When it comes to women’s well-being in the workplace, employer and health plan benefits and programs have traditionally focused on the childbearing years—for example, maternity leave, fertility assistance, child care, and even breast milk shipping services. But there is little support for another critical phase of a woman’s life—the years leading up to menopause, called perimenopause, and the post-menopausal years.¹

Every woman will experience menopause, which marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle—usually between the ages of 45 and 55. These years preceding a woman’s last period are often accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms including hot flashes, brain fog, joint pain, insomnia, weight gain, anxiety and more. These symptoms can last for six to 10 years and may be more severe for women of color than for white women.² Due to the stigma surrounding menopause and societal norms regarding women’s aging, most women don’t feel comfortable sharing their concerns with others, especially in the workplace.

Why menopause support is a workplace issue.

While not every woman will experience symptoms that profoundly affect her quality of life, the vast majority will, and they may impact her ability to be productive, engaged and successful at work.

The Menopause Society describes the issue as a “costly and preventable” problem for employers.³ According to a Mayo Clinic study, menopause costs American women an estimated $1.8 billion in lost working time per year.⁴ A study in the UK found that close to a million menopausal women have left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms.⁵ Importantly, the menopausal years also happen when many women “are at the ‘top of their game’ across jobs and sectors, are holders of institutional wisdom, mature in decision-making, and dynamic and influential leaders.”⁵

For these reasons, it’s in every employer’s best interest to support women during these critical years—not only because it’s the right thing to do from a health and well-being standpoint, but also because it’s a business issue that has the potential to affect women’s engagement, productivity and retention.

What employers can do to support women going through menopause in the workplace.

Create awareness of menopause and normalize it.

Experts agree that the number one thing we can do to reduce the stigma of menopause is to start talking about it more. Deborah Garlick, founder of Henpicked, a UK training firm that has provided “menopause-friendly” certifications to organizations like HSBC UK and Unilever UK, suggests posting more information on company websites and training employees and managers, regardless of gender. Also, just as we have urged leaders to more openly discuss mental health, female leaders can talk about their own challenges with menopause to help reduce the stigma for other women in the organization.

Host an event.

Organize a menopause event, awareness session, or bring in a guest speaker to observe Menopause Awareness Day on October 18. Topics could include how to age well in the workplace, manage hot flashes and brain fog, get better sleep and care for mental health.

Offer training for managers and supervisors.

Provide tip sheets for having conversations that are informed and thoughtful, or a quick training course about menopause and the effects it can have on a woman’s health. Be sure to frame it as a business issue that needs attention, just like stress and burnout. Encourage managers to be receptive to any necessary workplace accommodations. It’s also important for managers to know that menopause may not be something all women want to talk about.

Create a menopause champion network.

Much as we have health coaches and wellness champions, organizations can appoint “menopause champions”⁶ in the workplace. These are women who are willing to talk to other employees about menopause and help them find support. This approach has been particularly successful in the UK, where the issue of menopause in the workplace has gained more traction than in the U.S. and has helped companies foster more inclusive environments for menopausal women.

Offer flexibility.

Because menopause symptoms can contribute to missed work days, a flexible work policy that allows women to work from home some or all of the time is important. You can also consider adjustments to leave policies to allow for menopause-related paid leave or additional sick days.

Promote existing benefits.

Tap into benefits the company already offers, such as counseling through the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP); stress reduction and resilience-building programs; exercise and nutrition services; and mindfulness/meditation programs. You might also explore adding standalone health programs targeted to menopausal women.

Offer training for managers and supervisors.

Provide tip sheets for having conversations that are informed and thoughtful, or a quick training course about menopause and the effects it can have on a woman’s health. Be sure to frame it as a business issue that needs attention, just like stress and burnout. Encourage managers to be receptive to any necessary workplace accommodations. It’s also important for managers to know that menopause may not be something all women want to talk about.

Consider the work environment.

Given that vasomotor symptoms, otherwise known as “hot flashes,” are common during menopause, consider giving access to a cooling room where the temperature is more easily controlled, provide fans, or allow breaks to step outside for fresh air.

Finally, the Menopause Society’s Making Menopause Work initiative offers an array of free, helpful resources that employers can download.

With more than 15 million women ages 45 to 60 in the workplace, according to U.S. Census statistics, it’s important for workplaces to provide women with the support and resources they need to stay healthy, productive and engaged during this time in their lives. WebMD Health Services can help you support the well-being of your entire workforce. Contact us at connect@webmd.net to learn more.

What is the employee experience, and why is it important?

Employee experience sums up what it’s like to work at a company. It’s all the interactions that employees have throughout the day with people, systems, policies, and the physical and virtual workspace.¹ You may have seen it abbreviated as “EX.”

To improve employee experience, some companies have focused on administrative processes, such as easier time-keeping or travel reimbursement. Those kinds of things can be time-consuming and frustrating, so simplifying them does improve the work experience. Others have added more benefits and perks, like trendy pet insurance or pool tables.

But there’s a lot more to it. As Mercer suggests, HR would do well to “shift its mindset from optimizing ‘things’ for employees (e.g., programs and processes) and instead design an end-to-end experience that employees long to be a part of.” PwC writes, “the goal of providing a strong employee experience isn’t to make your people feel warm and fuzzy. It’s to enable them to do their best work—to make them want to come to work.”

So what does this mean? It means focusing on the more intangible stuff that can influence how people feel about showing up every day. Many argue we should be treating our employees like we treat our customers—seeking daily to delight them—and that doing so directly impacts the bottom line.

Diane Gherson, former chief human resources officer at IBM, puts it like this: “…we started with the belief that if people felt great about working with us, our clients would too. We’ve found that employee engagement explains two-thirds of our client experience scores. And if we’re able to increase client satisfaction by five points on an account, we see an extra 20% in revenue, on average. So clearly there’s an impact. That’s the business case for the change.”

What makes for a good employee experience?  

A good employee experience involves making sure employees feel cared for in all aspects of their lives—physically, emotionally, and financially—from their first to their last day on the job. Providing support for the parts of life that occur outside of the workday. Focusing on workplace culture. Below are some examples that contribute to building a good employee experience strategy.

Top-notch onboarding.

