PANEL: Redefining Workplace Wellbeing: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health

2024’s Top Employee Wellbeing Trends

A holistic and nuanced suite of employee wellbeing resources is necessary to foster the levels of productivity, engagement, and retention needed for an organization to survive in today’s competitive landscape. As such, many employers are beginning to move away from traditional wellness mainstays, opting instead to look at the problem from new and different angles. HR Executives across Connex’s think tanks, events, and exclusive community discussions have shared plenty of emerging strategies, and we wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight some of the best:

1. Caregiving Support

Many early and mid-career employees provide care to children, aging parents, or other loved ones, and those situations can be challenging to navigate without support. Many employers are now doing more to treat employee stress generally – such as through counseling services, stress management tools, and mental health resources – but tackling the unique logistical challenges of caregiving can be even more effective. As such, 2024 has seen a marked increase in the number of caregiver benefits and programs offered by employers, all in service of avoiding stressful caregiving scenarios outright.

One option is to partner with organizations like Carallel, which is an adult dependent care benefit that helps empower caregivers through education and concierge care support. Other firms, such as Papa, provide direct backup child and adult care services, alleviating the stress and absences that normally follow last-minute care disruptions. Trulata partners with employers to provide caregivers with comprehensive caregiver skills training, while ianacare’s platform helps employees tap into local resources and social support networks.

Others are going a step further, working with organizations like AARP and others to deliver caregiving education and training via workshops and online courses. These are often paired with financial education and planning services, giving employees the knowledge and tools they need to better manage the monetary complexities of caregiving. By addressing the multifaceted needs of caregivers, these programs not only support employees' personal lives but also foster a healthier, more engaged workforce.

2. Personalized Wellbeing

The employee wellness landscape has evolved dramatically over the last five years, with more service providers and employers alike realizing that “one-size-fits-all” programming rarely fits anyone. Programming needs to cover all forms of employee health – physical, mental, financial, and for some organizations even social and spiritual – and be paired with tools that make it easy to deliver personalized wellbeing education, recommendations, and support.

Wearable biometric monitoring devices are often a good first step, as they can help monitor employee health challenges, disease states, and behavioral trends. From there, many wellbeing solution providers can use AI-backed data analysis to create customized health and fitness plans that cater to the specific needs of individual employees and lead to better outcomes. Alongside these advancements, many employers are now broadening their health plans and supplemental coverage options to include alternative therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic care, and nutrition counseling,

Mental health has always played an outsized role in employee wellbeing, and the proliferation of app-based programs for it has made it even easier for employees to personalize their support. Mindfulness apps and digital tools for meditation, sleep health, stress management, and psychiatric telehealth make it easy for employees to find help at the times and places that they need it most.

3. Whole Family Engagement

Employers are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging not just employees, but their families in wellbeing initiatives. Decisions about healthcare, lifestyle, and program participation are often influenced, if not outright spearheaded, by spouses. Furthermore, it’s much easier for employees to sustain new and healthy behaviors if their whole household is doing the same. As such, employers are now expanding access to health assessments, lifestyle coaching, nutrition education, and other wellbeing programs to all qualified dependents. Moreover, those dependents can then be included in any financial incentive programs, such as those that reduce insurance premiums, further boosting engagement. According to SHRM, even expanding access to just spouses can potentially double wellbeing program participation rates.

The key to succeeding with whole family engagement strategies typically lies in fine-tuning communications. Employers are using multi-channel approaches to that end, often leveraging email, direct mail, and social media messaging in tandem. However, it’s worth noting that these strategies can be hindered if they aren’t designed with inclusion in mind. Working with employee resource groups (ERGs), consultants, and communications specialists can help ensure that all outgoing messaging is mindful of the unique and diverse cultural and religious values of the workforce.

4. Care Navigation

All three of the previously mentioned trends are dramatically enhanced by investing in stronger, more effective care navigation services. After all, even the most comprehensive wellbeing strategies can fall short if employees struggle to access or utilize them. Beyond those provided by EAPs, many employers are partnering with specialized companies like Wellthy, Quantum Health, Transcarent, and Castlight to help employees navigate the resources available to them.

Many of those programs go beyond provider navigation to deliver true care concierge support. These services assist with a wider range of healthcare tasks, such as coordinating testing and diagnostic services, managing prescriptions, securing referrals, and arranging transportation to and from appointments. Often, these programs also help employees choose the most cost-effective and appropriate treatment options. The emphasis is on convenience and healthcare simplification, alleviating stress and preventing logistics from being a barrier to healthier lifestyles.

5. Flexible Scheduling

Flexible schedules and PTO expansions have been hot topics over the last few years, typically surfacing during discussions about remote and hybrid work arrangements. However, these can also act as powerful well-being levers that improve overall employee work-life balance, engagement, and stress.

There are two particular approaches to non-traditional workweek scheduling that are gaining traction. First is the four-day workweek, which has been shown to dramatically improve productivity while simultaneously boosting physical and mental health. Second is the 9/80 schedule, which provides a bit of a compromise for those who fear a 4-day workweek might hurt organizational performance. In a 9/80 schedule, employees work four 9-hour days followed by an 8-hour day, which has its time split between the current and following week for payroll purposes. Employees can then work just four 9-hour days in that second week and take Friday off for an extended weekend, all without losing work hours. In either case, the added flexibility makes it easier for employees to better manage their time and avoid burnout.

Some companies are going even further and adopting fully asynchronous work models to accommodate diverse working styles, daily schedules, and the inclusion of new remote teams in various time zones. If allowed by the nature of the employer’s business, this model ensures maximal flexibility, making it easy for employees to care for themselves and loved ones through whatever schedule arrangement works best for them.

Staying Updated

The trends above all demonstrate a clear shift toward flexibility and making it easier for employees and their loved ones to access much-needed resources how and when they need them. For HR leaders, the challenge lies in creating a seamless, accessible experience that integrates these elements into an overarching, cohesive wellbeing strategy. That topic, as well as many other wellbeing strategies, were covered in a recent Connex panel discussion.

For even more information on HR and Benefit trends, or for information on Connex’s exclusive online community, library of content, and calendar of live and virtual events, For more information on the Connex Community, its library of industry insights, and exclusive calendar of upcoming events visit: https://www.connexpartners.com/connex-partners-become-a-member-hr