By Lucy Roberts, PhD and Phoebe Cahill

Santa Cruz has always fostered its unique culture and the way local employers support their workforce is a direct reflection of that. Since the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the remote workforce, and the landscape of how employers are driving engagement and wellbeing are evolving. OneDigital provides a direct resource for their clients to leverage in support of the well-being of their employees and their families.   

Below are several effective practices for 2022 and an overview of how employers can take deliberate and decisive actions to support employee needs.

Strategic Planning & Support

When the pandemic hit, there was an uptick of employers offering extended benefits in an effort to help their employees cope. As employers have begun to cope with new workplace demands, the attitude has begun to shift from ‘just doing something’ to ‘doing the right thing,’ primarily through attending to employee values. To accomplish this feat, employers must be strategic about the programs they place as well as how programs are communicated to employees.

Care Navigation

Health care benefits are increasingly complex to navigate, resulting in poor member experiences, lower utilization of offered solutions, and higher costs for organizations. Care navigation services have become one of the most impactful ways to drive utilization by delivering personalized support, tailored to an employee’s needs. In addition, organizations that invest in care navigation services can see up to four times the return on their investment and significantly reduce chronic condition costs.

Mental Health Support 

This is certainly not a new topic. The pandemic amplified the already rising rates of mental health concerns, causing organizations across the globe to take notice.

Taking care of your mental health is a lifelong journey, and there are many different tools to support you through it. Listen to this Mental Health Mender Podcast: How To Better Understand and Manage Your Mental Health for more information on how to navigate the complex situations.

Financial Support 

Finances are one of the top stressors in America and the second leading cause of suicide. 

Eighty-one percent of employees are interested in employer support that would improve their overall financial wellness. (Source: Voya) 

The pandemic has impacted how employees view their relationship with their employer. Seventy-five percent of employees, whose stress has increased from the pandemic, are more likely to stay with a company that cares about their financial wellbeing. Aiding employees with their financial wellbeing is a complex undertaking that has evolved from initial solutions focused solely on saving for retirement, expanded to include emergency savings, debt relief and coaching support.

Custom Benefits & Lifestyle Rewards 

In exchange for their loyalty, employees want more choices and flexibility in 2022; therefore, custom benefits make practical sense. These programs provide employees with allotted stipends to choose the health and wellbeing options that best serve their own personal lives.

Organizations see a benefit from evaluating workforce needs and listening to employees. If you want to compete on talent, you really need to understand what makes them thrive.

Virtual Care

Telehealth and virtual care are here to stay. In fact, over 40% of younger generations in the workforce prefer this type of care, further solidifying its place in the health care arena. Virtual care involves clinicians interacting with patients remotely via online platforms, including video conferencing and messaging.

Nothing will be more important in the coming years than the decisions leaders make to support employees today. By tailoring bold solutions that put people at the center of the equation, we help our customers maximize performance by empowering employee wellbeing and boosting productivity. OneDigital offers unique solutions that combine benefits, health & wellbeing experts and technology that elevate our clients to the next level.

About OneDigital

OneDigital delivers strategic advisory consulting and technology-forward solutions to more than 85,000 employers across the nation. As employee health care, wellness and workplace benefits continue to converge, businesses of all sizes have relied on OneDigital’s exceptional advisory teams for counsel in employee benefits, wellbeing, human resources, pharmacy consulting, property and casualty solutions, as well as the retirement and wealth management services provided through OneDigital Investment Advisors. OneDigital’s commitment to technology and innovation enables its 3,000 advisors to deliver the most modern and intuitive customer experience anywhere in the industry.

For more strategies to create a resilient culture and combat turnover, connect with a local OneDigital team member today.

Questions? Contact Phoebe Cahill | Benefits Consultant, OneDigital pcahill@onedigital.com | 831-459-9140