It seems like a no-brainer that an employee’s first moments with a company should be nothing short of awe-inspiring. Yet, in a recent study by Gallup, just 12% of people felt their company does a good job onboarding new team members. So make sure the onboarding experience—which technically begins the moment the candidate accepts the offer—delights. This includes:

• Smooth IT onboarding
• Structured activities, especially during that first week
• Assigning a mentor
• Planning meetings with people from other departments and leadership
• Regular check-ins for at least 90 days

Connection to the corporate mission.

Employees increasingly want to feel that their work has meaning and purpose. Make the connection between an individual’s work and how it contributes to the company’s mission and society through regular communication from all levels of the organization—from leaders to managers.

Consistent communication.

Organizations who maintain a regular cadence of transparent communication with employees, especially during times of change, tend to have a better employee experience. Communicate frequently with town halls, videos from leaders, workplace social media posts, and chat groups. All of these vehicles build trust and loyalty and ensure that employees feel they are “in the know.”

Community.

Employees look to the workplace for that sense of community they may be missing in our disconnected world. Focusing on community can increase engagement and commitment to a company and be as simple as a regular happy hour or volunteering for a local charity together.

An inclusive, diverse culture.

There are strong linkages between diverse, inclusive cultures and a positive employee experience. A good employee experience is nurtured when people feel they can bring their whole selves to work and don’t have to hide any part of their identity.

Support for all aspects of well-being.

Focusing on employee well-being means more than offering an onsite gym or healthy food in the cafeteria. A good employee experience includes support for all the dimensions of well-being: physical, clinical, financial, mental health, and social connections. It also includes help for the parts of life that happen outside the workday—like elder and child care benefits. A robust wellness communication strategy is critical for ensuring that employees know about and can take advantage of these benefits.

A comfortable work environment.

It’s critical to create an office space that allows people to do their best work, especially now that many people have become used to working from home. This includes places for people to collaborate or do focused work, and even small things like ensuring that the office temperature is comfortable. And for those continuing to work from home, we need to ensure that all the supports are there, too—like ergonomic workstations, supplies, decent internet connections, and more.

Flexibility.

Employees want the flexibility to schedule work when and where it’s best for their lives, whether that’s leaving early to pick up a child at school or taking Friday afternoons off to pursue a personal passion. Allowing employees flexibility—with the expectation that the work will get done—creates trust, boosts engagement, and contributes to a positive employee experience.

Recognition.

Regularly recognizing the hard work and contributions of team members provides a sense of accomplishment, decreases stress, and increases feelings of connection and belonging—all of which translate to a better employee experience. You don’t have to have a formal recognition platform—even handwritten notes or small tokens are appreciated.

Regular touch points with managers.

Frequent, informal check-ins between an employee and their manager have been shown to decrease employee burnout. Managers need to use this time to connect with direct reports on a deeper level—acknowledging the human side of their employees, which we know to be a key driver of engagement.

What makes a good employee experience strategy?

There are several ways to approach developing or enhancing the employee experience. While not an exhaustive list, here are seven best practice steps to consider when crafting your employee experience strategy:

1. Do your research.

Any organizational change should start with listening. What do employees want from the experience of working at your company? Some questions you can include in focus groups or pulse surveys are:

• How do you feel about working here?
• Do you feel our culture aligns with your own values and beliefs?
• Do you understand how your role relates to our overall mission?
• Do you have a clear path for your career advancement?
• How do you feel about the support you receive from your manager?
• Do you feel our company supports you in multiple aspects of your life, not just at work?
• Does our technology allow you to work smartly and efficiently?

2. Consider all types of employees.

To be inclusive, it’s essential to learn how different types of employees experience the workplace. It may help to develop employee “personas” to get underneath what’s important to people. Some personas might be: in-person/remote workers; members of different generations; racial/ethnic identity; men/women/non-binary; full-time/part-time; managers/individual contributors, and other population segments.

3. Create a vision for your employee experience.

Once you’ve conducted some listening and created employee personas, it’s helpful to lay out a template for what you want the employee experience to look like. Consider things like how people should work together and communicate with each other, how to connect work to the company’s larger purpose, where work gets done, how employees can advance in their careers, and what types of programs and resources may be needed to more fully support employees.

4. Get leaders on board.

Now that you’ve got your vision, it’s time to enlist support from leadership. As with any change management initiative, leadership backing is critical, and everyone from the top down must model this vision for it to be successful. It’s also vital that the team structure of your EX initiative represents members from all parts of the organization—not just HR. This will help create buy-in and reduce any skepticism about the effort’s importance.

5. Build your communication competency ahead of time.

It’s important to think about the communication channels you’ll use to make all the pieces of your employee experience strategy come alive. Tap into established channels like your corporate intranet, email, town halls and regular all-employee meetings. Workplace social media and Slack channels can also generate a positive buzz. Managers should also receive talking points and slides to use in team huddles.

6. Support your managers.

Managers are the face of the organization to employees, so they need to be prepared and supported in carrying out the employee experience vision. For example, they need training on:

• How to coach employees and give good feedback.
• How to be flexible and help employees in ways that may be uncomfortable, like talking about mental health.
• How to chart a course for career advancement and learning that will make employees want to remain with the organization.

7. Regularly check in with employees.

A good employee experience will need to be tweaked from time to time to respond to changing employee wants and needs. The best way to keep on top of this is to incorporate regular measurement and feedback. Periodic engagement surveys are a good way to do this. You can also gather feedback in real-time by asking employees to respond to daily pulse checks, using a stoplight approach or mood emoji. IBM’s Diane Gherson calls this frequent check-in approach “sentiment analysis,” which gives you a sense of “where you’ve got trouble spots, where your management isn’t strong enough, where groups of people are expressing negative opinions.”

Improve the employee experience with WebMD Health Services.

The importance of a good employee experience can’t be underestimated. Ensuring that each employee’s journey through the organization is positive will always be vital to boosting employee engagement, reducing costly turnover, and ensuring employee well-being. If you need help learning how to improve the employee experience at your workplace, visit our website or contact us at connect@webmd.net.

We know from our own research that Gen Z is faring the worst of all the generations when it comes to mental health, social well-being, financial well-being and a positive employee experience.

So, it’s critical to address these well-being needs with programs to support mental health, financial wellness, and social connectedness in the short-term.

