take care of themselves and others, like emotional intelligence trainings, mentor programs, and peer support.

Purpose ties everything together; it’s our reason for being. Organizations need to meet people where they are and help support them in finding their purpose, so they can make positive changes and achieve optimal outcomes, both in the office and outside of it.

There’s a reason Severance is listed as a thriller — it’s not natural to try to separate parts of our lives from each other. When workplace wellness programs support holistic wellness and allow equitable opportunities for all employees, they can feel safe and supported in bringing their whole, authentic selves to work.

2. Financial

Employees, depending on how they identify, are not starting from an equitable place in terms of financial health. The gender pay gap is real, for instance, and people with disabilities or who are part of the LGBTQ+ community have different financial needs because of structural factors and implicit bias. An equitable program would address those differences within the population.

LouAnne Giangreco, M.D., serves as the Chief Medical Officer of WellRight.

She believes in the importance of empowering individuals in their health and well-being. This includes meeting individuals where they are at in their health and wellness journey and providing them with the tools for success. In addition, she served in leadership roles within a number of these facilities. She served as Chief Medical Officer for Five Star Urgent Care, a company providing urgent care, occupational medicine, and telemedicine services throughout Upstate New York. In addition, she served as the VP and Chief Medical Officer of Health Care Improvement for Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield.

3. Occupational

So much of diversity in the workplace is focused on hiring — getting diverse talent in the door — but what is missing is support for those diverse employees to continue growing and climbing the corporate ladder after they’re hired. Equitable wellness programs will focus on succession planning and give employees the tools they need to develop competencies and be successful.

4. Social

Aim to create a system that gives everyone the opportunity to be successful and build connections at work. That could be as basic as launching employee resource groups so people can connect over shared experiences. Or, it could include encouraging social consciousness through volunteer opportunities that resonate with the employee population.

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5. Physical

Traditional physical wellness offerings may include

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The Importance Of Trust In The Workplace How personalized employee benefits make a difference

By Alight

T

rust is the bedrock of every successful relationship. In the workplace, a culture of trust is essential for companies to succeed. When trust levels are high, employees are eager to help the organization achieve its goals, resulting in greater customer satisfaction, profitability, and reputation. When trust is lacking, companies suffer from low productivity, creativity, energy, and innovation, and they lose their competitive edge.

During the pandemic, trust became more important than ever, as employees relied on their employers to help keep them safe from the virus and to find a way to maintain business operations so they wouldn’t lose income. As organizations navigate the “new normal,”

with an increasing number of work-from-home and hybrid office environments, they are challenged to foster a sense of belonging, which creates a psychological safety net that leads to trust.

Belonging is a feeling of acceptance, inclusion, and identity. When employees feel they belong, they become more productive, energetic, and engaged.

The sense that “we’re in this together” motivates employees to work toward a common goal, supporting each other as they strive to make the company successful. Belonging is a crucial element of a high-performance culture, yet the 2019 EY Belonging Barometer found just 34% of people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace.

A corresponding number of employees (35%) don’t trust their employers, according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer. These findings are extremely concerning for organizations seeking to retain valued workers, especially now that the availability to work remotely has made it relatively easy for people to switch jobs when they feel their current situation no longer meets their personal or professional needs.

Doing Benefits Right

Many factors go into building a culture of belonging and trust. These include honest communications, accessible leadership, and a statement of purpose employees can rally around. What’s often not recognized is the role that benefits play in cultivating trust. When done right, benefits deepen the

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The Importance Of Trust In The Workplace

employee-employer relationship and increase trust by 19 points, according to Alight’s recent Winning with Wellness research.

Doing benefits right means throwing out the antiquated one-size-fits-all approach that hasn’t been sufficient for a very long time. Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever. Employees and their loved ones have unique family structures and situations that necessitate a broader, flexible approach to benefits.

Increasingly, employers are recognizing the need to provide personalized benefits, access to resources and assistance, and timely recommendations. This kind of approach relies on technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), and builds trust because it meets employees in the moment with benefits that provide for their specific needs.

AI-driven benefits platforms deliver a hyper-personalized experience akin to what employees experience with Amazon and other online merchants who use data from past purchases to suggest items of interest. Leveraging the company’s massive treasure trove of employee data, the platform sends timely notifications and recommendations. An employee who has recently taken maternity or paternity leave may be prompted to add their baby to their health policy, for example.

Meeting Changing Needs

People want their employers to see them, know them, support them, protect them, and value them. These five attributes, Alight’s Being Benefits, reflect the

need to ensure employees’ basic needs (e.g. physical and emotional safety, opportunities for career advancement, and the ability to be their authentic selves at work) are met. They create the baseline for the benefits employees need from their employer.

Life-stage specific benefits show that employers are paying attention to employees’ needs and wants.

Early-career workers may need help choosing a health plan, paying off a student loan, or buying a house, for example, while those with a few years under their belt place a greater value on financial planning tools and assistance with caregiving responsibilities. Those approaching retirement need to make sure they have adequate savings and health coverage for their golden years. Across the board, employees want to make sure their loved ones will be cared for in their absence, making life insurance, disability insurance, and mortgage assistance important benefits to offer.

Building a culture of trust has never been more important. The employee-employer relationship has forever changed and workers aren’t afraid to jump ship if the organization isn’t giving them what they need. Benefits are crucial to building trust, as they demonstrate the employer understands the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce. A personalized, AI-enabled benefits platform creates trust by empowering employees to engage with their choice of benefits in the moments that matter.

Visit here to learn more about building trust through benefits.

With an unwavering belief that a company’s success starts with its people, Alight Solutions is a leading cloud-based provider of integrated digital human capital and business solutions. Leveraging proprietary AI and data analytics, Alight optimizes business process as a service (BPaaS) to deliver superior outcomes for employees and employers across a comprehensive portfolio of services. Alight allows employees to enrich their health, wealth and work while enabling global organizations to achieve a high-performance culture. Alight’s 15,000 dedicated colleagues serve more than 30 million employees and family members. Learn how Alight helps organizations of all sizes, including over 70% of the Fortune 100 at alight.com.

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Welcome to wellbeing working for everyone.

Take care of your employees’ health and wellbeing.

They’ll take care of your organization.

Learn more at alight.com

Support Employee’s Mental Health By Supporting Their Total Well-Being Are mental health apps a panacea?

Are they enough?

By Andrea Bloom and Lori Arden, ConnectWell

I

n recent years there has been broad employer recognition of the important role that mental health plays in effective work performance. While there are dozens of new apps and other mental

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health programs, their overall success rate is not yet established. Researchers found that 64% of mental health apps claimed efficacy, although only 14% included any evidence, and none referenced

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certification or accreditation.1 Reviews of the quality of the content within publicly available mental health apps report that the majority of consumer-available apps are not evidence based and can contain harmful content.2,3,4

Recognizing Mental Health is Just the First Step

Normalizing mental health issues and providing benefits to meet this challenge is truly a step forward.

But is it enough? While mental health challenges can arise as an isolated concern, more often than not, they surface as a comorbidity to another issue. An individual may exhibit the classic signs of anxiety, stress or depression and begin to treat the symptoms.

In reality, a big part of the mental health condition is often another factor. Mental health conditions can arise from a variety of life transitions and health issues. For example, infertility, a health diagnosis, dealing with chronic pain, substance use, or caring for a sick family member often trigger or are the precursor to mental health conditions.

Life Transitions that Can Impact Employee Mental Health

● Stroke ● Age-related health problems Offering a comprehensive digital Health & Wellness Library can assist employees by addressing underlying health issues that contribute to their mental health.

This type of benefit from a trusted source that can be accessed 24/7 can boost the effectiveness of healthcare benefits, Employee Assistance Programs, and other offerings. It enables employees to self-serve on the health issues that impact them and their family members. The ability to take action provides employees with agency over their health by improving health literacy.

When employees don’t have access to unbiased, high-quality health and wellness information, they are left to search the internet outside the company “safety zone” to find answers. Internet searches can lead to results that are full of misinformation, bias from medical advertisers, and unsupported or misleading health claims.

Cyberchondria, Just a Click Away

● Family building: infertility, pregnancy, adoption, and surrogacy ● Juggling career and family, especially when raising young children ● Marriage or divorce ● Caregiving responsibilities for older or infirm family members ● Death of family members

Health Issues that Can Impact Employee Mental Health

The internet is a powerful tool for people seeking health information. It’s also an endless minefield of medical information where people can happen to stumble upon gold, or more often be directed to misleading, and even dangerous health advice.

In fact, there’s a digital-age term for one of these pitfalls: cyberchondria (hypochondria in cyberspace).

Cyberchondria is defined as searching the internet for a diagnosis based on your symptoms—and confirming your own worst fears.

Scenario of Employee Accessing Internet to Self-Diagnose

This scenario demonstrates how a fictitious employee, Sam Marks, becomes a cyberchondriac after researching symptoms on the internet.

● Chronic disease such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease ● Chronic pain

Sam is not sleeping well and his head hurts. This is impacting his mental and physical health. Pain relievers don’t help. Sam’s employer does not provide an integrated web-based health and wellness library

● Substance abuse ● Cancer

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● Sexual health

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as a benefit, so Sam opens his favorite search engine and begins clicking around. Half an hour later Sam is hot on the trail, and the news is ominous. It could be a brain tumor.

possibilities that could be impacting his sleep. With an extensive Health & Wellness Library, Sam could learn about healthy behaviors to improve his sleep, and health conditions that might be impacting his sleep.

Sam visits a site where people diagnosed with brain tumors talk about their pre-diagnosis symptoms— these match his own. After two or three days of nonstop worry, Sam sees his primary care doctor. He happens to mention in the course of the discussion that in hopes of curing his insomnia, he gave up coffee. What Sam didn’t realize is that caffeine withdrawal is a very common cause of headaches, and his anxiety about a possible brain tumor is certainly not helping his insomnia.

Instead of being anxious about his condition as in the internet scenario, he would be empowered to sort through the options and eliminate possibilities. He can attempt to improve his sleep on his own or seek medical attention from the appropriate provider. This not only would improve his well-being, mental health and productivity at work but would also be more cost effective for Sam and his employer as he seeks targeted medical care when needed.

The odds of persistent headaches being caused by a brain tumor are about 1 in 10,000—a fact that Sam might never have unearthed on the internet. This is because more internet content is indexed to serious disorders than to simpler explanations of symptoms.

The abundant content on rare diseases leads many people astray. It’s much easier to find bad news than good news on the internet.

Employee Utilization Depends on HR Support

Benefits make up about one-third of employee compensation. Benefit utilization is an important piece of the puzzle in your benefits package, and the right benefits drive recruitment and retention in a competitive market. Tips for a successful benefit rollout of a digital Health & Wellness Library include: ● Offer robust employee Education

If Sam’s employer provided a science-based Health & Wellness Library as an employee benefit, Sam would have been able to safely search for information about sleep problems and learn about the variety of

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● Tailored to your workforce ● Presented with a multigenerational approach that speaks to the broad range of lifestyle transitions

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● Record benefits education and provide as a “must-see” in new employee onboarding and make available for all employees to view as needed ● Provide a range of Examples ● Scenarios that speak to different age groups about health concerns and life transitions

Pain Management

Jessica is in pain. Her back pain has intensified and she’s concerned about her growing use of painkillers.

The pain and worry are major contributors to her stress. In a demonstration to employees on how Jessica can use the Health & Wellness Library for her situation, articles and videos would be sourced on these topics:

● Schedule Reminders

● Management of Back Pain

● Focus on utilization and engaging people in the benefits offering on a regular basis

Examples of Mental Health Decline and Contributing Issues Caregiver Burnout

Mike is overwhelmed and stressed because his mother is experiencing dementia and responsibilities for her care have unexpectedly fallen on his shoulders. He’s distracted and less effective than usual at work, has difficulty sleeping, and has no time for activities he previously enjoyed. In a demonstration to employees on how Mike can use the Health & Wellness Library for his situation, articles and videos would be sourced on these topics:

● Pain Relievers ● Musculoskeletal Health ● Stress Management

Infertility Concerns

Ramon and his wife have been trying to become pregnant for 16 months. The whole process has caused them anxiety and chronic stress. In a demonstration to employees on how Ramon and his wife can use the Health & Wellness Library for their situation, articles and videos would be sourced on these topics: ● Infertility ● Fertility Treatments ● Donor-Assisted Reproduction

● Dementia

● Adoption

● Caregiver Burnout

● Anxiety

● Sleep

● Stress Management

● Stress Management

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Diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome

Renee has just been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. She’s been concerned about weight gain over the past few years but has never even heard of metabolic syndrome. Learning that it can be a precursor to prediabetes and diabetes, she is depressed and panicked. Renee realizes that she needs to make some lifestyle changes to reverse the course of her diagnosis. In a demonstration to employees on how Renee can use the Health & Wellness Library for metabolic syndrome and lifestyle changes, articles and videos would be sourced on these topics:

Make a Meaningful Impact on Employee Total Well-Being

To make a material impact on mental health, the total health of your employees needs to be addressed.

