The last year turned everything upside down, and we’re not quite done yet. Even though signs of hope are increasing, employees living with sky-high levels of stress and mental health challenges are struggling to cope every day. This is showing up in the workplace in lower productivity, flagging employee engagement and more. For many [...]
If the last year has been all about limits, the future is shaping up to be about reimagination. Millions of employees are planning for a post-COVID future—and it might look really different than the present. They’re considering big moves, rethinking how they pursue professional opportunities or reflecting on what they’ve learned from work-from-home experiences. [...]
A year into remote work, employee mental health has reached all-time lows. Work-from-home fatigue, pandemic exhaustion and persistent work-life balance difficulties have employees reeling. A new study [1] reveals that nearly half of full-time workers in the U.S. are dealing with mental health issues. This marks nearly a 40% increase in the number of [...]
Employee mental health, which has been on the decline for some time, may have come close to reaching a breaking point. Data [1] from assessments during the 2020 holiday season show there was nearly a 50% rise [2] in the risk of depression among employees and worker focus dropped by over 60%, [3] to [...]
While we’ll remember 2020 as the year most workplaces went remote, many companies had been trending toward a remote work environment for some time. In fact, according to recent data, the percentage of remote workers has grown nearly 160% since 2005. [1] Once considered “normal” only for entrepreneurs or independent contractors, remote work has [...]
So much changed in 2020: employers and employees contended with the challenges of remote work, unprecedented stress, radical changes in the economy, new strains to work/life balance and ongoing uncertainty. Through it all, work has remained a constant for many people, which is why employer support and employee health benefits matters more than ever. [...]
The ongoing challenges of the pandemic have forward-thinking employers actively acknowledging that business continuity and recovery are closely tied to employee health. Supporting employee well-being is key moving forward. Here is what recent research says about the historically unprecedented stress of this period and the value of addressing employee health. Employee health has suffered [...]
Bags of cranberries and cans of pumpkin have appeared in grocery stores nationwide. In the wake of a difficult year, plans to safely gather with others this holiday season and give thanks, are starting to materialize. Amidst the many trials and tribulations of this past year, gratitude for the good things is more important [...]
Employers are increasingly turning to high deductible health plans (HDHPs) as a way to manage healthcare plan costs. While HDHPs appear to control benefit budgets, in actuality, these plans simply shift more of the financial burden onto employees. As the increasing premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket healthcare costs outpace wage growth, employees are struggling. Especially [...]
As the pandemic continues to evolve, new trends and insights into healthcare benefits are emerging. Employees are grappling with unprecedented stress and continued uncertainty. Faced with difficult choices in business continuity planning, employers are focusing on the cost-benefit of support for employees. Here’s a closer look at what advisers and employers need to know. [...]