But what is it about this generation that we need to pay special attention to as we consider what well-being programs will look like in the next few years?

They expect employers to be involved in less traditional aspects of well-being.

Members of older generations may view the recent expansion of well-being to include more holistic offerings as “nice-to-have” benefits. Not so for younger generations. These employees expect employers to be involved in their lives outside of the workday. They want programs to help with mental and emotional health, financial wellness, flexible work, time off to volunteer, and onsite daycare and fitness centers.

They want to work for a company that supports the causes they care about.

Younger generations are known for being passionate about climate change, social justice, and diversity and inclusion. They’re also more community-oriented and empathetic to others’ unique experiences—which means they may be more inclined to work for a company that supports diversity and broader social causes. Our research indicates that this could translate into expectations for things like pain medication addiction support, LGBTQ resources, and caregiver support.

They want to be able to access well-being and benefits information quickly.

Digital natives, members of Gen Z have grown up with information at their fingertips, so they like it when things are quick and convenient. If they have to dig deep to find information on well-being programs, they are likely to just give up before they even begin. Organizations must make sure their well-being benefits are easy to find, regularly promoted, and easy to use.

They will require more than a traditional EAP.

The pandemic has thrust EAPs into the spotlight as employees seek more support for mental health. For younger generations, though, the EAP may not be enough. We feel there are other programs that organizations should offer that will resonate more with younger generations. These include meditation apps, resilience training, educational workshops to reduce mental health stigmas in the workplace, mental health coaching, and mental and emotional health podcasts.

The good news? If you offer it, they will use it.

Younger generations are more likely than any other generation to actually use the well-being benefits you provide. For example, having grown up with elevated levels of anxiety and stress, Gen Z employees don’t feel the same type of stigma when it comes to mental health. They are more open to talking about these issues and seeking help when they need it.

Nearly 75% of Gen Z college students will graduate with student loan debt, so they are also extremely likely to take advantage of benefits like student loan repayment programs and financial wellness education.

When it comes to caregiving, this generation has witnessed firsthand their “sandwich generation” Gen X parents simultaneously caring for children and older relatives. It’s no surprise then that 64% of Gen Z respondents in our study indicated that employers should offer caregiving benefits, and will probably use them when the time comes for them to need these programs, too.

While younger generations may seem demanding, it’s not that they want more when it comes to well-being—it’s that they actually need more. If your organization is actively recruiting younger employees, it’s time to think about how you will address their unique well-being needs. Given the correlation between healthy, engaged employees and the bottom line, it will be time well-spent.

It probably comes as no surprise that in our transforming world of work, the top things employees want from an employer are different than they were before the pandemic. When most of us were physically present in an office, it made sense for perks—like fitness centers, free lunches, and yes, maybe a ping-pong table—to be centered around the in-person experience. But today, with a distributed workforce—some working from home, others in the office—the focus has shifted.

What do today’s employees want when it comes to job perks?

Support for mental wellness tops the list and is one of the basics of a well-being program. In a survey conducted by Calm for Business, 97% of respondents said that employers should be working to improve the mental health of their employees, and 76% said that mental health benefits were critical to them when evaluating a new job. It makes sense. The pandemic underscored how critical our mental and emotional health is to staying happy, healthy, and productive.

Employees are also looking for employers to support them in their lives outside of work. We spent a lot of time pre-pandemic trying to maintain the silos between our work and home lives. When work shifted to home for many employees, this became impossible. So, how does this translate into benefits? More support for child and elder care, a robust well-being program, greater flexibility in work location and hours worked, increased parental and caregiver leave, and more time off in general.

Personal finance also became a greater concern and source of stress for employees during the pandemic. Employees now want employers to support them with things like budgeting, debt repayment assistance, and help saving for a major purchase.

And what about that physical workspace? For some companies, it no longer exists. But for those organizations who believe some in-person office time is critical to corporate culture, the office will likely need an overhaul. Those who appreciated the focus time they had working from home will need a dedicated working space without distractions in the office. That said, there also needs to be a space for collaboration and teamwork. If your office doesn’t have intentional areas like these, it may be time to plan a thoughtful redesign.

We’ll also have to solve for the fact that meetings may have both in-person and remote attendees. If you’ve ever been the lone remote person on a call, you know how hard it is to keep pace. Companies will have to invest in the latest technology to ensure that they provide a good experience to all workers.

Those are some of the major themes around what workplace wellness benefits employees want today. Check out this list for more examples and specific alternative employee benefits you can offer.

12 non-traditional benefits employees want now.

1. Mental health benefits.

Caring for mental health is one of the biggest workplace wellness trends—and one we hope will become permanent. Enhanced Employee Assistance Program benefits, apps that link people directly to a counselor, mindfulness and meditation programs, and mental health days are pretty much table stakes for an employer looking to retain people and attract new talent.

2. Flexibility in working hours, days, and location.

Younger workers, especially, want the freedom to structure their workweek in a way that makes the most sense for them. This might mean a compressed workweek or alternate work hours. Working remotely is also a huge factor in people deciding to stay with a current job or take a new one. Learn more in our blog post on The Power of Flexibility: Ways to Give Employees Choice, and Why It Matters.

3. More time off.

Employees are craving more time away from work—even if they’re not taking a proper vacation. Increased vacation time and even unlimited vacation policies are popular. We’re also seeing company-wide three-day weekends, mandated week-long shutdowns, holiday closings, and time off to volunteer.

4. Caregiver support.

The pandemic highlighted how broken our childcare system is. Some employers responded with onsite daycare, office learning pods during school closures, childcare allowances, and backup childcare options. Time off to care for older family members can also be a necessary and valuable benefit. If your family benefits are lacking compared to other organizations these days, it may be time to consider an update—as time goes on, I imagine that family leave options will become a bigger expectation for employees.

5. Opportunities for social connections.

Employees are looking to employers to provide forums for social connection. Whether it’s an in-person gathering or a virtual get-together, employers need to offer ways for employees to connect and maintain a strong workplace culture.

There are easy ways to do this. At WebMD Health Services, we recently set up virtual water cooler chats every other week, where employees can log on and talk about things that aren’t work-related. Some discussions have a theme or topic, but others are open-ended. We also set up chat channels for employees working from the same state to talk about local goings-on and plan a meetup if they wanted to. And as always, we love to sprinkle in some virtual trivia and Bingo days!