By providing employees with a robust Health & Wellness Library and HR support, each employee has the resources and support to address their unique situation to improve their overall health and well-being, including their mental health.

References: 1 Larsen, M.E., Huckvale, K., Nicholas, J. et al. Using science to sell apps: Evaluation of mental health app store quality claims. npj Digit. Med. 2, 18 (2019).

● Prediabetes

2 Larsen, M. E., Nicholas, J. & Christensen, H. A systematic assessment of smartphone tools for suicide prevention. PLoS ONE 11, e0152285 (2016).

● Prevention of Diabetes ● Healthy Eating

3 Nicholas, J., Larsen, M. E., Proudfoot, J. & Christensen, H. Mobile apps for bipolar disorder: a systematic review of features and content quality. J. Med. Internet Res. 17, e198 (2015).

● Weight Management ● Physical Activity ● Depression

4

● Stress Management

Thornton, L. et al. Free smoking cessation mobile apps available in Australia: a quality review and content analysis.

Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health 41, 625–630 (2017).

Andrea Bloom is the Founder and CEO of ConnectWell, a leading-edge provider of digital health and wellness content that is academically sourced and designed for a consumer audience.

ConnectWell’s content is packaged for digital delivery with rich graphic content, and written for a wide-ranging consumer audience. ConnectWell licenses its content for integration into the platforms of a broad scope of healthcare companies, employers, and benefits providers to engage patients, employees, and members in their health and well-being.

Lori Arden is the Director, Wellness Initiatives & Employer Programs at ConnectWell. Lori works with ConnectWell’s scope of clients including healthcare organizations, benefits providers, and employers to help individuals and families improve their physical and emotional health across life’s transitions and health-related issues. She is a certified Corporate Wellness Specialist (CCWS).

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Straight Talk with HR.com

TOP PICK

“No Amount Of Free Meditation Apps Will Fix A Toxic Work Environment” Q&A with Dr. Darren White, CEO, Aduro “Culture is the single greatest driver of employee well-being.

An inspiring mission that ties us into something greater than ourselves will drive deeper purpose and resilience", says Dr. Darren White, CEO, Aduro.

In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Darren talks about the role of company culture in an employee wellness program, prioritizing employee well-being in a hybrid environment, and more.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q.

Do you think an organization's investment in wellness initiatives will increase employee wellbeing?

Darren: Many "wellness" initiatives fail because they’re antagonistic

or alienating. Companies can get so distracted trying to curb healthcare costs that they "target" areas of the population who may have a health opportunity and force a single solution to make them better. Employees don't want to be treated as a risk or liability and offered a one-size-fitsall solution. They’re humans seeking a better experience around the things they care about. Too many well-being strategies are focused on helping people feel better versus addressing and improving the system that generated the problem in the first place. No amount of free meditation apps will fix a toxic work environment. HR professionals must look at the entire employee experience and address it holistically.

Employees don't want to be treated as a risk or liability and offered a one-size-fits-all solution. They’re humans seeking a better experience around the things they care about.

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Q.

Q.

Darren: Culture is the single greatest driver of

Darren: First, you have to listen. Listening should

What role does company culture play in the success of an employee wellness program?

employee well-being. An inspiring mission that ties us into something greater than ourselves will drive deeper purpose and resilience. A well-crafted set of core values influences how we treat each other, get work done, and ultimately wires us to care more for each other. How we train and develop our talent will result in mastery and autonomy, which in turn will result in increased self-efficacy. These and other elements of culture ultimately set the unconscious mores in an organization that aligns and propels us to new levels of organizational performance. At the end of the day, people want to feel like they have an ally in this crazy world, and this alone drives so much well-being.

Q.

How critical is it to conduct a wellbeing assessment as employees are returning to work?

What suggestions would you like to offer to organizations looking to create healthy workplaces?

be an aggregation of many forms of feedback, from surveys to tool utilization. Then, in real-time, you need to provide resources, policy changes, or other support that can address what you heard. Lastly, and maybe even most importantly, you must provide the organization with a feedback loop. We listened, we deployed support, and here are the outcomes of that support. This builds a culture of care and trust that is sustainable, as they know that you will be responsive when the next challenge comes up.

Q.

What are the top workplace wellness trends we should focus on for 2022 and beyond?

Darren: There are three trends we are obsessed

about:

1. How do we get work done in a hybrid environment in a way that drives well-being? So many of our workflows were built for one-sided outcomes and did not fully appreciate the person executing the workflow. Quick examples of efforts that appreciate the person behind the work are walking meetings, free, convenient healthy snacks, managers sharing examples of their own personal struggles, and calendars that encourage 25 and 50-minute meetings versus 30 min and 1 hour.

Darren: It’s essential to constantly listen to

your population. One listening tool is a well-being assessment. As we return to offices and adapt to a new reality of how work will get done, it’s more important than ever to keep a constant pulse on your organization. A survey done today will yield a much different story than one done in 3 months. It's important to keep the channel for communication open and remain agile to respond to the most current feedback.

2. How can we coach and/or develop people to be their best in life, health, and performance? We found that 52% of your workforce has a growth and development goal that is more important than health.

Q.

How can employers prioritize employee well-being in a hybrid setup?

Darren: Keep human connection at the center. It’s

3. How can we support an employer's broader family and/or social unit? Like it or not, work bleeds into personal life, and personal life bleeds into work. We must be supportive and provide tools and policies to help people be more fluid and connected throughout their day.

easy to check-in on people when you run into them in the hallway, but this connection must be intentional in a hybrid work setup. Hire leaders that care about people beyond the work, train them to check in on their team's well-being in one-on-one and team meetings, arm them with the tools to recognize when people are struggling, and make employee well-being an objective as important as the work they produce.

Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence presented by HR.com

JUNE 2022

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The State of Employee Well-being 2022

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INDEX RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

26

The State of Employee Well-being 2022 Survey conducted by:

Sponsored by:

ARTICLES

31

Five Ways To Boost Wellness In The Workplace

48

By Michalak, CEO, and Marlette Jackson, Ph.D., Senior Director, DEI and Employee Experience, Virgin Pulse

By Julie Wilkinson, Global Product Owner, Workplace Experience, JLL

36

Expecting – And Getting – More For Our Healthcare Dollars

By Katie Higgins, Chief Revenue Officer, Crossover Health

41

53

The Virtual Workforce: Managing Loneliness

Emergency Savings Accounts: A Critical, Timely Addition to Employee Benefits

By SecureSave

Identity Theft Protection Rounds Out A Robust Wellness Plan

By Dustin Hofstein, Chief Service Officer, Allstate Identity Protection

44

Supporting The Wellbeing Of Your Underrepresented Employees

58

Stripe: Focusing On Choice And Flexibility To Support A Growing, Global Workforce

By Forma

By Eric Red, CEO & Co-Founder, Noble

The HR Research Institute, powered by HR.com, the world’s largest social network for Human Resources professionals, is a key part of our mandate to inform and educate today’s HR professionals. Over the past three years, the HR Research Institute has produced more than 85 exclusive primary research and state of the industry reports, along with corresponding infographics in many cases, based on the surveys of thousands of HR professionals. Each research report highlights current HR trends, benchmarks, and industry best practices. HR Research Institute Reports and Infographics are available online, and always free, at www.hr.com/featuredresearch

The State of Employee Well-being 2022 Improve employee well-being through effective initiatives

Exclusive HR.com Research

E

●● social ●● work environmental

mployers today have a huge responsibility to ensure their employees have a high level of well-being to maintain their mental

and physical health, morale, engagement, and productivity. The pandemic has generated challenges to physical and mental wellness for many throughout the last few years. Most HR professionals recognize this and want to help their workers enhance their well-being, but that goal can be challenging to achieve, according to an exclusive study conducted by the HR Research Institute.

For the purpose of this study, five different dimensions of well-being have been considered: ●● physical ●● mental

Key Findings ●● The vast majority say their organizations are still dealing with well-being challenges related to the pandemic. ●● Most organizations have specific initiatives to enhance all types of employee well-being, with mental/emotional well-being the most commonly mentioned. ●● Today, most organizations report that mental/ emotional health is a high priority, and stress is the issue that employees are most commonly coping with. ●● Well-being initiatives can lead to organizational improvements in a variety of ways.

●● financial

26

RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Today’s Well-being Challenges

everyone hopes that the brunt of it is in the past, various issues remain. When asked about the work-

Challenges Tied to the Pandemic

related well-being challenges still associated with

Fully 92% indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to represent workplace challenges. While

Covid-19, 45% say that dealing with uncertainty is the biggest challenge, followed closely by reducing employee fears (42%).

Survey Question: What are the work-related well-being challenges that are still associated with the pandemic? (select all that apply) 45%

42%

42%

40

39%

39%

35%

30

20

15% 8%

10

0

Dealing with Maintaining uncertainty virtual work of what will relationships happen in the future

Reducing employee fears

Keeping the workplace safe for returning employees

Bringing workers back into the physical workspace

Assessing Coping with We do not the need for tax and experience hybrid compensation any workforce implications challenges at this stage

Uncertainty about the future is a major challenge

27

RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

began, the World Health Organization reported that in the first year of the pandemic, anxiety and depression increased by 25% globally.1 This has impacted the employee experience and may be one of the reasons that so many employees have left their positions over the last year in the United States.

Challenges Related to Mental Health Issues Fifty-seven percent of HR professionals agree or strongly agree that mental health is among the top five HR priorities. Why is it a priority in so many organizations? One answer is that the recent pandemic caused an uptick in such issues. In fact, two years after the pandemic

Survey Statement: In your organization, employee mental

Only 25% actively disagree that employee mental health is among their organization’s

50

46%

40

30

20

10

0

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RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

17%

18% 11%

8%

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Today’s Well-being Solutions

Work Environment Well-being

Many of today’s well-being programs originated from wellness programs of the past. After World War II, business leaders saw the value in helping employees stay fit. As a result, some companies built gymnasium facilities complete with fitness instructors, though some were focused on executives rather than all employees. Such programs grew throughout the 1970s and were a precursor to today's worksite wellness promotion programs.

Seventy percent of respondents say their

Mental/Emotional Well-being

enhance financial wellbeing.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents say their

Social Well-being

organization strives to enhance workplace safety and well-being.

Physical Well-being Two-thirds of respondents say their organization strives to improve physical well-being.

Financial Well-being

2

organizations strive to enhance mental/emotional well-being.

Fifty-six percent say their organization strives to

Just under half (48%) say their organization strives to enhance social well-being.

Survey Question: Which types of employee well-being does

78%

Mental/emotional well-being

Two-thirds say their organization strives to enhance physical well-

70%

Work environment well-being

66%

Physical well-being

56%

Financial well-being

initiatives

48%

Social well-being

0

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RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

The Effectiveness of Well-being Programs

To learn more about The State of Employee

Most HR professionals find their organization’s well-being programs are effective to a moderate degree or less

Well-being 2022 survey and to get strategic outcomes from the survey, we invite you to download and read the report today.

While many organizations strive to enhance aspects of well-being, just 22% of respondents say

The State of Employee Well-being 2022

the programs that promote employee well-being in their organizations are effective to a high or very high degree. Further, one-fifth say these well-being programs are effective to a low or very low degree and another 44% consider them only moderately effective. Organizations should consider proactively monitoring the impact of well-being programs and whether they bring the desired outcomes and pinpoint areas that can improve the effectiveness of these programs.

The Future of Employee Well-being Remote work and flexible work schedules will remain popular over the next two years

Read the Research Report

Fifty-five percent of respondents believe that organizations will continue to allow employees to work from home and 53% say that their organization will offer flexible work schedules.

Footnotes 1.

World Health Organization. (2022, March 2). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.

Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depressionworldwide

2.

Khoury, A. (2014, January 29). The Evolution of Worksite Wellness.

Corporate Wellness Magazine. Retrieved from https://www. corporatewellnesmagazine.com/article/the-evolution-of

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RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY

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Five Ways To Boost Wellness In The Workplace Healthy employees are happier employees

By Julie Wilkinson, JLL

I

n this era of uncertainty, one thing is clear: We

This means doing more than conjuring up

could all do with a little less stress at work.

shiny new wellness amenities ad-hoc. After all,

Organizational leaders can’t avert pandemics, nor

the typical workplace wellness program only

can we solve global crises—but we can nurture a

garners about 15% participation. To achieve the

brighter outlook for our own employees by creating

wellness-infused environment your teams will

a wellness-centered workplace where people feel

truly appreciate, shape a more holistic strategy

valued and inspired.

that brings your brand’s values to life in key ways throughout the physical workplace.

The societal pressure cooker of the past two years Gallup poll affirming that 2020 was officially the

How to Reduce Stress and Improve Workplace Experience

most stressful year in recent history. While thought

More than a backdrop for productivity, every

has created unparalleled strain in general, with one

workers have always had to endure stress at work, we reached a tipping point when all that pressure erupted to spark the Great Resignation, and a record-breaking 47.4 million workers in the U.S. quit their jobs in 2021 alone.

To win employee loyalty in these fast-changing times, leaders must do more than give lip service to the importance of mental health. They must bring that organizational value to life by shaping more authentic, human-oriented workplaces that not only reduce workplace stress and burnout but actively support wellness, and inspire individuals to be and

workplace tells its employees a story about their employer, from its organizational purpose, to the tasks and people it prizes. But most workplaces today offer a muddled story at best. Instead of clearly conveying brand values, they’re rife with well-intended but disconnected design choices that inadvertently send mixed signals—and contribute incrementally to employee stress over time.

By constructing a purposeful workplace “story,” however, employers can foster confidence and a shared sense of purpose, ultimately enhancing wellness and driving mutual success.

bring their best.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Following are key tactics to help give your teams the inspiring, stress-repellent environments needed to thrive:

1. Provide intuitive workplace design It’s stressful to feel like you’re lost—especially in your own workplace. But it’s easy to get disoriented in cube farms and other high-density work environments where everything looks the same.

These “illegible” layouts hamper easy movement, waste time, and undermine confidence.

Instead, intuitive workplaces make it easy for employees to know where they are, and where they want to be. So, skip the monotony and offer a mix of unique areas that support collaboration as well as space to focus and recharge. And use thoughtful design elements to help broadcast an area’s intended purpose.

For example, cool colors, welcoming furnishings and strong acoustics help signal that a space is intended for refresh and recharge. Strategic

interior landmarks can also add variety, helping people mentally map their location within the larger space—whether it’s in the form of simple yet effective signage, bold graphic walls in major thoroughfares, or transparency-boosting glass walls and partitions.

2. Design wellness “nudges” There’s a reason Americans spend $397 million in unused gym memberships—we have good intentions, but in hectic day-to-day life, it feels easier to take the proverbial elevator. Organizations can help turn the tide by making it simple for employees to take advantage of wellness opportunities, with intentional layout choices, visual cues, and recognition programs that are supported by and participated in by leaders of the organization.

For example, you might rally people to get their steps in by opening up the stairwells and reimaging that space with motivating art work or music, spacing out shared amenities, or creating an office “steps challenge” with new winners each month.

The stretch room, part of JLL’s Experience / Spaces solution, provides a private place for meditation, stretching and other low-impact wellness activities.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Whatever you do, be sure to keep nudges upbeat and intuitive, and give positive feedback whenever possible.

4. Create tech-free zones to support both focus and rest Americans check their phones more than 250

3. Lift employee spirits with views of nature A vast body of research shows that time in nature has a positive impact on health and wellbeing, from reducing stress and blood pressure to enhancing mood. So, bring the outside in, from maximizing views and access to daylight, to incorporating greenery with potted plants and living walls. Note that artwork featuring nature as well as the sound and sight of water can also have a calming effect.

times per day, approximately every four minutes, according to JLL research. While most thought workers have mastered the multitask, the sense that we must address email, text or social updates as they come in makes two important tasks especially difficult: focusing deeply, and relaxing.

It’s stressful for employees to feel like they’re responsible for finding quiet time to write or read a heady report, or that they have to be ready to respond to a team ping even when taking a recharge break. So, give people a break—while

The Oasis, part of JLL’s Experience / Spaces solution, puts wellness out in the open, encouraging employees to take a break from tech and emphasize personal wellness.

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ARTICLE

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

supporting mental wellbeing and performance—by

ultimately improve business performance. Now, as

designating a mix of spaces where normal “always-

organizations are actively rewriting the future of

on” rules do not apply.

work, let’s make sure the workplace of the future is

5. Replace bland break rooms with modern rejuvenation stations Many corporate break rooms of yesteryear sit empty because they were a design afterthought.

Replace them with more inviting spaces to recharge, complete with soothing nature images and calming music, yoga mats and/or mindfulness coloring pages. Pro tip: Rather than a couple of large shared lounge areas, consider a series of smaller spaces across the workplace.

The Workplace of the Future Is Here, and It’s Human COVID-19 cast new light on the importance of

centered in care.

Julie Wilkinson is a Global Product Owner of Workplace Experience at JLL. Julie leads product development of workplace experience and wellbeing services for JLL clients. Julie’s area of expertise is employee experience and the workplace journey with a focus on the hybrid workplace. She has over 20 years of experience in corporate real estate, operations and corporate hospitality and has transformed the workplace experience for clients across a variety of industries including financial services, technology, professional services and consumer products.

mental as well as physical health in the workplace.

More than ever, employees need to feel safe, healthy, and supported at work. By putting people first in workplace design, organizations can win

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employee loyalty, strengthen brand reputation, and

34

ARTICLE

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Empower and engage employees to do their best work, no matter where they work.

Experience / Anywhere is comprised of a digital Hub and a Program Manager.

The Hub connects employees to resources to improve holistic wellbeing and help the day run smoothly:

The Program Manager increases adoption and awareness of the Hub: Communicates with and engages employees with wellness challenges Manages stipends and processes expenses

Wellbeing

Comprehensive live and on-demand programming like fitness classes and meditation exercises

Guides employees through ergonomics training

Case Study

Life-Work Balance

Curated deals and discounts on meals, home office furniture and supplies

Connection

Live events fostering engagement and promoting culture Learn more at www.us.jll.com/en/solutions/experience-anywhere or contact: Julie Wilkinson Global Product Owner, Human Experience JLL julie.wilkinson@am.jll.com

JLL partnered with ART Health to scientifically test the impact of the Experience / Anywhere Hub, and after a 16-week study, found that it improved physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing and cognitive performance.

Expecting – And Getting – More For Our Healthcare Dollars

By Katie Higgins, Crossover Health

I

n any industry, it takes the change makers to

So, what is it going to take to get the masses on

go out on a limb, make the bold move and pull

board?

everyone else along. In healthcare, we have

seen large employers – with diverse populations

To start with, let’s take a look at one of the

– be the change makers. Some have been doing

systemic – and potentially worsening – problems

it for a decade now, experiencing the value of

with healthcare: The sticker shock that pretty much

Advanced Primary Health, and the benefits of lower

anyone who’s been to the doctor – for themselves

overall costs and better health outcomes for their

or a loved one – can relate to.

employees.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Paying for Piecework Here is a true story. Not long ago, I scheduled an annual wellness exam with my community Primary Care doctor. I wanted to get on top of critical health screenings and have that one consistent person to go to when sick or have a concern vs. always running to urgent care. That vision wasn’t realized.

37

ARTICLE

When I showed up for my visit, I was handed two waivers to sign. The first stated that my visit would cost $320 and that while this cost would be covered by my insurance company (less my copay), if I scheduled a second well visit less than 365 days out, I would be responsible for the $320. The second waiver that I signed looked like this:

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Got it. This well visit was not intended to focus on my whole health… just checking the box on my health as we know it today. Lasting less than 15 minutes, the entire experience left me wondering: what was the point? The constraints allowed for no conversation at all; just a cursory review of the basics and on to the next patient. Was she a bad doctor? Certainly not. Just a doctor practicing in the face of the real culprit – a payment system that views patients as parts and pieces to be serviced, not as whole people seeking to be well. For me, this was one of the clearest examples of how fee for service directly interferes with trusted physician relationship building and the best care delivery.

The Point of No Return Here’s the hard truth that is staring down every single employer – if healthcare costs continue to increase at the same rate, in a decade many employers will not be able to afford this key benefit.

In fact, If we look at the average premium for family coverage, we see that it has increased 22% over the last five years and 47% over the last ten years.

(2021 Employer Health Benefits Survey) So how is a system that’s arguably been broken for so long going to get fixed by crunch time? It has to be an approach that measurably improves wellbeing and outcomes actually lowers costs and keeps employees healthy.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Taking Accountability, Creating Trust First, accessible, affordable and outcomes – focused quality healthcare does exist. You just have to look for it and demand it.

At Crossover, we’re creating a world where the cost of healthcare doesn’t drive coverage off a cliff. We do this by controlling cost through an integrated experience and a care team that surrounds the patient and sets goals.

And by offering care that’s comprehensive and inclusive of mental health, physical health, health coaching and care navigation – delivered by a trusted, accountable team. And at a deeper, underlying level, we do this by measuring our care progress along the way so that we can produce tangible care outcomes consistently.

Then data is used to enroll members in the programs or services that are relevant to their health concerns and gaps in care. As we offer care to the member, we work with our clients to uncover clinical insights related to the health trends of their employee populations and leverage this data to brainstorm additional resources and benefits to improve the overall health trajectory of their employees. And employers are realizing that outcomes and patient engagement, not just utilization, are the key to controlling the out-of-control costs of healthcare.

Last, but definitely not least, providing flexible access to care is also key. Our hybrid offering – which wraps our national virtual care network around the onsite and near site health clinic access – provides members with choice. It allows employers to actively manage healthcare delivery costs and provide high quality healthcare to all employees; the best care anywhere.

So now is the time – more so than ever – for every individual and every employer to be the change makers in this industry by expecting more and thinking differently about health delivery. With healthcare costs rising exponentially, employers – the true payers for over 150 million Americans – are losing out from a fee-forservice payment model that works at cross purposes to the quadruple aim.

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ARTICLE

It’s time for employers to hold their healthcare partners accountable for outcomes, not just visit volume and services. It’s time to demand an integrated care team that replaces today’s disconnected silos. And it’s time for employees to choose how they want to interact with their care team – in person, virtually or asynchronously.

And all this should be done with the currency of trust.

Ready to learn more about Crossover Health’s proven Primary Health model and how it can benefit your organization, visit us at here.

As Chief Revenue Officer of Crossover Health, Katie Higgins is passionate about creating a healthcare model that achieves easier access, greater affordability, and reliable outcomes for all individuals.

She has built and led teams that provide outstanding client service and innovative partnership opportunities for healthcare companies. Keys to her success have been identifying and cultivating great talent, and creating strong team camaraderie, which combine to help achieve ambitious business objectives with clients primarily in the provider market. Katie is also known for her commitment to cultivating rising female talent—a critical need in the healthcare industry.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Your employees.

Our team.

Health as it should be.

Crossover Health’s integrated, team-based care model means faster access and better clinical outcomes for your employees—and higher ROI for you.

See How It Works

Identity Theft Protection Rounds Out A Robust Wellness Plan Healthy employees are happier employees

IDENTITY PROTECTION SERVICE PROVIDER SCORECARD BEST IN CLASS (B2B)

By Dustin Hofstein, Allstate Identity Protection

T

he talent marketplace is more competitive

critical to support your team’s mental wellbeing.

than ever. Stay front and center with top

More benefits teams are doing so with accessible,

candidates by offering a benefit that

affordable benefits that add real value. Unlike perks such as gym memberships or group discount rates,

everyone can use.

identity protection serves everyone, regardless of

Support Your Team’s Mental Wellness Employee wellness is always a focus for employers, but during the “great resignation,” it’s become

demographic.

