Vital Signs - Employer Healthcare Insights

Employee wellness initiatives are having a moment, from online resources and apps to health coaching and onsite clinics. But with so many options, how do you know which ones are a good fit for your team?

At NeoPath Health, we’ve helped mid-sized companies deliver better health services to their employees for over a decade. In our experience, there are a few simple steps employers can take to provide better wellness outcomes.

Even before the pandemic, the World Health Organization added burnout to their International Classification of Diseases, calling it an occupational phenomenon. Since then, conversations about burnout have become more commonplace, but employee burnout signs are still on the rise – in part due to the many stressors employees have faced over the last few years:

• Pandemic
• Social unrest
• Political divide
• Inflation
• Recession fears

Yet while burnout is regularly in the headlines, many companies and leaders don’t clearly understand what employee burnout is, why it’s important, and what signs to watch for.

Modern life is stressful if the last few years have taught us anything. Your employees are doing their best to balance work with world issues – like the pandemic, social unrest, climate change, and the political environment. Employee mental health support needs to be a priority for leaders starting now. 

On the upside, our collective challenges brought mental health out of the shadows. Topics like anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout are being discussed more frequently, and more leaders are being vulnerable by sharing their mental health struggles.

At the same time, even the most well-staffed EAP program cannot handle all the mental health support needs. And while the stigma is changing, not everyone feels comfortable discussing mental health or extending their support.

If you've been waiting for a sign that it's time to expand your employee mental health and wellness program, here's one: A recent poll from the American Psychological Association shows that 81% of employees would prefer to work for companies that provide support for mental health concerns.

That means what was once found only in large enterprises or well-funded start-ups is now a mainstream expectation. Employees want to be seen as people and need support as they navigate all that life throws at them. More importantly, they don't want to feel stigmatized if they ask for help.

As a healthcare partner to mid-size employers, we understand. Each week, we talk to companies that want to dial up their mental health support or assess their current approach. The most common question is: "Are we doing enough?"

Wondering about the state of employee mental health in the U.S.? In the simplest terms, it’s not good. In fact, in its 2022 State of Workforce Mental Health, Corporate Wellness Magazine found that 84% of workers surveyed experienced at least one mental health challenge over the past year.

This stark reality has many employers wondering how they can better support their teams. If you want to be known as an employer that values employee wellbeing and is taking steps to respond to the current mental health crisis, the following are three ways you can improve your employee mental health services.

Even for the most resilient among us, the last two years have been a lot to process. The pandemic was stressful enough, but it was joined by a recession, social and political unrest, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and more.

Mental health has come out of the shadows, if there’s a bright side to the lingering pandemic-related stress. Employees now talk openly about burnout, exhaustion, and mental health struggles – even while at work. And that’s a good thing when you consider that experts cite mental health as one of the driving forces behind the Great Resignation and the Great Reshuffle.

Welcome to the new era of employee mental health and wellbeing - we have some additional insight for you.

Even a quick scan of news headlines reminds us that our modern, fast-paced world is filled with stressors – and work is a significant contributor.

A recent survey by The Conference Board reveals that half of the workers report their mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic, with 58 percent citing increased work hours or workload as taking the most significant toll. And 84 percent of employees report they can’t stop thinking about work.

As the need for mental health support increases, more companies are looking for ways to address employees’ needs. Still, many companies – especially smaller and mid-sized – aren’t sure where to begin. As long-time partners to mid-sized companies, we’ve learned that this work doesn’t have to be complicated.

We believe you can significantly impact employee mental health support in the workplace by taking just a few steps.

We all know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But even the most committed among us may put off scheduling health care appointments for various reasons - enter the option of an onsite employee health and wellness center.  

For starters, health care is expensive, and costs continue to go up. (PwC's Health Research Institute projected a 6.5% medical cost trend in 2022.) Health insurance is a complex process and can require tremendous patience to navigate. Even after you’re insured, can be weeks before a primary care physician has an opening in their schedule. After all that, you may only get a few minutes with a doctor already juggling multiple patients in a busy family clinic. 

Not an ideal set of circumstances, especially if you have a chronic condition like high blood pressure, diabetes or anxiety.

Stressors like these have some mid-size companies considering whether to build their own onsite clinic for employees. While that may seem like a huge undertaking, it’s more common - and easier- than one might think. Partners like NeoPath work closely with companies like yours to create a game plan that will help you tackle everything from benefits structure, ownership structure, culture, retention strategy, physical space, and more.

Is cost management one of the primary benefits of this approach? Sure. Companies need to manage costs to continue offering their employees comprehensive health coverage. But the benefits of an onsite employee health and wellness center don’t end with costs. Let’s look at how employees, providers, and employers all benefit from onsite care.

Until recently, employee burnout was something that lurked in the shadows. Most employees didn’t talk about it if it was happening to them. And most companies didn’t openly acknowledge if it was happening on their team. But with the rise in mental health awareness brought on by the pandemic, that’s changing. 

Now, more companies are looking for ways to offer whole-person wellness programs that include options for mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, and burnout.

Amid The Great Resignation, this shift is both timely and necessary. Consider that McKinsey & Company reports that almost half of all employees report being at least somewhat burned out. If you’re an employer wanting to address this mental health epidemic, you can start by learning more about burnout and how it impacts your team. 

The World Health Organization’s official definition of burnout includes three components:

1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion 
2. Increased mental distance from, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and
3. A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment

While this definition offers some basics to watch for, burnout symptoms can vary widely among employees, making it harder to identify within your team or department. Plus, you don’t want to wait until an employee exhibits all these symptoms to act. The following are five subtle warning signs of employee burnout you could be missing.

Today’s employees want more than the usual suspects when it comes to employer-provided wellness programs. It’s no longer enough to offer self-guided smoking cessation video classes, send reminders about the employee assistance program or share monthly wellness tips in the all-employee newsletter. 

So what workplace wellness options work for employees today? Employees want and need employers to support every aspect of their well-being – physical, mental, emotional, and financial. As a result, many employers are taking a fresh look at their workplace wellness programs and adding more specialized programming that takes a more whole-being approach. 

If you’re an employer that wants to enhance your workplace wellness programs in 2022 or beyond, the following are five options to consider.