6. A more modern workplace.

New spaces that make people feel welcome; places for collaboration as well as focused work; floor plans that can be manipulated for collaboration; creating a relaxing atmosphere with biophilia—plants, greenery, and fountains—and natural lighting will be key to supporting employees who prefer an office setting.

7. Help with finances.

Employees used to assume the companies they worked for only helped them with retirement in the form of 401(k)s. But now, they’re expecting help with student debt, investments, planning for big purchases, and learning common topics like managing debt and creating a budget. Some popular perks that employers can offer include student loan debt repayment programs, identity theft protection, tuition reimbursement, help with budgeting, and financial counseling. Learn more with our blog post covering 6 Reasons Financial Wellness Must Be an Employee Benefit.

8. A comfortable WFH setup.

Those continuing to work remotely want allowances to set up their workspace properly. Maybe they’ve been working from the kitchen table this whole time and need a more ergonomic chair. Or perhaps they’ve been working off a laptop and would be more productive if they had a second monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Stipends can help people set up workspaces that work best for their role and preferences, as well as help cover costs that would typically be covered in the office, like printing or using the internet.

9. Ways to stay physically active.

People want help staying active throughout the day, which is great—getting moving and taking a break from work can increase focus and productivity. Some examples that organizations can offer include online fitness class subscriptions for at-home workouts, subsidies for fitness equipment, and group exercise classes and walking trails for those who are onsite.

At WebMD Health Services, we also use wellness challenges to encourage people to stay active. For example, our Invitational Team Steps Challenge allows participants to compete in small groups to tally the most steps per week, all while motivating them to get outside, get social, and engage in a little healthy competition. It’s always a hit, both for our own employees as well as our clients!

10. Family planning benefits.

Help with family planning remains popular among employees looking to grow their families. This benefit should go beyond just supporting women—instead, it should extend to every person looking to expand their family. Some things I’ve seen employers offer recently include longer family leave times, additional time off for pregnancy loss, and support in areas like fertility treatments, adoption processes, and surrogacy planning.

11. Addiction support.

A study we conducted found that nearly 50% of respondents felt employers should offer support for pain medication addiction. This is a big topic that typically goes unaddressed at work. In fact, researchers are observing both increased quantity and frequency of substance use during the pandemic.¹ The sad truth is that our employees may need support, but we aren’t aware that they’re struggling. Organizations could send reminders to employees about their Employee Assistance Programs to help with addiction. I’ve also seen great outcomes when employers add a confidential, third-party addiction support vendor to their benefits programs. These solutions provide help without employees worrying that their company will find out what they’re going through or that their job is at risk.

12. Employee Resource Groups.

While not necessarily a “perk,” an inclusive environment is a crucial differentiator for employers. Employee resource groups (ERGs) provide a safe place to connect and share with like-minded coworkers. I recommend empowering employees to create and maintain their groups so they can share things they’re interested in and get other people involved without feeling like everything is mandated and overseen by leadership. Some popular resource groups I’ve come across include networks for DE&I, women, working parents, interests in sustainability, advocacy, young professionals, book clubs, and more!

In today’s job market, where workers are exercising choice in the employers they want to work for, the importance of offering non-traditional benefits can’t be underestimated. However, keep in mind that whatever you choose to include, employee perks must align with your company culture and organizational goals. And if you don’t know what your employees want, ask! Listening is the best way to ensure that the perks and benefits you offer actually meet employee expectations.

We tend to think of “community” as the place where we live. But workplaces are a type of community, too. The degree to which employees feel valued, connected, and fulfilled in that community has important implications for both the organizational culture and the business’s health. Before we get into how to build a sense of community at work, we’ll explore why community matters in the workplace and discuss the benefits of nurturing a sense of community.

Why Community in the Workplace Matters

Human beings are, by nature, social creatures. And we rely on interactions with others to fulfill our need for connection and belonging. Considering we spend almost a third of our lives on the job, it makes good sense for organizations to focus on community as one way to improve workplace culture and enhance the well-being of the workforce.

Community is especially important these days as employees re-evaluate what’s important in life and exercise choice in the kinds of organizations they want to work for. As we’re seeing with the Great Resignation—or Great Reshuffle—employees will leave their jobs if they don’t feel the culture supports their values or fulfills their basic need for meaning and connection.

And lest you think that building community in the workplace is just a “nice to have,” a report by Microsoft argues that rebuilding social capital and culture as we adjust to a hybrid world is a business imperative. Dr. Nancy Baym, a researcher at Microsoft, maintains that “cultivating a culture of kindness, fun, and cooperative collaboration is just as important to the bottom line as your daily to-do list.”

So with that as a backdrop, let’s take a deeper look at why community is important in the workplace.

Community provides a sense of belonging.

According to the Society for Human Resources, belonging is the “feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group or place.”¹ It’s a basic human requirement and appears right in the middle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Today, belonging is fundamental as we seek to diversify our workplaces and ensure that they are inclusive for everyone.

It turns out that belonging at work is also good for the bottom line. According to a study by Deloitte Consulting, feeling like you belong can lead to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, and a 75% decrease in sick days. It’s hard to argue with that!

Community gives us a feeling of purpose.

Employees are increasingly questioning their “why.” They want to connect work to something that feels meaningful, whether it’s their personal values, the company’s mission, or charitable work in the broader community. This is especially important to younger generations, who desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Research by Gallup finds that while their compensation is important and must be fair, millennials are motivated more by mission and purpose than by a paycheck.

The sheer nature of helping our colleagues in a mutually supportive community can also give us that sense of purpose. The Academy of Management Journal noted that workplace connections are not only crucial for career advancement and emotional support, but also fulfill a very human desire to serve and give back to others.

Community can help increase psychological safety—and vice versa.

Psychological safety is the shared belief held by team members that others will not embarrass, reject, or punish anyone for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It’s a big buzzword these days, but psychological safety isn’t something you achieve overnight. Instead, a psychologically safe environment is often a by-product of a workplace that already has a strong sense of community where workers have each other’s backs. So, in other words, it works both ways—you must have a good community to feel psychologically safe, and you must practice psychological safety to have a healthy community!

Community combats loneliness.