The Risks Are Rising People are becoming more aware of the dangers of fraud: around one in four Americans have already experienced at least some form of identity theft.1 These types of fraud cost Americans $43 billion annually — and 41% of victims are left with unresolved financial issues after the fact.2 According to a 2021 report from research firm Javelin, the average identity theft victim loses more than $1500 and spends over 200 hours to rectify their case.3

Identity Protection Means Data Security Identity theft, fraud, and scams don’t happen in a vacuum outside the office. The financial and mental strain can be debilitating for employees — 24% of victims reported identity theft led to employment problems with bosses or coworkers.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Additionally, companies who have adopted

Identity Protection with complete cyber and identity

remote or hybrid work arrangements might now

monitoring plans that defend against threats. Our

have team members using a mix of personal and

best-in-class identity protection service helps

company devices, networks, and software. The

employees shop, live, and work more confidently

SANS Institute, a cybersecurity research firm,

than ever — and that’s just good for business.

found 73% of passwords are duplicated between work and personal accounts — and fraud research firm SpyCloud reported 543 million employee credentials from Fortune 1000 companies were found in underground hacking forums.4,5

Stop the Stress

Ask your benefits broker about Allstate Identity Protection, or visit AllstateIdentityProtection.com to learn more.

Notes: 1

Javelin Strategy & Research, “2021 Identity Fraud Study,” 2021

It’s no surprise, then, that 71% of Gallup poll

2

The Identity Theft Resource Center, “Identity Theft: The

respondents said getting their personal data

Aftermath,” 2021

hacked was a frequent or occasional worry.

3

Javelin 2022 Identity Fraud Study - The Virtual Battleground

4

SANS Institute/Microsoft, “Bye Bye Passwords: New Ways to

We believe a quality identity protection benefit can help build a workforce that’s less stressed and

Authenticate.”

5

SpyCloud, “Fortune 1000 Breach Exposure Report,” 2021

more engaged. That’s why we designed Allstate

Dustin Hofstein is the Chief Service Officer at Allstate Identity Protection. He is driven to deliver exquisite client service at every part of the operational experience, and has built customer care, account management, implementation, and sales strategy teams with that pursuit front of mind.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

less stress. more success.

Empower your employees with identity protection made for real life.

Attract and retain top talent with a benefit that supports every employee’s wellbeing. Allstate Identity Protection offers best-in-class identity protection with cyber and identity monitoring plans that defend against threats and keep your team engaged, empowered, and confident — at work, at home, or when working from home.

Ask your benefits broker about Allstate Identity Protection, or visit AllstateIdentityProtection.com to learn more.

IDENTITY PROTECTION SERVICE PROVIDER SCORECARD BEST IN CLASS (B2B)

The Virtual Workforce: Managing Loneliness

By Eric Red, Noble

R

ising rates of loneliness among employees

This often leads to individuals seeking employment

during the pandemic have put the well-

elsewhere, creating higher turnover for employers.

being of employees top of mind for most

companies as they map out the future of work.

Lonely workers are more than twice as likely as non-lonely workers to miss days of work due to illness, twice as likely to miss work due to family obligations, and more than five times more likely to miss work due to stress. Annually, lonely workers miss an additional two weeks of work compared to non-lonely workers.

The reason for workplace loneliness can be explained in the context of emotional and social loneliness. Emotional loneliness refers to individuals feeling the absence of someone to feel close to and connect with. Social loneliness occurs due to a lack of social relationships (i.e. friendships and/or romantic relationships) with whom they can share their interests. The combination of both of these conditions in the workplace gives rise to feelings of loneliness and emptiness.

With the rise in virtual and hybrid work, research suggests that loneliness is on the rise. According to a recent study, 72% of workers said they experience loneliness monthly. In the context of an organization, workplace loneliness refers to feeling disengaged and disconnected from work and peers.

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The increase in interactions through virtual platforms has created an environment where nobody really talks or listens anymore. Despite living in a world more “connected” than ever, we are seeing the highest rates of loneliness, anxiety,

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

and depression, leading to employee burnout and

can effectively combat these issues and create

high turnover. Although employees can “connect”

workplaces of meaningful connection, meaning,

with just a click of the mouse, there is often no true

inclusion, and positive mental health, leading to

connection happening at all.

improved employee productivity, happiness, and

●● We must face the fact that the current way of supporting employee mental health isn’t working – the rise in technology use and isolation has made mental health support more complex.

retention.

At Noble, we’re focused on equipping employers with the means to cultivate meaningful human connection and ultimately ensure a healthier, happier employee experience. We build outcomefocused, data-driven programs that connect employees with specialized help and human-tohuman support.

Noble’s four-part model combines the best technology with the best mental health professionals to impact outcomes in a lasting, meaningful way.

Research has shown that loneliness can have dramatic negative effects on teams and organizations due to increased absenteeism, turnover, and healthcare costs. Cigna estimated that loneliness cost US employers over $400 billion a year – and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The good news? You can ensure your employees don’t become a part of these staggering statistics.

In our recent HR.com webcast, The Virtual Workforce: Managing Loneliness, Dr. Kevin Skinner and I discussed the ways that managers

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●● Motivate: A user experience that builds trust, confidence, and motivation to begin healing. ●● Assess: Clinical assessments that offer a complete, systematic approach to identifying needs.

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●● Connect: Bringing together humans and technology for increased connection and improved outcomes. ●● Support: Safe, skilled, and empathetic mental health professionals offering help to anyone at any time.

While most mental health support companies rely on A.I. “bots” or “automated” content, with us, you talk, we listen. We connect, you heal.

Our Sources: ●● https://www.entrepreneur.com/ article/418947#:~:text=2.,growing%20lonelier%20 while%20working%20remotely ●● https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-

We’d love to learn more about the issues you’re facing and see if we might be able to help. Visit www.noble.health/corporate or email us at sales@noble.health to schedule a call with our team!

isolation-loneliness-older-people-pose-healthrisks#:~:text=Research%20has%20linked%20social%20 isolation,Alzheimer’s%20disease%2C%20and%20even%20death. ●● https://newsroom.cigna.com/loneliness-in-america

Eric Red is the CEO & Co-Founder of Noble. Prior to Co-Founding Addo Recovery, Bloom for Women, Path for Men, and most recently, Noble, served as the Director of Business Development for a large insurance marketing company which he helped scale from $24 million in sales to over $100 million in sales. His goal is to “flood the earth with mental health resources”, as he knows first-hand the impact that quality mental health resources can have on those healing from trauma.

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Supporting The Wellbeing Of Your Underrepresented Employees

By Chris Michalak and Marlette Jackson, Virgin Pulse

M

any business leaders have made it clear

that employees can contribute their best while

that employee health is a top priority as

navigating the myraid of challenges that impact

they seek to attract and retain employees

how they live, work, and relate to others. Failing to

during the Great Resignation. They know that

address the intersectionality of DEI and wellbeing

company success is inextricably tied to employee

does a substantial disservice to employees.

presence, engagement, and productivity, and they have made great strides toward supporting their employees’ wellbeing.

The Unique Challenges Underrepresented Employees Face Consider Nichelle,* a Black woman and health

However, these programs alone fail to address an

coach. On a phone call with a member during the

important link between wellbeing and diversity,

George Floyd protests, the member commented:

equity, and inclusion (DEI). Bountiful research has

“Those people can’t afford to take care of their

documented the importance of DEI for business.

children. They don’t even know George Floyd

We know that organizations with diverse

personally. They have no reason to vandalize

workforces enjoy increased financial performance,

buildings and streets. They should just get over it.”

innovation, and creativity, and decreased attrition and related costs. But efforts to address DEI in the

Nichelle respectfully thanked the member for

workplace are typically disconnected from those

sharing how they felt and encouraged them to

aimed at supporting employee health and wellness.

observe different perspectives, saying, “It’s easy to express frustration and disappointment when we

48

To enact meaningful change in the lives of

don’t know the full story and can’t fully empathize

employees, it’s critical for business leaders to

with the community being impacted.” She then

address employees’ total wellbeing, including

gently redirected the conversation to the member’s

their physical, mental, emotional, and financial

health. But the end of the call left Nichelle shaken

health; work-life balance; and social equity. Simply

up: “I wasn’t talking about you earlier; it was other

put, wellbeing is a central strategy to ensure

Black people,” the member said.

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Nichelle needed time to process the member’s words. She escalated the conversation to her peers and superiors, and while she received some support, there were no policies in place to support coaches’ mental health because “the customer is always right.”

This is due to a number of factors, including challenges accessing high-quality mental health care services, the cultural stigma surrounding mental health, discrimination, and lack of

Unfortunately, this type of experience is a daily reality for many, and the lessons from Nichelle are critical for employers. We need to be proactive in creating a culture centered on employee wellbeing and we need to weave DEI and wellness into the very fabric of our organizations. DEI and wellbeing are inextricably linked.

To support employees’ total wellbeing, leaders must understand and address the unique challenges their underrepresented employees face:

Underrepresented populations are more likely to face physical and mental challenges The pandemic has exacerbated many existing health disparities in the U.S., with substantially higher rates of Covid-19 infection, hospitalization, and death among Black, Hispanic, and Asian people compared with white people.

awareness about mental health.

How Employers Can Support Underrepresented Employees’ Wellbeing It’s imperative that companies implement programs and policies that holistically address employee wellbeing and DEI. There’s not a single solution for this, but a series of actions that employers should take to ensure every part of their population has the resources and information they need to address the special needs of marginalized employee populations:

Bring in — and compensate — subject matter experts In June 2021, we held a month-long “Gathering Space” at Virgin Pulse facilitated by a licensed psychologist and DEI expert. The space was designed to be a healing experience that provided

Underrepresented populations, particularly those in lower-income geographies, face more difficulty in finding good health care and healthy lifestyle options

support regarding the daily impact of racial trauma

People from underrepresented populations face a

emotional labor, self-preservation, stamina for

lack of widely available doctors, specialists, and health care infrastructure and coverage. These and other social determinants of health (SDOH) have a powerful influence on health outcomes.

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Underrepresented populations often suffer from poor mental health outcomes

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and injustice. The facilitate group discussions for Black-identifying employees addressed topics such as racial battle fatigue, microaggressions, systemic change, and Black joy. Not only did this space provide our employees with a greater understanding of their emotional trauma, but it also equipped them with tools to navigate that trauma in the workplace.

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Upskill your managers In March 2021, we provided training for leaders on how to manage during times of unrest.

Key takeaways included just-in-time tools to communicate solidarity, as well as language to support underrepresented employees. We also taught managers to reframe how they offer support. Rather than asking open-ended questions like, “How can I help?”, which can create an emotional burden on the recipient, we suggested they reframe their proposition. Offering specific, tangible support, such as, “I would like to support

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you and am happy to take point on our Thursday meeting if that would help,” can demonstrate care and help relieve stress and anxiety.

Embed mindful DEI practices into your talent strategy Small changes, such as beginning a meeting with an activity such as a guided meditation or temperature check encourages employees to take an active role in their wellbeing. At the same time, find ways to weave DEI and wellbeing into your broader talent strategy.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Last year, we started including more inclusive

happen every day in businesses across industries.

language in job descriptions, such as “No candidate

To create a workplace that does right by its

will meet every single desired qualification. If your

employees, leaders must understand and address

experience looks a little different from what we’ve

their unique experiences and needs holistically. We

identified and you think you can bring value to the

will be better leaders and businesses for it.

role, we’d love to learn more about you!”

Learn more about supporting DEI and wellbeing

Showcase employee stories

during Employee Wellbeing Month here: https://

Sharing stories about people’s personal journeys in

employeewellbeingmonth.com

spaces at work can create opportunities for people to learn about perspectives different than theirs and how to be better and more inclusive colleagues.

We recently created an employee storytelling series chronicling stories of resilience, wellbeing, and triumph called “Just by Looking At Me.” In one story, an employee based in Bosnia detailed his experience as a veteran battling PTSD and agoraphobia. He described how simple workplace actions like a smile and “good morning” help him feel more like himself.

Chris Michalak is the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Pulse. A firm believer in the correlation between health, wellbeing, and successful outcomes, Chris is responsible for leading the company’s global growth strategy and helping clients unlock the full value of their health care investments to drive better health outcomes. Before joining Virgin Pulse in 2021, Chris served as CEO of Alight Solutions, a $2.3B leader in benefits, payroll, and cloud solutions.

Create a wellbeing-centered ERG Employee resource groups (ERGs) can help foster a diverse, inclusive workplace that’s aligned with the organization’s mission, values, and goals. We have an employee community group focused on mental health called WE SVPPORT and a group focused on caregivers called VP C.A.R.E.S. These groups fall under the umbrella of our DEI team and partner with other ERGs on events and initiatives.

