Why Supporting Employee Well-being Matters
Mental health and employee well-being in the workplace is a hot topic. Headlines and research highlight the continued spillover of workplace stress into all aspects of employees’ lives, driving sky-high levels of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and more.
It’s a focus for good reason, as corporate mental health is not only a people priority, but also a business priority. According to new research from The Hartford, 71% of employers indicate that worsening employee mental health is affecting company financial performance.1
Yes, effectively addressing corporate mental health and workplace stress is important. But the focus should be broader because supporting employee well-being matters even for healthy employees. A savvy approach to benefit enhancement can incorporate both proactive and reactive support for a wide range of employee mental health and well-being needs.
Employee well-being and the mental health continuum
Health isn’t a static state, but a dynamic one. We can become ill or injured and recover—and the same is true for other aspects of whole-person health. Imagining employee well-being and mental health as falling along a continuum illustrates this concept. It also reveals how mental health and well-being are sensitive to life stressors and circumstances.
A proactive approach to employee well-being
Why is a proactive approach to employee well-being beneficial? Simply put, life is full of ups and downs, and employees who can cope in healthy ways with workplace stress and other demands in life are likely to be healthier, happier and more productive employees.
Certain approaches can be effective in both proactive and reactive situations. These include encouraging a culture of openness that signals mental health and employee well-being are safe topics for discussion, as well as ensuring managers and teams are aligned on expectations for availability and communication.
Beyond these, providing effective coverage and support for corporate mental health and employee well-being can help employees build strong coping strategies. Many employees can benefit from support with common stressors, like difficulty sleeping, grief and loss, stress related to caregiving demands and more.
Primary healthcare insurance plans, though, often don’t include coverage or support for everyday needs and stressors. When stress rises, it poses a threat to retention: Research from Gallup reveals that employees who are struggling in their lives are twice as likely to leave their jobs.2
ArmadaCare’s WellPak plan was created to effectively address corporate mental health and employee well-being needs. WellPak offers both coverage and support services to address a continuum of needs, including for employees who are:
- Healthy overall but looking to proactively boost well-being and stress management
- Reacting to life or situational stressors in ways that may compromise healthy function and performance
- Struggling with debilitating stress, burnout or mental distress from anxiety or depression
- In crisis from mental illness or a substance use disorder
WellPak includes coverage for prescribed massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care and other wellness treatments that can help healthy employees be proactive about managing stress. Connect & Thrive includes support services with counseling, coaching and more with personalized care navigation to meet employees where they are and connect them to what they need.
Learn more about WellPak and how it can provide employee well-being support for all employees.
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1 The Hartford, 2022
2 Gallup, 2021
ArmadaCare’s supplemental health insurance policies are underwritten by Sirius America Insurance Company and Transamerica Premier Life Insurance Company. Insurance plans and coverages vary by state. Please contact us to confirm state availability.