Loneliness in America has been on the rise since the 1980s, and the workplace is partly to blame. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted in a Washington Post article, “Our social connections are in fact largely influenced by the institutions and settings where we spend the majority of our time. That includes the workplace.”²

A sense of community in the workplace can help ward off loneliness. A study by Cigna found that people who don’t have good connections at work are ten times lonelier than people who report having good relationships with their coworkers. And when organizations actively seek to build community, thereby decreasing loneliness, there are other benefits to the business, like greater retention and lower healthcare costs.

Now that we’ve covered why building community at work is important, let’s dive into some tangible examples of how to build community at work.

How To Create a Sense of Community in the Workplace

There are many examples of community in the workplace that create and maintain meaningful connections between coworkers. What’s important is to be authentic and intentional, and provide a variety of ways to connect—as not all employees will be able to engage in the same way. For example, parents and caregivers may be unintentionally excluded if activities happen after the workday. Community-building activities also need to offer options for both in-office and remote workers.

And if you’re not sure what employees want, just ask! Conduct a few focus groups or send out a quick pulse survey to gauge employee opinion on what’s important to them. Also, simply creating an event will not create community. All levels of leadership need to participate and be visible in the activities and events that you establish. Having a robust number of events with zero leadership involvement can do more harm than good, as employees will wonder if it is okay to participate in the event. They may wonder why leadership does not participate in the cultural community aspects of the organization, creating an unintentional divide amongst the employees.

If you are unsure where to begin, here are some ideas to get you started:

Volunteer together.

Pick a cause that’s close to your organization’s mission, a local charity, or even an employee’s passion project. Get employees excited about participating with lots of communication beforehand and a t-shirt to wear during the event. Can’t get together in person? There are many virtual volunteer opportunities to check out.

Institute a “5-minute catch-up” rule.

It’s tempting to launch right into a meeting agenda, but to create community, we need to devote a least a few minutes to honor the fact that we are humans first and employees second. Encourage employees to intentionally connect with others—ask people how they are or what they did over the weekend, talk about your pets, discuss hobbies, whatever energizes them!

Make sure the physical workspace offers places to connect.

Employee expectations about what workspaces should look like are changing. Microsoft predicts “organizations will require a mix of collaboration, meeting, and focus space, in addition to spaces that encourage informal social interactions.” People want to come to a place that creates the feeling of community they can’t get working from home. Otherwise, they’ll opt to stay remote. If in-person work is important to your company, it’s something to consider.

Use storytelling.

People are culturally and biologically predisposed to love stories. Storytelling at work can help people empathize with one another and feel connected, especially during times of change. During the height of the pandemic, we witnessed how powerful stories could be in bringing us together. So, whether you solicit employee testimonials or ask leaders to weave stories into their communication, don’t overlook the power of this tool to create community.

Support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

ERGs provide a safe place to connect and share with like-minded coworkers. ERGs work best when they have the autonomy to create and maintain their own groups without feeling too much oversight from leadership or HR. I’ve come across some popular community-building resource groups like networks for diversity and inclusion, women, working parents, interests in sustainability, advocacy, young professionals, book clubs, and more!

Leverage digital tools.

Slack channels or workplace social media interest groups can be a great way to stay connected to other employees and build community. For example, at WebMD Health Services, we recently set up chat channels for employees working from the same state to talk about local goings-on and plan a meetup if they wanted to.

We also rolled out a new social media tool for clients in WebMD ONE called Community, which connects employees based on their well-being interests and goals—like exercise, nutrition, sleep, and social connectedness. Once in a group, participants post questions, share stories, and provide encouragement.

Host fun after-hours events.

Whether it’s a happy hour, twilight hike, or potluck picnic in a park, scheduling events after work hours helps coworkers get to know one another more deeply. If your company also works weekends, consider scheduling some events on weekends, too, when those with caregiving responsibilities may have more flexibility.

Establish mentor or peer-coaching programs.

Mentorship has been associated with increased satisfaction at work and greater feelings of acceptance within the organization, and naturally creates a different type of bond between employees. Mentorship also provides much-needed support to underrepresented groups in leadership like women and people of color, thereby helping create a more diverse and inclusive community.

Pay attention to your onboarding experience.

Welcome new employees into the community with intentional activities designed to create connection. Schedule coffee chats or lunch with a different team member each day during their first week or send a personal note from a senior leader welcoming them to the organization. The goal is to make the new employee feel like they’ve joined a caring community.

Create rituals.

If you don’t already have them, it’s smart to create a few rituals that employees can look forward to. This could be anything from celebrating work anniversaries or birthdays to hosting healthy Taco Tuesdays, movie/TV show reviews Mondays, or First Friday pizza. At WebMD Health Services, we have biweekly virtual Water Cooler Chats where anyone can join to take a break, talk about non-work-related topics, and meet new people.

Provide regular recognition.

Praising people formally or informally gives them a sense of accomplishment, makes employees feel valued for their work, and is a great motivator. Both manager-to-direct-report and peer-to-peer recognition can positively impact a sense of community. There are many ways to recognize employees—from formal recognition platforms to simple handwritten notes. The important thing is to make it a regular part of the culture.

Celebrate organizational wins.

Whether it’s onboarding a new client or having an outstanding quarter, celebrate these accomplishments. It could be as simple as toasting a win with a morning cup of coffee or a more elaborate celebration with champagne or cake.

Build cross-connections.

Too often, we only really get to know the people in our direct department. But “weak ties” are also essential to nurture community. Some organizations set up random meetings between coworkers who don’t typically work together. At WebMD Health Services, we recently launched a peer coaching program, where people are assigned a partner from a different department and discuss their goals for professional growth.

Communicate often.

Organizations that maintain regular communication with employees tend to have stronger communities. Our experience with the pandemic is a good example—companies who regularly communicated and were transparent with employees built trust and loyalty versus those who kept employees in the dark. Leadership communication is vital. Leaders can create community by regularly sharing the organization’s mission and how employees’ work ties into it.

Sponsor an athletic team.

Sports aren’t for everyone, but company-sponsored teams are still a good way to create community as they encourage those cross-connections between employees of different departments. Those who aren’t playing can even come out to cheer the team on!

Host a workplace wellness challenge.