Marlette Jackson, Ph.D., is a DEI scholar, educator, and change maker who leverages data-driven strategies to transform organizational cultures. Marlette currently works as the Senior Director of DEI and Employee Experience at Virgin Pulse, where she leads the company’s global DEI strategy and its integration throughout the talent lifecycle.

There’s no silver bullet for addressing wellbeing and DEI holistically, as each organization’s workforce is unique.

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DEI and wellbeing are key business strategies.

While the business community has made great progress toward both, they can no longer be treated as separate and distinct. Experiences like Nichelle’s

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Emergency Savings Accounts: A Critical, Timely Addition to Employee Benefits

By SecureSave

A

n estimated 80% of Americans currently live

Let’s take a look at how employee financial

paycheck to paycheck and the majority of

hardships impact your bottom line and what a

them don’t even have $400 in emergency

benefits solution like employer-sponsored ESAs

savings. When you also consider that 9 out of 10

can do to mitigate those impacts.

adults polled are concerned about inflation, it’s no wonder why most Americans say finances are their number one stressor.

Given these statistics, it’s clear that improving your employees’ financial health is an excellent strategy for enhancing employee well-being. However, aside from raising salaries and offering retirement

The Effects of Financial Hardship on Employees Many of today’s employees are stressed about money, and according to the latest research, financially-stressed employees are: ●● 8X more likely to experience sleepless nights

savings plans, there haven’t been many solutions

●● 5.8X more likely not to finish their daily tasks

that are built for alleviating workers’ financial

●● 4.5X more likely to have poor relationships with their work colleagues

constraints. Most importantly, there certainly haven’t been options that accomplish this without severely impacting a company’s bottom line.

●● Nearly 5X more likely to produce lower quality work and miss deadlines.

This is where employer-sponsored emergency

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savings funds, or ESAs, come into play. Short-

In addition, financial stress can have disastrous

term savings accounts offer a significant return

physical and mental health consequences,

on investment for both the employees and the

including increased depression and anxiety,

company. When implemented strategically,

migraines, headaches, digestive issues,

ESAs can help mitigate financial stress and save

compromised immune systems, muscle tension,

companies money in the long run.

high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, and more.

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

This sort of information isn’t necessarily new.

Most of us are aware of the impacts of financial stress on an individual. However, those individual consequences can have sweeping ramifications on an organization.

How Employee Stress Impacts Business Results Employees who are financially stressed are 2.2 times more likely to look for new employment.

According to The Society for Human Resource Management, it costs between $17,500 to $26,250 to replace an employee who earns $35,000 a year.

How does this translate to actual dollars? Poor financial well-being and associated lost productivity and turnover costs account for up to 14% of the

This doesn’t factor in the productivity component

employer’s payroll expenses.

for those employees who do stay. An estimated three or more working hours are lost because people are dealing with personal financial stress.

Additionally, just one employee’s lost productivity related to personal money matters can cost a company around $4,000 every year! In total,

There are many undesired and costly

businesses in the U.S. lose around $500 billion

consequences when employees experience

annually due to employees’ personal financial

financial hardship. Cash-strapped employees are

stresses.

much more likely to: ●● Take on a second job ●● Request or work overtime hours

The Financial Impact of Emergency Savings Accounts

●● Request payday advances

So, how can ESAs help? Financial wellness

●● Eliminate or reduce their retirement savings contributions

employee turnover, less absenteeism and tardiness,

programs have been proven to lead to lower increased employee happiness, and fewer requests

●● Withdraw from their 401K or retirement savings accounts

for advancements.

●● Have more absences

ESAs are a low-cost and straightforward financial

●● Be prone to illness (increasing health insurance costs and absenteeism)

wellness benefit that employees actually want.

Studies show that 71% of employees would opt in to an automated savings plan. When the employer offers to match contributions, that number jumps to 87%!

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Furthermore, ESAs are the most exciting new

benefit option. There’s also evidence to support the

benefit category for employees, with 37% of

efficacy and impact of an ESA, even if you already

workers saying it was their top choice for a new

have retirement savings plans or other long-term savings accounts for your employees.

In a whitepaper titled, “Building Emergency Savings Through Employer-Sponsored Rainy-Day Savings Accounts,” researchers at Yale, Harvard, and Brigham Young Universities, The Wharton School, AARP, and The National Bureaus of Economic Research found that “having separate rainy-day and retirement savings accounts can facilitate greater saving for short- and long-term purposes by helping to psychologically segregate and catalyze these two motives to save.”

When you provide employees with an easy and automatic solution to prepare for the worst with an ESA benefit, you’re helping them take a step toward better financial well-being. It’s a no-fuss way to enable employees to be more prepared when an emergency happens or when they need extra cash.

Rather than pulling from their retirement plans or feeling burdened by added financial stress, ESAs give employees the ability to plan for the future and ease the burden during hard times. As a bonus,

The SecureSave Difference: Quantifiable Results and Hard Numbers These results aren’t just theoretical. We’ve seen impressive results with our existing customers.

So far, our customers have experienced a 59% adoption rate, with each employee saving around $400 in 3.9 months.

On average, employees save around $103 each month, and 25% of them increase their monthly withholding amount. Moreover, 95% of employees keep their savings in SecureSave and don’t take it out.

As far as quantifiable benefits go, we created an ROI and business impact calculator to estimate the financial impact of ESAs for your business.

Using this calculator, you can insert your number of employees, annual turnover percentage, and average salary to see your estimated average annual benefit.

these benefits also improve your bottom line.

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ESAs: The Benefit That Benefits Everyone SecureSave is a low-cost benefit that supports all income levels. There’s no training, paperwork, or

Contact us today to learn more about how SecureSave can help your company save. Or give our business impact calculator a try to see the potential financial impact for your company.

enrollment process, either. For just three dollars per participating employee per month, you can offer the benefit of ESAs to your employees, and your company gets to reap the added benefits, too.

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In addition to the benefits of improved productivity and retention and the reduction of distractions and absenteeism, SecureSave: ●● Prevents employees from using 401K funds ●● Can be implemented any time during the year ●● Uses after-tax dollars

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Stripe: Focusing On Choice And Flexibility To Support A Growing, Global Workforce How Stripe partnered with Forma to design and deliver flexible life benefits and a generous policy to support the diverse needs of their team worldwide

By Forma

Addressing Employee Needs Across the Globe More than 7,000 Stripes work worldwide–headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin, with offices in London, Paris, Singapore, Toronto, and Tokyo. Stripe in 20+ countries across the Americas, APAC, and EMEA—as well as the homes and co-working spaces of our remote colleagues.

The company sought help to better manage the increasing workload on the benefits, finance, and payroll teams and support the diverse (and evolving) needs of the rapidly growing number of Stripes.

Providing Flexible Benefits for a Modern Workforce Recognizing the difficulties of rolling out and managing programs, Stripe turned to Forma for support. As a first step, the two met to evaluate the existing programs and spending model with the initial goal of offering a more intuitive experience.

The Stripe team then worked with Forma to expand programming amid the pandemic to include new caregiving and mental wellness programs, as well as education and commuter benefits.

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As employee needs continually evolved, Stripe sought to modernize its benefits program, moving away from offering many different programs towards building a more flexible, generous policy to support the diverse needs of their team. Five pillars most important to Stripes influenced the broadened program and eligibility, centered around: ●

Caregiving support

●

Fitness and wellness

●

Personal services

●

Sustainability

●

Smart devices

Furthermore, the program relied on purchasing parity data to ensure equitable funding for its global team.

Introducing Forma, Employee Benefits That Flex to Fit Everyone’s Life The Stripe team implemented an omnichannel communication approach which began rolling out six weeks in advance of launching the new offering.

The messaging centered around changes to the

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

program (move to a menu of benefits), along with news about other benefits offerings. Flyers were widely distributed announcing the new program alongside a series of webinars with more than 1,400 employees in attendance to learn about the new benefit program.

Realizing the Advantages of Flexible Life Benefits Stripe’s new, flexible benefits program was customized and featured a menu of benefits. The Forma platform experience gave Stripes ultimate flexibility, as well as great tracking and utilization data for the benefits team. The use of the simplified claims process shifted accountability into employees’ hands.

As of 2021, more than 95% of Stripes have spent funds utilizing Forma. The administrative burden was alleviated with Forma’s 24/7 Member Experience team fielding more than 4,200 inquiries from Stripes in that same year. Not surprisingly, the CSAT for 2021 was 99%.

We pride ourselves on offering thoughtful, balanced benefits that allow Stripes to be their best selves

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and do great work. Our mantra is choice and flexibility, meeting our team where they are at. This year, we shifted some of our benefits offerings and went deep on employee flexibility. By partnering with Forma, we were able to hand-select a broad lifestyle program that is meaningful for our global team.

We’re also leveraging Forma for our commuter and education programs.

More than 95% of our employees used their benefits through Forma last year and gave the experience a 99% Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rating. We also saved our benefits and finance teams significant time, reducing program admin time by 80% and associated employee inquiries by 50%.

Brad Kempf is the Head of Global Benefits at Stripe.

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Special Research Supplement

The State of Employee Well-being 2022 Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence • June 2022

For more information: 1.877.472.6648 sales@hr.com www.HR.com/epubs

The HR Research Institute tracks human resources trends and best practices.

Learn more at hr.com/featuredresearch

Top 3 Questions You Should Ask Your Broker Before Making A PBM Decision The right PBM partner can provide tailored pharmacy care, lower costs and employee satisfaction

By Karthik Ganesh, EmpiRx Health

E

mployee-sponsored benefit packages play a crucial role in employee satisfaction—a recent study found that 40% of employees said a company becomes more attractive if its benefits packages are tailored to them and nearly half of the employees will start looking for a new job within a year if they are dissatisfied with the benefits offered. Employers, specifically human resources departments, have pressure on them to choose the right healthcare benefits to retain and attract employees, but for many, the question remains: what does a good healthcare benefits package even look like?

It starts with choosing the right pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) that will ultimately improve the mental, physical, emotional,

and financial well-being of employees. A PBM should cater to the healthcare needs of your workforce (and oftentimes their families, too), so it’s important to do your homework and understand the ins-and-outs and any complexities of a potential PBM partner. Not to mention, employers pick up about 80% of the healthcare costs, so it’s crucial to choose a plan that offers value in return.

Understanding VolumeBased vs. Value-Based PBM Models

Knowing the difference between the two PBM models is key to choosing the right PBM partner.

The conventional PBM is primarily volume-oriented—driven by a model that is predicated on higher drug dispensing volume

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JUNE 2022

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and the dispensing of higher-cost drugs with higher rebatability.

Think of rebates like taxes; if you receive a tax refund at the end of the year, it means that you are paying too much upfront. A volume-based model has been shown to neither drive down spend or improve health. On the other hand, a value-based model delivers tailored clinical strategies for specific populations that improve patient health outcomes and provide sustainable savings that do not require higher costs upfront. With a value-based PBM, the PBM does not profit unless the client saves.

Here are three questions you should be asking your broker to choose the best PBM for your workforce.

Submit Your Articles

Top 3 Questions You Should Ask Your Broker Before Making A PBM Decision

1. My employees have different healthcare situations. How can their pharmacy care be tailored to their unique needs?

About 40% of U.S. adults have comorbidities, and about 23% of U.S. adults between the ages of 40 and 79 take 5 or more medications. These numbers tell us the current approach to care is not working. To be effective, health solutions must recognize that each employee population is unique and be able to identify the distinct clinical and non-clinical risk factors within each employee population and provide a highly tailored clinical strategy to address them. This question will also demonstrate how a PBM weighs health

equity and their rigor in ensuring racial, socioeconomic, and other care-related inequities are deliberately addressed in their strategies.

Look for PBMs that specifically take a “population health” approach, which looks at the health and health risks of a group of individuals and determines the appropriate clinical and care strategies to improve health outcomes. A successful population health strategy includes complex care management to address the smaller segments within health populations who have the greatest healthcare needs and are in need of more care than others.

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For example, through EmpiRx Health’s client-tailored, population health approach, we have found that 2.6% of our customers consume more than 45% of healthcare services.

These patients are potentially underserved in the health system, and it is the responsibility of employers and benefit solution providers to take care of them very differently than others in the client population.

