For all of the challenges and difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic — lock downs, lost loved ones, a looming sense of uncertainty, and dramatic changes to our daily lives and work lives — there are a lot of learning lessons and silver linings that industry leaders are tapping into. One of these is the ability to speak openly about, and recognize the importance of, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace and with all of your diverse members.
The general corporate sentiment surrounding mental health and wellbeing has for too long stigmatized discussions of wellbeing at work and tucked the discussion under the rug, which, ironically, is bad for both employees and business.
More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic, however, industry leaders are starting to recognize the importance of addressing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Employees are also now expecting their employers to play a bigger role when it comes to wellbeing.
What does this all mean? It means that health plan providers need to be offering wellbeing solutions if they’re going to meet the growing needs and changing sentiments surrounding wellbeing and mental health at work and remotely. And they need to offer these solutions right now.
Why You Shouldn't Wait to Launch a Wellbeing Solution with Your Health Plan
With a growing focus on wellbeing in the workplace, there is no reason to wait to implement a wellbeing solution for both your employees and all of your diverse membership. Even with the country returning to face-to-face interactions, the effects of the pandemic are here to stay, and employees' and members’ expectations have changed.
On top of the lasting effects made on the industry, the spread of the Delta variant means that we don’t know when things will be fully back to normal. If you’re going to gain an edge over the competition, it means you need to offer what employees and members need right now.
Employers Want to Offer Wellbeing Support NOW
The numbers are in, and employers are aware of how vulnerable employees have been to stress, anxiety, fatigue, sleeping issues, and poor exercise and dietary habits as a result of being overworked and drawn thin. More than that, they’re aware of how these issues have affected workers’ abilities to perform effectively. According to stats from research at the Grokker Innovation Labs:
- 76% of workers describe themselves as currently "stressed"
- 46% of workers describe their stress levels as moderate or above
And while it may seem easy to undermine the severity of stress at work, there’s a lot of evidence that points to a direct correlation between stress levels and a lack of productivity in the workplace. Some of the ways stress and poor mental health can affect productivity include:
- 50% focus — difficulty concentrating
- 46% motivation — procrastinating
- 33% creativity — lacking inspiration
- 31% social — difficulty connecting with, or avoidance of, colleagues or clients
- 24% productivity — missing deadlines or meetings
Approximately 80% of workers reported that they first saw mental-health related symptoms appearing or that their ongoing symptoms got significantly worse at the start of the pandemic. Almost a quarter (23%) have been diagnosed with a mental health condition since that time (and medication costs are skyrocketing!). Some of the most notable of these symptoms include:
- 55% — fatigue, insomnia, or lack of energy
- 35% — headaches or musculoskeletal aches and pains
- 27% — stomachaches, bowel problems, or other digestive issues
- 14% — heart disease or high blood pressure
Studies like this are appearing all over the world, and employers are coming to terms with the fact that they need to be playing a significant role in providing wellbeing support to their employees. For health plan providers looking to gain an edge over their competitors, providing a robust wellbeing solution is a great way to stand out from the crowd.
Health Plan Providers Need to Offer Advanced Wellbeing Solutions
Health plan providers need to recognize that the wellbeing solutions of the past simply aren’t up to par with today’s increasingly demanding expectations. In the past, employers could get away with putting together a 10,000-step challenge alongside a few dinners or get-togethers and call it a day. In the past, health plans offered multiple, single-solution apps for wellbeing, and that’s not member experience-friendly. Today, we know that mental health and wellbeing are multifaceted, and implementing a solution that offers a multi-pronged approach to wellbeing is the only way to ensure you’re providing a competitive and comprehensive wellbeing solution.
What does a robust, multi-faceted wellbeing solution look like? One way to answer this question is to look at what employee’s need. We already know how stress, anxiety, and burnout can affect workers’ abilities to concentrate and work effectively, but there are other health factors that contribute to effectiveness at work. A 2018 study found that mental health plays a significant role in how much time employees miss from work, highlighting the effects of smoking and obesity as indicators for days missed at work.
What this means is that employers need to offer well-rounded solutions that can help employees improve their wellbeing goals, fitness goals, nutrition goals, financial wellbeing goals, sleep goals, and more. And in order to be in line with the growing demands for flexibility at work, hybrid work environments, and remote work options, these solutions need to be accessible to employees from any device - anytime, anywhere.
Grokker Has Everything Employers Want
If it seems like a tall task to find a well-rounded, comprehensive, and multi-pronged solution that employees and all members can access at their own convenience, look no further. Grokker offers an advanced wellbeing solution that will enable employees and members to manage stress and anxiety, reach their health and nutrition goals, and stay happier and healthier while also making a positive impact on employee and member engagement and satisfaction.
Grokker is easy to implement, making it an attractive option for health plans seeking a stand alone wellbeing solution or to integrate into an existing ecosystem. Companies can launch Grokker quickly, allowing health plans to get programs up and running in just 30 days.
There’s no reason to wait any longer to offer a competitive wellbeing solution that employees will love and employers will be excited to implement into their health benefits program. Employers want to offer support to their employees right now, and Grokker can help you get that support to them.
Click here to learn more about Grokker and how you can offer a leading wellbeing solution to Commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and Marketplace members today.