Workplace wellness challenges encourage people to stay active and rally the community around a common goal. Clients find that wellness challenges, like our Invitational Team Steps Challenge, strengthen corporate culture by motivating people to get outside, get social, and engage in a little healthy competition. Check out these other wellness challenge ideas for inspiration!

Involve the family.

We’ve had great success both with our clients and internally by involving kids and pets in our programming. We hold yoga classes, family cooking demonstrations, art and photography contests, cutest pet awards, and more. It’s a fun way to connect on a more personal level.

Start your journey to building a sense of community at work with WebMD Health Services

WebMD Health Services is on a mission to help companies truly care for their employees while also impacting business results. If you need help learning how to build a sense of community in your workplace, visit our website or contact us at connect@webmd.net.

Improving work-life balance seems overwhelming, even under normal circumstances. But it doesn’t have to be. Right now, more and more employers are realizing that their employees are feeling stressed, burned out, and exhausted in every aspect of their lives. And since employees spend most of their weekday working, it’s critical organizations take steps to help their employees balance their work and life again.

What is work-life balance? And is balance actually achievable?

Work-life balance means maintaining a good equilibrium between the demands of work and the demands of a personal life, which may include family, friends, hobbies, and other activities that contribute to a well-rounded existence.

But “balance” may not be the exact right word. Achieving balance implies that there is a point in time where work and life get equal attention. In reality, demands on either side tend to ebb and flow, so perhaps work-life harmony, integration, or flex are more apt terms.

The boundaries between work and life have changed dramatically over the years.

To understand how we’ve come to a place where work and life have become harder to separate, it’s helpful to think about how work has changed over the last two centuries.

During the Industrial Revolution work largely moved outside of the home and into the factory. And while the conditions and hours weren’t great, this arrangement at least afforded workers a decent separation between their job and their home life.

Even when “office work” became prevalent in the 1950s, a defined nine-to-five workday and the inability to truly take work home helped to keep this boundary largely intact. But, with the advent of the personal computer, a network connection to the office, and now the mini-computer in our pockets (our phones), there just isn’t a time or place where work cannot conceivably get done—which is a real problem for our well-being.

The pandemic threw a new wrench into the ongoing work-life struggle.

Although essential workers continued to report to a physical workplace—often at great cost to their physical and mental health—those who could work from home during the pandemic did so. Suddenly, the lack of a commute and having to “get ready” for the office freed up time for other pursuits, like exercise, hobbies, and more family time. In fact, Pew Research found that 64% of those who didn’t work from home before the pandemic said it was easier to balance work with their personal life.

But on the flip side, without a commute and an office we also lost those natural boundaries, leading to longer workdays and the feeling that we could never really disconnect from work. And, for caregivers, the concept of “more time in the day” never materialized due to childcare shortages, which persist even now. We need only look at rising rates of burnout and depression, and recent phenomena like the Great Resignation and “quiet quitting,” to appreciate that workers continue to struggle to find the right balance between work and life.

Here are eight tips employers can use to improve work-life balance for their employees:

1. Encourage company leadership to model and promote work-life balance behaviors.

As we’ve been discussing in our blogs on stress and burnout, leaders and managers set the tone for how well the organization lives into its pledge to maintain healthy work-life boundaries. Researchers from ideas42, a nonprofit that uses behavioral science to solve real world problems, noted this about leaders: “While they expressed a desire for better work-life balance — if not for themselves, at least for the rest of their staff — they were often among the worst offenders, texting at 9 PM, emailing over the weekend or at night, and rarely taking vacation.”

Does this ring true for your organization, too? Modeling appropriate work-life balance starts at the top, so urge leaders to examine the signals they might be sending to their staff members. You can even ask leaders to create visible boundaries, like blocking time for family or exercise on their calendar. Once employees see their leadership team taking time to manage their home lives, they’ll feel more empowered to make their own boundaries and begin balancing work and life.

2. Bury the “busyness culture” and share a new vision of what an ideal worker looks like for your organization.

In the U.S., we suffer from a “work first” culture which means “work is presumed to be the dominant force in our lives,” according to organizational psychologist, Adam Grant. This often translates to viewing long hours as a badge of honor or a measure of dedication to the job. Grant also notes that the perceived need to “keep monitoring our communication channels, ready to drop everything at any time” interferes with our ability to make space for leisure and rest and can contribute to work-life imbalance and burnout. This is why it’s so important for managers and co-workers alike to set and respect boundaries around response time, non-work hours, and time off.

As this Harvard Business Review article points out, perhaps it’s time to communicate that “an ideal worker in the 21st century is someone who does great work, is well-rested and healthy, and has a great life outside of work.” As a well-being organization, that is definitely a sentiment we support!

3. Ask, “Do we really need a meeting for this?”

Take a hard look at your organization’s meeting culture. If employees’ calendars are filled with back-to-back meetings, consider alternative ways to seek input or decisions. Have managers hold “office hours” so anyone can drop in and get a quick question answered. Teams could schedule Slack chats for a certain time of the day to brainstorm with co-workers. The point is to make meetings time well-spent, leaving room in the day to do focused work. That way, employees don’t feel like they must work late to catch up on projects they couldn’t work on during the day.

4. Be the company that every parent wants to work for.

One of the pandemic’s silver linings was that having a family—and being open about it to colleagues and managers—was no longer considered taboo. What a great thing for working parents! Companies began implementing free back-up childcare, company-sponsored remote learning pods, flexible work hours, sabbaticals, and extended paid family leave.

Don’t abandon these types of work-life supports even though the pandemic is over. If organizations want to keep their best employees—many of whom have children—they should maintain these safety nets to foster a better work-life balance.

5. Consider the “fake commute.”

If you work from home, gone are the days of listening to a podcast or music during your commute, which served as a healthy buffer zone before and after our busy days. Now, you start Zoom meetings shortly after waking and don’t stop until the sun has set. Some have combatted this problem by adopting a so-called “fake commute.” A short drive to grab coffee before starting work gives us some time to ease into the day; a 30-minute walk at the end of the day sends our bodies and brains the signal that it’s time to stop working.

6. Bring back the lunch hour.

Sure, some days we eat at our desks, but working in the office gives us the chance to grab a bite in the cafeteria or at a local restaurant. Make sure to take advantage of that! If you’re working from home, there’s seemingly no reason to stop working just to eat. And sometimes, we feel like we have to eat at our desks so we don’t miss any important emails.