It’s important for employers to dive deeper into what the PBM is doing differently to fundamentally alter the way pharmacy-related care is tailored and delivered to the employee population.

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Top 3 Questions You Should Ask Your Broker Before Making A PBM Decision

Employers can be a driver for positive change and improved employee health through a DE&I-aligned healthcare benefits strategy. Working with a PBM partner that delivers tailored pharmacy-related care that focuses on equitable healthcare access will prove to be a powerful lever for employee satisfaction and retention in today’s labor market.

The Takeaway 2. Providing care and minimizing costs are primary concerns. How can my coverage address both?

Benefits managers should seek solutions that couple cost savings with trend management; you can see this in a pay-for-performance model, where the healthcare service provider (health plan or PBM) treats the employer’s pocketbook as if it were their own. For example, EmpiRx Health operates on a pay-for-performance model which measures performance based on value, rather than volume. We use population risk profiling and predictive modeling to provide fully auditable clinical savings guarantee for every client, based on their own population’s drug spend, drug utilization, and risk factors.

If we don’t deliver on that guarantee, EmpiRx Health covers the difference. As a rule of thumb, benefits managers should work with brokers to identify PBMs who provide individualized and tailored care by looking to improve healthcare outcomes which lead

to lower costs. Further, PBMs should be held accountable for results. A truly aligned and value-oriented model is one in which employer outcomes are directly related to benefit provider income.

3. How do I not only maintain, but raise employee satisfaction amid today’s tight labor market?

Once you’re able to ensure the health needs of your population are met, and at a lower cost per capita, it’s critical to identify how a PBM can help you sustain employee satisfaction and provide competitive benefits to your workforce.

A recent study found that 49% of employees will start looking for a new job within 12 months if they’re dissatisfied with the benefits offered. Employees are increasingly prioritizing the quality of their healthcare benefits packages than years before.

Health equity is top of mind for many employees, which means broad access and whole-person health for an employee population.

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As purchasers of healthcare benefits, employers are empowered to choose a pharmacy benefits manager that will directly improve health outcomes and employee satisfaction. To make this possible, employers can leverage their buying power with these questions on hand to look beyond the traditional, volume-based model to a value-based model and demand better healthcare benefits packages for their workforces.

Karthik Ganesh is the CEO at EmpiRx Health.

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®

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Show that management values the importance of the HR function, and has a commitment to development and improvement of HR staff.

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Ensure that each person in your HR department has a standard and consistent understanding of policies, procedures, and regulations.

HR Professionals lead employee engagement and development programs saving the company money through lower turnover and greater productivity and engagement.

Place your HR team in a certification program as a rewarding team building achievement.

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Why Benefit Packages Should Include Options For The Educational Needs Of Employees’ Children It’s time to take HR to school

By Ernie Liang, AtomicMind

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ver the past decade, human resource benefits packages have shifted focus. Previously, HR leaders assumed that for a company to stand out and attract the most qualified employees, it simply had to offer the most competitive bonuses and fanciest retirement plans.

Employees, however, have begun looking beyond material benefits and assessing how their employer cares for them not only financially but also physically and emotionally.

This type of shift has led to the rise of a more holistic approach to HR benefit packages, considering the broader needs of employees and their families. Working parents in particular face many

challenges — and naturally, one key area of concern for employees with kids is education.

Not only is education a big priority for almost all parents, but it also directly or indirectly consumes a

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lot of employees’ time outside of the office. Data collected by the Varkey Foundation and published by the World Economic Forum in 2018 indicates that, on average, parents in the United States spend 6.2 hours every week helping their children with homework.

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Why Benefit Packages Should Include Options For The Educational Needs Of Employees’ Children

However, that’s just a baseline.

It does not reflect time spent commuting to sports practices or theater rehearsals, attending parent/teacher conferences, or finding the right math or French tutor. The situation for parents becomes even more complicated when their children begin to think about college. The SAT/ACT, AP tests, application essays, activities lists, interviews, the Common Application, the Coalition Application all require hours of research, preparation and hassle.

That’s why, if employers truly want to offer HR benefit packages to help alleviate common sources of stress for their employees, they should consider including options that target the educational needs of employees’ children. For example, Brinker International

has extended its “Best You EDU” program to one eligible family member of its employees. The program provides access to GEDs, associate degrees and other educational opportunities.

This goes one step beyond the traditional offerings, such as employee tuition reimbursement or on-site daycare opportunities.

As many parents discovered during the Covid-19 lockdown, trying to work full-time while also supervising kids’ schoolwork, homework, and study habits can be a daunting, frustrating, or even hopeless challenge. That’s why many families seek out the support of private services to help students navigate the intricacies of charting an academic path.

From K-12 tutoring in various subjects to college admissions consulting, these services

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can offer solutions to most educational needs under one roof.

This can be a boon for busy working parents who already have limited time. Searching for individual tutors is a major obstacle, especially when deciding to tutor their children themselves. In fact, one of the best ways that working parents can support their children academically is by recognizing that they simply cannot do it all themselves and that more often than not, it is beneficial to consult an expert. Helping families access tutoring and admissions coaching can ease the stress of a child’s educational journey and help them achieve their potential while enabling working parents to maintain a balanced home life and a healthy relationship with their kids — key aspects of their well-being.

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Why Benefit Packages Should Include Options For The Educational Needs Of Employees’ Children

Incorporating such options in HR benefit packages offers numerous advantages. According to a January 2021 study by the research firm Gartner, only 37% of employees felt that their organization understood what they needed in their personal lives and for their families. This means that despite new approaches in HR benefit packages, employers still have a huge opportunity to do more to ensure the overall wellness of their employees.

Researchers highlighted that employees want to be treated as whole individuals who feel deeply connected with their companies.

What better way to do exactly that than to invest in the education of employees’ children?

Such an investment proves to employees that their company

cares not only about their individual needs but also about the future of their families and even society overall. Working parents will feel more comfortable in the office and be able to spend less time finding tutors or struggling to help with geometry homework. This, in turn, will increase productivity and will allow working parents to stay on task. By demonstrating how much they value the education of their employees’ children, employers will introduce a new and powerful instrument that could not only help attract and retain qualified employees but also help train the future workforce.

how-involved-should-i-be-in-mychilds-college-admission-process/ ●● https://mcc.gse.harvard. edu/resources-for-families/ ethical-parenting-in-the-college-admissions-process ●● https://www.nytimes.com/ guides/smarterliving/ help-your-child-succeed-at-school

Ernie Liang is the President and COO of AtomicMind.

Sources: ●● https://www.kaptest.

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How Can You Nudge Everyone Toward Financial Wellness Helping less-financially stable employees build stronger relationships with their money

By Tim Perkins, nudge conversation around money and supporting your people with financial well-being has never been more important.

How Can You Nudge Everyone Toward Financial Wellness?

We’ve outlined eight ways you can help your less-financially stable employees build stronger relationships with their money.

#1 Collate Data to Better Understand Their Needs

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e’ve all heard of FOMO, but what about FOMMO? The fear of missing money opportunities.

overall holistic wellbeing. In fact, 45% of people globally feel anxious about their financial situation.

We don’t tend to think of poor financial health in the traditional sense of ‘illness’, but financial unwellness has an impact on

And unfortunately, anxiety can lead to avoidance. Poor financial health isn’t always visible on the surface - so opening up the

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When you’re faced with a challenge, your starting point should always be data. If you’re finding your financial wellness program uptake hasn’t achieved the results you expected - start by analyzing who is and isn’t engaging. Then deep dive into the disparate needs of the disengaged group to identify their challenges.

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#2 Choose an Educationfirst Model Once you have identified and understand why your people are disengaged - only then can provide and fill the knowledge gaps.

Offering your people an education-first financial wellness solution allows you to be more inclusive. Why? Because an education-first model doesn’t assume what your people know about money management. Instead, it

allows individuals to self-select topics more relevant to them and provides an experience that is tailored to their knowledge level, guiding people through at a pace that suits them.

#3 Design a Simple and Accessible Solution

When it comes to employee benefits, there’s no need for complexities. You have a short window to engage and onboard your people. Historically, people have been hit with lengthy pension packs that are hard to digest. Or

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faced with complicated health insurance sign-in processes and little guidance on where to start.

Those days are gone. In a world where attention spans are shortened, the employee benefits experience needs to be simple, straightforward and accessible to all. Employees want personalized and regular communication, single-sign-on, simple signposting, visual guidance (ie. videos), and inclusive technology that’s designed to be accessible to all needs and capabilities.

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#4 Take Your People on a Journey

What does this mean in a practical sense? It’s all about communication - being regular and personalized. Find out what they like, what they don’t - and tailor accordingly. It will become obvious when a benefit hasn’t landed effectively because no one will be using it.

Take your time to introduce the concept and offer training or masterclasses. Check in with your people, highlight useful program features, and issue reminders through multiple channels.

You could even line up program or community advocates within each team to help with the adoption.

Try not to launch straight into a product or a solution without any warm-up or education – a launch party is always encouraged!

#5 Offer Access Anytime, Anywhere Remove any barriers to engagement. The first step is to ask about your people’s preferences, not just for communication, but also for learning and development.

We’ve found that harder-to-reach groups tend to engage better through personal devices. Ensure your offering is designed to work seamlessly on mobile and consider utilizing WhatsApp, SMS, Slack or MicrosoftTeams (and email, of course). Encourage your people to share and bookmark useful content, so they can come back to it whenever they please.

#6 Provide an Interactive Toolkit

Behavioral psychology tells us that self-selection and incentivizing action are both important elements of positive reinforcement. When it comes to financial wellness, educational tools and badges to reward positive action are excellent ways to address this need. Consider tools that will give your team the ability to plan, prepare and organize their finances, from the unexpected to the expected.

#7 Personalization Is Key

Although simple, personalization is often overlooked. If you know what your people are interested in, and give them more of the same, then engagement improves.

Though be sure to stay within the parameters of usefulness.

Useful is saying, ‘following the completion of your recent retirement planning learning module - we thought this event would be perfect for you.’ You can then follow up with some helpful nuggets of information from the event.

Personalization takes a little more thought than a 'one-sizefits-all' approach - but that extra effort will pay off in your engagement results.

advice is, as defined by FCA, the distribution of a product.

The fear is that there’s a conflict between ‘trusted’ advice and the underlining adviser model. FCA is aware of this and FAMR (FCA’s annual review) identified 13 ways employers can help employees.

The reality is, that there are groups of people within your organization that need more financial wellness support. And often, these are the people who are least likely to ask for help.

By utilizing the steps we’ve outlined to reach these people, and starting the financial wellbeing conversation, you’re making an impact that will last a lifetime - as people who receive high-quality financial education continue pursuing even more learning in this area over time.

Tim Perkins is the Co-Founder of nudge.

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#8 Avoid Advice

When it comes to engagement, dishing out advice is risky because it’s likely to be tied into products and services - so the intention is misplaced. Financial

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When Employers Help Employees Quit Tobacco, Everyone Wins How smoking and tobacco use impacts productivity and increases healthcare costs for companies

By Jennifer Marler, Pivot

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moking and tobacco use impacts productivity and increases healthcare costs for companies. Even with the surgeon general’s warning printed on every pack of cigarettes and years of scientific evidence proving that smoking is harmful to health, more than 34 million people in the United States still choose to use tobacco.

Non-Smokers Take Less Sick Time

Researcher Stephen F. Weng and his team published in Addiction Journal that smokers average a 31% higher sick-leave rate and take almost three more sick days per year than non-smokers. The CDC shares that more than 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking. Smokers face higher risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and problems with the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Smoke Breaks Add Up to a Lot of Lost Work

People who use tobacco take an average of 73 minutes of break time per day to smoke. In a 5-day work week, that’s more than six hours of smoke breaks - almost an entire day missed each week.

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Presenteeism Can Be as Harmful as Absenteeism

Former smokers report that they were often distracted by thoughts of their next smoking break when they smoked at work. While the impact of being distracted and not mentally present at work is hard to quantify, it does have a sizable impact on productivity. The National Business Research Institute estimates that presenteeism and reduced performance, including distraction, account for 84 percent of all productivity costs.

Tobacco Use Impacts Business Costs

Smoke-free workplaces can enjoy lower insurance premiums for fire protection. And businesses with low percentages of tobacco users on their teams benefit from lower rates for health insurance, both directly and from the indirect savings of having a healthier workforce. Employers pay an extra $8,000 each year for employees who use tobacco vs. those who do not.

