On this episode of the WorkSAFE Podcast, we sit down with Andrea Neal, Senior Health Management Consultant at Marsh McLennan Agency. She has more than thirteen years of experience in employee wellness. Neal helps businesses develop a culture of well-being where employees feel valued and cared for.
Everyone deserves to work in a safe and healthy workplace. The health of a workplace’s culture either contributes to the risk of on-the-job injuries or preventing them.
Creating and sustaining a culture of well-being requires that businesses assess their needs and opportunities in multiple areas. Cultures are complex by nature. They often feel too complicated for employers to address. However, there are practical ways to foster a culture of well-being in any workplace.
Listen to this episode of the WorkSAFE Podcast, or read the show notes below.
What is a culture of well-being?
A culture of well-being often means something different to everyone. It might look like workplace fitness programs, healthy options in the cafeteria, or reimbursed gym memberships. Neal finds that a consistent theme for workplace well-being is creating an environment where people feel supported in reaching their best health.
At the Marsh McLennan Agency, well-being encompasses four areas: physical, mental, social, and financial. All of these elements form an individual’s total well-being, because they all affect each other. For example, someone who is financially insecure may experience an impact on their mental health. Poor mental health may lead to poor physical health.
A struggling employee is more likely to leave their job, unable to meet the demands of the workday or interact well with their co-workers. “I don’t think that there’s any separating all of these dimensions of well-being from one another,” she explained. “They all very much impact each other.“
Well-being impacts every aspect of the job
Employee well-being traditionally focuses on physical health. But in today’s workplace, mental, social, and financial health are just as important. People who don’t have a connection to their workplace or the people they work with are more likely to be less productive, or even leave a job altogether.
“If a person is experiencing poor mental health, their job performance, their productivity, even their physical capabilities can be affected,” Neal shared. “And this may not always come in the form of someone who has clinical depression or anxiety. We can probably all think of a time in our lives when we were extremely distracted at work because we had a major stressor in our lives. Maybe it was the death of a loved one, a marital or family challenge. Maybe it was a major financial stressor.”
Poor well-being impacts a person’s ability to function well on the job. Moreover, it increases the risk of a workplace incident.
Examples of workplace support
“At an individual level, a culture of well-being really feels like your organization has resources to support your needs,” Neal shared. “That could look like a diabetes management program that provides free testing strips and supplies. It could look like affordable co-pays for mental health counseling visits, employee resource groups to connect employees that have like interests, or even retirement savings match from the company if that’s something that is really important to someone.”
Further, policies that support well-being – and senior leadership that enforces them – are essential. For instance, a workplace may offer covered preventative care visits for employees, like dental cleanings or annual physicals. However, if they make it difficult to take time off to attend these appoints, employees will both use and benefit from them less. Neal points out that policy and culture barriers often make it harder for a person to maintain good health.
Creating a culture of well-being is a process
Creating a culture of well-being is a daunting process for small and large business alike. But Neal expressed that businesses don’t have to implement every solution and strategy at once. “It’s really about just starting where you’re at and with what you have, and building from there as you get some traction and and gain some success.”
Organizations who invest in whole-person health and well-being strategies inevitably yield a positive return on their investment. They reap a variety of benefits, including:
- Appropriate healthcare utilization
- Increased productivity
- Decreased sick time
- Shortened leaves of absence
- Improved retention
Getting started
Neal recommends starting with a wellness scorecard to determine where your organization falls. For example, a medical plan carrier could provide one, or employers could utilize one of many available online. “Those are all free and will give you a baseline, as well as suggested next steps for improving areas of opportunity that the assessment identifies.”
Depending on the results, employers might pursue different programs or services. For instance:
- An employee assistance or behavioral health service. These programs offers additional support when employees are struggling during life events, such as a cancer diagnosis or struggling to buy a home.
- Mental health first aid training. This training teaches people how to triage someone who might be in need until they can get them connected to a licensed professional or other appropriate care.
- Community-based resources. Tapping into local organizations or health systems is often more cost-effective for small businesses.
Communication is key
Communication is an important part of implementing anything new. Neal suggests that employers go above and beyond emails and intranet posts. Send postcards and magnets to employees’ homes, put QR codes in common spaces, and share information in breaks rooms to encourage community discussion. While it may feel repetitive, you never know who you’re going to reach at just the right time.
A culture of well-being is a continual journey
A culture of well-being is not a destination. Neal highlights that employers need to continually assess their population’s unique needs. What resources can they promote? Where are there gaps in benefit offerings? Have existing programs and services made an impact? “Essentially, building and maintaining a culture of well-being is not a destination that companies reach,” she said. “It’s really an ever-evolving journey to support the changing needs of your population.”
“People go through ups and downs in their lives and in all facets of their wellbeing,” Neal explained. “And as an employer, we can’t control that, but what we can do is make sure we’ve got the net ready to catch people when they need it and give them the resources that they need to get back to being their best selves at work.”