But taking this break is essential. First, it’s a chance to give our eyes a rest from our screens. Second, it encourages us to take a break away from work to reset and recharge. Doing this can help people come back to their job feeling productive, engaged and focused. If your organization needs help convincing employees that it’s okay to step away, try mandating no meetings between 12 and 1.

7. Embrace flexibility in the workday

It’s importance to provide workplace flexibility. Allowing employees to set their own schedules can help alleviate some of the pain points of work-life integration. It enables parents to be there for school drop-off or pickup; lets caregivers attend doctor appointments; and helps employees manage a chronic condition or undergo regular medical treatments. It also allows people to work during the hours when they feel most productive. Compressed workweeks (same number of hours in a shorter time period) and four-day work weeks are more radical approaches to flexibility that are working for some organizations.

We also need to allow for more flexibility to take breaks during the workday. A team of researchers found that to build resilience at work we need to have both internal and external recovery periods. This means scheduling breaks during the workday for rejuvenating activities like walks, stretching, exercise, or meditation (internal recovery), and ensuring that employees also get enough free time at night, on weekends, and on vacation (external recovery).

8. Put supports in place to make it easier to take paid time off.

One of the reasons people cite for not taking a vacation is that it’s too stressful to make sure every aspect of work is buttoned up before leaving—not to mention the full screen of unopened emails we face when we come back. How about building in a paid transition day before and after vacation so that it’s less daunting? Or we could simply designate those buffer days as “vacation prep days,” where we don’t take meetings and block our calendars for focus time.

And at the end of the day, we all deserve a break. Just because we may not be traveling right now or taking the vacations we dream of, it’s still important to schedule time off. Even if we just lounge in our homes for a couple of days, it can do wonders for our mental health and productivity levels. So, encourage your employees to continue taking time off for rest, relaxation and self-care.

Building a Work Culture that Promotes Work-Life Integration

Of course, we’ve just scratched the surface in terms of what employers can do to inject more work-life harmony into employees’ lives. But, at its most basic, creating a work culture that fosters better integration between work and life is just about acknowledging that people are humans first, workers second.

Laura Fuentes, executive vice president and chief human resource officer at Hilton, sums it up this way: “People are looking for a human experience at work. They don’t want a work experience. They don’t want life to fit into a good job. They want work to fit into a good life.”

This sentiment can serve as a good guide as we continue to work on implementing new policies, benefits, and ways of working that foster better work-life integration and lead to healthier, happier, more productive and engaged employees.

If you’re interested in learning how to better support the well-being of your workforce, visit our website or contact us at connect@webmd.net.

There’s no disputing that well-being programs deliver key benefits to companies—like greater engagement, a deeper sense of belonging, the potential for improved health, and greater productivity. Given these benefits, many companies today recognize the importance of extending well-being programs to employees across the globe. In fact, Business Group on Health’s May 2023 Employer Sponsored Health and Well-Being Survey found that about two-thirds of global employers have a globally consistent well-being strategy.

But don’t be mistaken—offering a well-being program to your global employees doesn’t mean you can simply copy and paste the well-being program you offer at headquarters. To truly make a global well-being program relevant and engaging, you must tailor it to the needs, preferences and customs of each location or region.

In the process of expanding WebMD Health Services’ global capabilities to over 190 countries across Europe, the Far East, and Latin America, we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make a well-being program culturally relevant. Here are some things to consider:

Listening and feedback.

Start by getting a feel for what global employees want in a well-being program. You can do a pulse survey, hold a town hall, or solicit input in team meetings. It’s also smart to collect any data you may have on usage and opinions of current well-being offerings, like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Be sure to report back to employees what you heard and how you’ll reflect their feedback in the program.

Cultural sensitivity and awareness.

A well-being program must understand and respect the cultural norms, values, and beliefs of diverse populations. For example, asking for mental health support is taboo in some cultures, so you may need to approach a topic like this carefully.

Pro-tip: Appoint wellness champions for each location or region. These individuals can serve as a sounding board to ensure cultural relevance.

Communication.

Frequent communication is essential for getting your global population engaged. But it’s crucial that the communication looks, feels and sounds like it’s intended for that location or region. For example, in the Middle East the color red signifies danger and caution , while in China red symbolizes good fortune and happiness. Likewise, images of women in workout clothing would not be appropriate in certain cultures. This is another area where your wellness champions can help.

Pro-tip: Storytelling is a great communication tactic for getting employees to engage with the well-being program. Enlist local employees to share stories of how they achieved their health goals.

Language accessibility.

English is the official language of business, but when it comes to well-being it’s best to communicate in the local language. You may be tempted to only use machine learning (ML) for this translation task, but human translators are important when dealing with clinical or health information that requires more nuance.

Customization and personalization.

The best global well-being solutions offer a high degree of customization and segmentation so that benefits are culturally relevant and appropriate. The last thing a global employee wants to see is a benefit or program that’s not available in their region. Also, because well-being is so personal, it’s key for global employees to be able to customize their experience based on their preferences, interests, and health goals.

Global health considerations.

Make sure your well-being program addresses the specific health challenges faced by different populations and offers resources and programs accordingly. This could include managing common infectious diseases or chronic conditions, and combatting taboos around mental health.

Workplace policies.

Review any workplace policies and procedures that may impede everyone’s ability to participate equally in wellness activities. For example, call center employees may find it hard to get more movement throughout the day; building in small breaks will allow these desk-based employees to participate in things like walking wellness challenges.

Leadership.

In order for a well-being program to succeed globally, local leadership needs to be on board. Create a briefing package for leaders or managers that outlines what the well-being program is, why it’s important, and the specific support you need from them. Also emphasize that leaders play a key role in modeling healthy behaviors, which gives employees “permission” to engage in those behaviors themselves.

Developing a well-being program that feels relevant to global employees and motivates them to engage with it isn’t easy, but it can be done. If you’d like help expanding well-being program access to your global populations, contact us at connect@webmd.net.

With many competing financial priorities and an uncertain economic landscape, it can be hard to convince senior leaders that a well-being program is worth the time and expense.

6 ways to gain senior leadership buy-in for a new well-being program:

1. Present a well-researched business case.

Cost-savings. Well-being programs often lead to substantial savings in health care costs, workers’ compensation and disability management claims.