Good News and Solutions are Available

The International Journal of Clinical Practice studied smoking cessation across more than 125,000 subjects globally and noted that successful quitters are “statistically indistinguishable from never smokers” in terms of work productivity. Helping employees quit tobacco is a win/win for workers and the workplace.

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When Employers Help Employees Quit Tobacco, Everyone Wins

Smokers Want to Quit

A whopping 82% of tobacco users show interest in quitting. They need the proper support to be successful. According to research led by Dr. Michael Chaiton, published in BMJ Open, it can take the average smoker more than 30 attempts to quit before they succeed. Offering a tobacco cessation program as a workplace benefit is an effective solution.

quitting. Make sure employees know this benefit is available and consider rewards for success. Choose options that provide online access or, even better, a mobile app. It’s also important to understand that tobacco use includes vaping and chewing tobacco, not just cigarette smoking. When you help your employees quit using tobacco, we all win.

Smoking is addictive, and it takes support to give it up.

Because tobacco use directly impacts every part of a business, employers need to take steps right now to help their team members break the tobacco addiction.

Jennifer Marler, M.D., is the Vice President of Clinical and Medical Affairs at Pivot.

Not All Cessation Programs Are Created Equal

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Offer programs that have proven success and features that encourage participation. Programs that offer personal counseling, biofeedback options like a mobile sensor that measures carbon monoxide levels in exhaled breath, and plenty of access to helpful self-paced tools work better to support the journey of

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How To Combat Employee Burnout And Create A Proficient Work Environment One of the biggest employee challenges is having too many sources of information

By Neil Kostecki, Coveo

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he Great Resignation has taken the world by storm, creating far-reaching repercussions. 47.8 million people quit their jobs in 2021, the highest average ever recorded according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. The stress from the pandemic, lack of recognition from employers, and the increase in opportunities due to remote work have all contributed to the increase in two-week notices. But there’s one contributing factor that hasn’t been discussed: poor workplace search.

While it may seem like a small inconvenience, being unable to find what you need on an ongoing basis is incredibly frustrating for employees. Coveo’s annual Relevance Report surveyed 4000 employees from a wide range of companies on their search

expectations and found that difficulty accessing relevant information makes 1 in 6 employees want to quit.

To combat employee burnout and create a proficient work environment, employers must fix their search.

Not Enough Time…

One major problem with workplace search is simply that it takes too long to find the right information—an issue getting increasingly worse over time.

Workers spend an average of 3.6 hours every day searching for information at their jobs, an increase of an hour per day over last year’s Relevance Report.

The situation is even worse for IT workers, who report spending half of their workday—4.2 hours— looking for the right information.

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Spending so much time searching - rather than actually doing their jobs - weighs on employees. 31% said fruitlessly searching burned them out, while 16% said it was driving them to quit.

But what exactly makes it so hard to find the right information?

Too Much Information

Ironically, one of the biggest challenges for employees is having too many sources of information. Especially since remote work became the norm, employers have added more tools to help employees communicate, organize, and, in general, do their job. In theory, it’s a good idea; in practice, not so much.

58% of people blamed excessive search time on having too many knowledge sources to sift through.

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How To Combat Employee Burnout And Create A Proficient Work Environment

employees to access information within the flow of work. The best way to unite the multiple sources of information available in a modern workplace is using artificial intelligence. AI can actually consolidate information from multiple sources and place it in one centralized location.

Employees can then easily access the information they need without needing to switch between multiple systems.

Specifically, employees blamed the number of information sources as a problem. 60% of employees have to search within four or more data sources every day, while 18% stumble between seven or more. When employees need to check email, Slack, the intranet, and more to find the right answer every time, it becomes a huge hurdle to productivity.

On top of that, the sheer amount of information available makes finding the right information nearly impossible. 44% of the information employees receive at work is irrelevant to their role.

With employees buried under mountains of useless information, it’s a miracle they can get anything done.

Proficiency vs. Efficiency

One big challenge in solving this problem is shifting the employer mindset from efficiency to proficiency. In a remote working environment, lacking the traditional visibility of an office set

up, employers are hyper-focused on employee productivity.

However, efficiency isn’t impactful if employees don’t know what they need. Employers need to put just as much emphasis on proficiency.

Proficient workers aren’t as focused on the time it takes to complete their tasks, but on how well they’re able to complete them on their own. Proficient workers can do their jobs well largely independently, reducing the need for escalation up to higher-ups and creating better business efficiency overall.

To improve proficiency, employers should invest in training employees on how best to use the tools at their disposal, rather than placing pressure on the speed at which tasks are completed.

In the long run, proficiency will increase efficiency.

Simplifying the Workflow Employers also need to create a straightforward way for

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Addressing and preventing employee burnout is a long, multi-step process that all employers will need to work on for years to come. However, employers can make a significant impact by simply improving the quality of their workplace search experience.

Neil Kostecki is Senior Director of Product Management at Coveo. His passion for content, search, and personalization has been a key driver in the evolution of our products.

Over the past 5 years, he has led the Service & Workplace Product team to deliver exceptional solutions for some of our largest Enterprise customers, and helped build solid relationships with our key strategic partners, like Salesforce.

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Is Tele-Therapy The Right Approach To Support Employee Mental Health?

Not Always.

How to improve workplace culture surrounding mental health

By Connor Patros, Mindyra

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ental health benefits, which have historically been categorized in the “nice to have” column, have appropriately made their way to the top of the HR priority list. As employees left companies in droves in 2021, the significant additional strain has been placed on their co-workers to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, employers are having difficulty hiring new, qualified employees, leaving employment gaps unfilled, resulting in a cyclical scenario that puts employees on a one-way train to burnout.

The right approach to addressing burnout remains somewhat unclear. Psychological treatment can help with the mental challenges experienced by people who are burnt out. After all, therapy with a professional is how we have historically treated mental health problems, and burnout is, by definition, a type of mental health problem.

But is therapy really the right solution for everyone?

We begin to see something quite interesting when we look at employee populations more closely. Providing

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a teletherapy solution to your employees can actually be very helpful…for the minority of your population who needs or is willing to meet with a therapist.

Remember that just because people might need a therapist, doesn’t mean that they’re willing or ready to see one.

The overwhelming majority of the U.S. employee population actually falls into the low, mild, or moderate range of mental health problems. This group, although they represent the majority, is often inadvertently disregarded when an employer elects to use a teletherapy solution in isolation.

So, what’s the approach to take when the majority of your population might not need access to (or be ready to use) a therapist, but would still benefit from access to other resources? A concept growing in popularity in the employer space that has been around for a long time in healthcare is called preventive care, which is essentially the process of aiming to keep employees healthy, rather than waiting until they’re sick to provide support. There are multiple benefits to approaching healthcare from this perspective.

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Is Tele-Therapy The Right Approach To Support Employee Mental Health? Not Always.

The world of mental health support and resources is growing on a minute-by-minute basis, and pigeonholing people into therapy as their only mental health option might be great for some, but it misses the mark for most.

Let me provide an example. Assume that 10-15% of your employees are experiencing moderate levels of mental health difficulties. These employees require neither a therapist nor a low-level intervention like access to a meditation or wellness app. What often ends up happening is that the needs of this moderate-severity group (what we call the “rising risk” group) go unevaluated and unaddressed, leaving them at an increased risk to migrate into the high-severity group. The problem with such a migration, in terms of employer costs, is that it is not just mental healthcare costs that increase when people enter the high-severity range. Milliman reports that the overall healthcare costs of people in the high severity/ high-cost group are upwards of 13 times that of those in the lower severity/low cost group. In other words, it pays to keep people healthy, especially when you are on the hook for those healthcare dollars.

The question now is how can we help people become better consumers of the wealth of resources available to them? With more than 20,000 mental health mobile apps and billions of mental health-related web pages available at a click, there is no lack of data or resources. In a way, society’s attempt at supporting people with mental health by providing so many resources may have actually backfired, because these resources are now virtually impossible for the average consumer to navigate. And believe it or not, the number of “bad” resources outweights the number of “good.”

So, here’s a novel thought…What if we helped employees better navigate the existing mental healthcare space, learn about what’s out there to support their specific needs, differentiate the good from the bad resources, and let them be the drivers of their own care? At the end of the day, people know themselves and the level of mental healthcare support they’re looking for. So, let them choose. Don’t get trapped thinking that the historical approach is the best approach…the world is changing. Change with it.

Connor Patros, Ph.D., is Chief Clinical Officer at Mindyra.

The data on the ROI of preventive mental healthcare programs for employers is mounting. Recently, Deloitte reported on research indicating that, indeed, early intervention yields a higher return on investment (6:1) when compared to reactive care models (like using a teletherapist, 3:1). Types of early intervention include improving workplace culture surrounding mental health and simply informing employees of the resources available to them using proactive mental health support tools.

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The Broker’s Role In Creating Excellent Benefits Programs For Employers Assisting employees and employers

By Kim Buckey, Optavise

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uring late spring and early summer, the typical HR manager’s thoughts turn to evaluating benefits programs and choosing new offerings for the next year’s plan. As HR teams have had to focus

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more on attracting and retaining talent, offboarding employees who have found new jobs, and facilitating a smooth return to work (where possible), there is little time left to manage operations--including their benefits program.

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The Broker’s Role In Creating Excellent Benefits Programs For Employers

In the face of the Great Resignation, benefits packages can be the key differentiator in recruiting and retaining talent. A Pew Research Center survey revealed that 23% of employees who left their jobs in 2021 cited poor benefits as a reason for looking for new opportunities. Of those who did find a new job, 42% said their new job provided better benefits. As such, HR teams should ensure they are properly communicating their benefits programs to prospective and current employees. By understanding what plans and programs are available, employees can enhance their health and financial well-being.

To manage benefits-related items, HR teams often turn to health insurance brokers to help with several benefits-related activities. DirectPath, which recently announced that it is rebranding to become Optavise, conducted a survey of health insurance brokers.

According to the survey, brokers act as strategic advisors to their clients, enabling employers to provide cost-effective benefits programs that meet employees’ ever-changing needs. Here are a few ways brokers are assisting their clients: ●● Offering benefits communication (95%) ●● Providing employees with support while they use their benefits (86%) ●● Managing regulatory compliance efforts (73%) ●● Identifying voluntary benefits options (60%)

How Brokers Can Help Employees—and Employers—Manage High Health Care Costs

Healthcare literacy is becoming increasingly important for three key reasons: more employees are changing employers (and must learn a whole new benefits package), employers are adding new programs and plan options to support employee physical, mental and financial health; and, health care costs have continued to rise and are still expected to increase this year. If employees do not have the proper knowledge or resources to best choose and use their health plans, they may unknowingly spend more on out-of-pocket costs, which are ultimately passed on to employers.

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So, how can brokers assist employees and employers?

To start, employers should take stock of what their employees do, or more importantly, do not understand about health care coverage. In the survey, more than 75% of consumers learn about health care terms and concepts from friends and family or are self-taught, rather than learning about coverage options from benefits experts. As the benefits landscape becomes more complex, employees are struggling with how to make the best choices for their current circumstances.

To help increase health care literacy levels, HR teams are turning to brokers to provide communication materials that can be used year-round to educate participants. In the same survey, 95% of brokers saw moderate to high demand for assistance with benefits communications, with 72% offering a full range of communications services, such as virtual benefits fairs, in-person support, and interactive benefits guides.

Further, 89% of brokers report that their clients depend on them for cost containment services, including helping employers understand how they are spending money on healthcare and where there are opportunities to save. However, brokers can also serve employees directly by helping them make smarter, more cost-effective healthcare decisions. Eighty-six percent of brokers reported that they currently provide some form of healthcare transparency and clinical advocacy services to give employees access to experts who can support them as they shop for healthcare treatments, procedures, and services, find providers, and settle billing disputes. These services empower employees to take control of their healthcare, while keeping costs down for employers.

Matching Benefits Packages to Employees’ Lifestyles

Over the past two years, employee needs have changed dramatically due to remote and hybrid work schedules. Some employees may have moved to different cities or states, realized that they needed different child or eldercare services, or noticed that there were gaps in their healthcare coverage or financial protections that needed to be addressed.

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The Broker’s Role In Creating Excellent Benefits Programs For Employers

Increasingly, employees expect the same flexibility in how they choose and use their benefits as they have in choosing where to work. To meet these expectations, HR teams can work with brokers to reevaluate both their benefits packages offering and voluntary and supplemental benefits as employees look to enhance their financial and overall well-being.

In DirectPath’s report, brokers reported that there has been an almost 60% increase in employers adding voluntary benefits to their offerings in the past year.

Following Covid, it is no surprise that accident (78%), critical illness (73%), and hospital indemnity (60%) were the most popular voluntary benefits requested.

And as more employees adopted furry companions once they were able to work remotely, brokers saw more demand for pet insurance (28%) than ID theft and legal protection (20% each) in 2021. To help employers be successful in meeting employees’ changing needs, 55% of brokers reported that they now spend more than half their time suggesting

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supplemental carriers who provide these benefits to their clients, showcasing brokers’ role as strategic partners for their clients.

As benefits packages have become an enticement in attracting and retaining top talent in a tight labor market, HR teams can feel more confident in knowing that they can rely on brokers to provide the right support, manage healthcare costs, and help update benefits packages that keep current employees happy while attracting new ones.

Kim A. Buckey is the Vice President of Client Services at Optavise (formerly DirectPath).

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How Migraine Invisibly Steals Worker Productivity What leading employers are now doing about it

By Tom Blue, AndHealth

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ne in five women and one in 10 men in the workforce suffer from migraine.1 Attacks are debilitating and even though 74 percent of migraine sufferers can’t function fully at work when migraine symptoms are present,2 62 percent remain at work during an attack.3 Employees with migraine are 2.4x more likely to visit the ER and employees with moderate to chronic migraine cost employers an average of $14,243 more per year (direct and indirect costs).3, 4-6 In many companies, the invisible effects of migraine are stealing up to 29 hours of productivity per migraine sufferer per month.7 Despite these statistics, the third most common chronic disease in the world has been largely overlooked by employers as a health priority.

Why? Because even though the national migraine prevalence rate is approximately 16 percent, the average documented rate of migraine claims is less than 2 percent, according to research by Wakely, a leading healthcare actuarial consulting firm.

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Migraine is Rarely Documented in Health Claims Data

AndHealth recently collaborated with Wakely to investigate the discrepancy between the academically established prevalence rate of migraine and the documented rate of migraine in employer claims records. The examination found possible explanations for why migraine sufferers are arguably the nation’s most neglected patient population.

One reason for this discrepancy is that patients typically don’t schedule a physician visit for migraine, so no claims are ever submitted. And when a doctor’s appointment does occur, many physicians end up coding it for a more highly-reimbursed condition instead of migraine.

To further complicate things, for migraine to be captured in a claims data, the document must include the ICD-10 diagnosis code (G43 for migraine) and the visit must fall within the analyzed claim period, which is typically the previous 12 months. Migraine experiences a massive “diagnosis drop rate”, referring to the rate at which patients with these chronic diagnoses vanish from reports from one year to the next.

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How Migraine Invisibly Steals Worker Productivity

In a longitudinal sample of more than 20 million health plan members, Wakely studied the drop rate for migraine diagnosis codes between 2018 and 2019, and 2019 and 2020. The analysis revealed a significant drop rate of 50.5 percent. As a comparison, the rate at which documented diabetes diagnoses dropped from one year to the next was only 14.5 percent.8 This doesn’t mean 50 percent of migraine cases were resolved within a 12-month period. It means they simply disappeared from view.

Poor Access: One Specialist for Every 20,000 Sufferers

One possible explanation for the extremely high migraine diagnosis drop rate - compared to other chronic conditions - is the challenge of accessing a migraine specialist. In the United States, there are only 2,000 specialists for 40 million migraine sufferers.9 With up to 12-month waiting lists, employees are forced to rely on the emergency room and over-thecounter medications, infrequently, if ever, engaging with medical professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat migraine.

The over-reliance on NSAIDs is problematic because they are a common trigger for rebound headaches, creating an unvirtuous cycle. NSAID overuse also carries other negative side effects.

This limited access impacts active medication management as well. Migraine prescriptions, including preventative medications and acute episode abortives, require careful optimization for each patient. Without the ability to be seen regularly or stay in communication with a specialist continuously during the optimization process, the feedback loop is too slow and the medication experience can be as challenging as the disease.

What Leading Employers are Doing About It

Moving forward, leading employers are choosing to rely on the academically-reported migraine prevalence rate, instead of their annual claims data, to gauge their migraine impact and healthcare burden and to start addressing the problem.

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Just as they responded to the trend of recognizing and addressing mental health, forward-thinking HR teams and senior executives are starting to see migraine for what it truly is: one of the most common healthcare conditions their people face.

It’s a condition their employees are motivated to address but lack the tools and support they need to make real progress. Migraine is also a chronic disease often associated with a variety of other chronic conditions such as diabetes hypertension, depression, and autoimmune diseases and efforts to put it into remission can have significant effects on these co-morbidities.

HR professionals who want to take action on this important trend and help their companies start seeing and addressing migraine are partnering with AndHealth for employer-sponsored migraine reversal benefits. As a result, employees get immediate, continuous virtual care access and an entirely new level of support, hope, and results. AndHealth only bills employers on a per participating member per month basis.

An Example of Invisible Disease

A current AndHealth partner recently worked to gain greater insight from their employees about the migraine impact they experience. The employer learned that almost 90% of survey respondents would value migraine benefits being offered.

The employer also learned that those employees whose symptoms classify them as moderate to chronic migraine sufferers experienced headaches for an average of 32 days during a recent 90-day period and their work was impaired by 50% or more for 15.4% of the workdays.10 Yet, the same group of employees had zero work absences due to migraine in that period.

This reality is summed up well by one migraine sufferer: “When it comes to my healthcare, I feel like I’m in this battle alone and lost in the middle of nowhere. My employer has little awareness of my migraines. I don’t want people to think of me as someone who complains or tries to get out of work.

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How Migraine Invisibly Steals Worker Productivity

I learned to just deal with the pain. Even when I feel terrible and know I can’t work, I rarely call in sick.”

5

Messali A, Sanderson JC, Blumenfeld AM, Goadsby PJ, Buse DC,

Varon SF, Stokes M, Lipton RB.Direct and Indirect Costs of Chronic and Episodic Migraine in the United States: A Web-Based Survey.

The invisible problem is real and the unseen effects manifest in lost productivity, direct costs, physical and emotional pain for employees, and impact on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. At leading companies, HR benefits leaders are taking action to provide access to needed migraine specialty care.

References 1

Bonafede M, Sapra S, Shah N, Tepper S, Cappell K, Desai P.

Headache 2016 Feb;(2):306-322.

6

Yucel, A.; Thach, A.; Kumar, S.; Loden, C.; Bensink, M. et al

Estimating the Economic Burden of Migraine on US Employers The Am. J. Man. Care, December 2020, Volume 26, Issue 12 7

AndHealth patient data

8

Wakely internal analysis

9

https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/the-val-

Direct and Indirect Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs

ue-of-a-headache-specialist/ and https://www.mayo.edu/research/

Among Migraine Patients in the United States. Headache. 2018

centers-programs/migraine-research-program/about/about-program

May;58(5):700-714. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13275 2

10

Employer survey data

Buse DC, Rupnow MF, Lipton RB. Assessing and managing

all aspects of migraine: migraine attacks, migraine-related functional impairment, common comorbidities, and quality of life.

Tom Blue is the SVP, Healthcare for AndHealth.

Mayo Clin Proc. 2009;84(5):422-435. doi.org/10.1016/S00256196(11)60561-2 3

Landy SH, Runken MC, Bell CF, Higbie RL, Haskins LS. Assessing the

impact of migraine onset on work productivity. J Occup Environ Med.

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2011;53(1):74-81. doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e31812006365 4

Stewart WF, Wood GC, Manack A, Varon SF, Buse DC, Lipton RB.

Employment and Work Impact of Chronic Migraine and Episodic Migraine. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2010;52(1):8-14

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Redefining Business Travel Work Perks For The Post Pandemic Employee Maintaining happy employees is the root of a good, well-run company

By Keith Lamb, Ardor Travels

T

ravel industry veterans like myself remember the pre-pandemic work perk lifestyle of the global business traveler.

Air miles, hotel points, and mid-winter visits to a client in Palm Springs were the benefits business travelers gained in exchange for red-eye flights, lack of routine, and countless hours away from family and friends.

But now, those perks have changed.

Post Pandemic Work Perks Look Different The hard truth? The days where employees validated lost family time with a few comped dinners are gone.

Companies today need to offer resources that benefit the bottom line and enhance the health and wellbeing of their employees.

But the reality is approaching fast - in-person client visits, site walkthroughs, product demonstrations, and team onboardings are all vital experiences that need to be reintegrated into our calendars, especially for small to midsize businesses whose success relies on such crucial growth moments and in-person touchpoints.

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A recent survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Associations showed that 80 percent of employed Americans and 86 percent of business travelers believe that face-to-face interactions are important for maximizing company success and in-person meetings are better for building organizational strength, fostering collaboration, and facilitating productivity in ways that just aren’t possible virtually.

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Redefining Business Travel Work Perks For The Post Pandemic Employee

So, we ask ourselves - How are businesses going to get employees back to the hustle and bustle of business travel if the perks they are looking for are now…different?

approvals. A bonus benefit would be one that goes beyond the office with traveler/family perks based on travel time.

The Simple Answer? Get Smarter

We know brand loyalty is important for both clients and employees. If a company or employee has invested years of loyal flights and hotel booking to accrue points (and pride), we want to be able to support them.

Last year McKinsey & Company forecasted the four key skills businesses would need to safely and successfully reintroduce post-pandemic business travel including: ●● Leverage Real-Time Data: Investing in data capabilities to instantly identify and monitor data like fluctuating ticket costs or which airlines are running on schedule so travel teams can be more agile on behalf of their employees. ●● Agility Planning: Moving forward companies should require detailed plans and strategies to ensure fluidity in times of crisis. Even post-pandemic, simple policies will allow business travelers to be more nimble and prepared. ●● Personalization: The safety, comfort, and wellbeing of the traveling employee will become paramount to a company’s success. These are the perks that will keep employees happy, productive, and motivated throughout their travels. ●● Clear Communication: The post-pandemic employee doesn’t have time to waste. It is critical for businesses to communicate consistently and clearly with their travelers to ensure effortless experiences.

One way small to midsize businesses can work more efficiently is to integrate a travel booking platform that is designed for business travel. A platform that allows employees to earn loyalty points, integrates instant reimbursements and efficiently processes manager

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Customized Travel Preferences

So find a travel platform that allows for travel preferences and customization. For example, if a traveler wants to only fly Delta and stay in Hilton properties then the platform should prioritize searching for costs and options within those brands that fit within the guidelines established by the business.

Efficiency, Efficiency, Efficiency

The post-pandemic worker is even more efficient and nimble than ever. Employees quickly learned how to not waste time with commutes, chit chat, and built a daily at-home routine that best suited their workstyle, so travel companies are stepping up to ensure post-pandemic business travel is as efficient and seamless as possible.

Travel booking apps, have features, such as prompt real-time manager approvals and real-time reimbursement technology, to expedite and streamline processes.

Traveler (and Family) Perks on the Horizon

Reintroducing business travel will be the hardest for working moms, dads, and guardians, so consider travel technology that puts the business traveler and their families first. And with the ‘bleisure’ trend skyrocketing, aka extending your business travel to include personal vacation days, it’s more important than ever to offer integrated benefits for a 360 travel experience, both on and off the clock.

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Redefining Business Travel Work Perks For The Post Pandemic Employee

In 2022, the all-in-one platform updates will also have the ability to book leisure activities like golf tee-times, experiences like sightseeing tours, and tickets to events and attractions, museums, plays, and more while traveling solo on the job or with family on their next vacation.

Travel technology is here to stay. There are tools out there to make business travel easier, more efficient, and most importantly more enjoyable for both employees and the company. Because maintaining happy employees is the root of a good, well-run company.

It’s Up to Us

Traveling employees prioritize their company’s needs by sacrificing their valued time and energy, so it’s the company’s responsibility to protect and support them with the services and benefits they are looking for.

Keith Lamb is the CEO and Founder of Ardor Travels.

A simple thing small to midsize companies can do to put their employees first is to do research and understand what their employees truly want when traveling. Then find the right technology that aligns with employees' preferences and meets your business needs.

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