Financial performance. A study of companies who received the Koop Health Award (awarded to organizations with outstanding workplace well-being programs) found that these organizations outperformed the S&P 500 index for the 14 years tracked. In fact, these organizations’ stock value appreciated by 325% compared with the market average appreciation of 105% for that period.

Increased engagement and retention. Studies have shown that organizations who invest in the well-being of their employees have higher employee engagement and retention.

Higher productivity. Better employee health can lead to reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, which increases productivity. Given the fact that illness-related lost productivity costs U.S. employers $530 billion per year, this is not insignificant.

Pro-tip: Tailor your pitch to the particular challenges your organization is facing.

• Is the organization experiencing high turnover? Remind leaders of the cost of turnover (estimated at one half to two times an employee’s annual salary) and make the link between employee well-being and retention .
• Are engagement scores low? Cite data that shows how engagement can impact profitability. Gallup offers numerous studies to demonstrate how high employee engagement has a measurable impact on business outcomes and the bottom line.

2. Benchmark your organization against industry peers or competitors.

Wellness programs are becoming an increasingly important to employees, especially those of younger generations. In fact, it’s estimated that over 50% of companies now offer some aspect of well-being services. Highlight areas where your organization’s approach to well-being is lagging compared to competitors, and explain how the proposed well-being program can help bridge the gap. Ask your intended well-being provider to share case studies of like clients who have successfully implemented a well-being program. To engage leaders on a more personal level, provide examples of other senior leaders who have endorsed corporate wellness programs in their own organizations.

3. Show alignment with organizational goals.

Demonstrate how the well-being program aligns with the company’s mission and vision, and how a healthier and happier workforce can contribute to a positive culture and organizational success. For example, if your values include employee well-being, make the link between this and the implementation of the well-being program.

4. Leverage employee feedback.

A solid proposal to leadership includes employee feedback. Share survey or focus group results and include specific comments that point to employees’ desire for a well-being program. Show how the workplace health improvement plan will address specific feedback garnered from employees.

5. Identify leadership allies.

Building a culture of health goes beyond Human Resources and should be a company-wide mission. This is why it’s critical to seek out influential leaders within the organization who are already supportive of well-being initiatives and enlist their support as advocates to help sway other leaders.

6. Propose a pilot program.

Suggest starting with a small-scale pilot program to demonstrate the effectiveness of the well-being initiatives. This approach allows you to gather data and testimonials before expanding the program.

Above all, remember that building buy-in is an ongoing process. Be ready to answer questions, offer additional information, and adapt your approach based on the feedback you receive from leadership.

6 ways to sustain leadership support for an existing employee well-being program:

Whether you’ve had a well-being program in place for a year or 10 years, it’s critical to continually demonstrate its value to leadership. Here are ways to sustain support:

1. Share regular updates on the progress and impact of the well-being program.

Track employee participation rates over time for things like Health Assessments, wellness challenges, participation in clinical management programs and engagement with the well-being platform. Use metrics, data, and key performance indicators to demonstrate how the program is impacting health care costs, employee engagement, retention, and overall well-being. Make the connection back to the organization’s strategic goals and values.

2. Invite employee success stories.

Seek testimonials that show how the well-being program positively affected employees’ work and personal lives and share with leadership. Regularly conduct surveys to garner employee feedback on the well-being program to show how it is responding to employee needs and changing circumstances.

3. Continue to benchmark.

Continuously compare the well-being program to industry best practices and benchmarks and offer insights on how the organization is performing in comparison to like organizations. Encourage companies to apply for industry awards to get public recognition for their well-being program efforts.

4. Involve leadership in the well-being program.

Well-being programs with leadership involvement tend to have higher participation. Encourage leadership to actively participate in the well-being program so they can experience its value first-hand, while also sending a powerful message to employees that well-being is a core organizational value. If possible, appoint a publicly visible executive sponsor who is willing to talk about the well-being program at town hall events and share personal stories to help bring the program to life.

5. Enlist manager support.

Managers are the front line to employees so find ways to involve them in health promotions, such as inter-departmental wellness challenges or “well-being minutes” they can use during weekly team meetings. Also, don’t forget to seek managers’ feedback on the well-being program as employees will often share candid opinions with their manager.

6. Remind leaders of how the well-being program can help with organizational change.

Change is a constant in today’s world. A well-being program can help smooth transitions for organizations who are going through a restructure, merger, or acquisition. A well-being program unites different parts of the organization around the shared goal of health, increasing camaraderie and impacting culture in a positive way.

 Need help constructing your well-being program pitch to leadership or continuing to show the value of your well-being program? Contact us at connect@webmd.net.

The link between benefits and culture.

Organizational culture is one of the most important factors in an employee’s decision to stay with a company or leave to seek employment elsewhere. And, in the wake of the pandemic, the Great Resignation/Reshuffle and “quiet quitting,” it’s become even more critical.

While there are many things that contribute to a healthy corporate culture, the impact of employee benefits on workplace culture shouldn’t be underestimated. In fact, a study conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management found that “all benefits are now individually viewed as more important for businesses to offer than they were prior to the pandemic.” The study also found that the pandemic forever changed the importance of specific types of benefits, including mental health benefits, flexible work and family care benefits.¹

Making sure that your benefits align with your corporate culture is therefore essential for creating a workforce that is happy and engaged. For example, if your organization values work-life balance, then benefits might include things like flexible work, caregiving benefits, and parental leave. Similarly, if you value a worker well-being, benefits to support mind and body should be a part of your benefits package.

Use the annual enrollment period to highlight how your benefits improve company culture.

Recent Gallup research finds that just 1 in 4 employees strongly agree that their organization cares about their overall well-being. So along with the requisite messages about signing up for traditional benefits like medical, dental, and life insurance, use this opportunity to showcase how the benefits you offer support the kind of culture you are trying to create.

Here are some examples of benefits to highlight:

Mental health benefits.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s report Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being revealed that 76% of American workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition and 81% said they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future.

Given these shocking statistics, use this year’s enrollment to remind employees of the mental health services that are available to them, including:

• Employee Assistance Programs—emphasize that counseling sessions are free and confidential
• Medical plan behavioral health benefits
• Mental health apps that allow people to chat with a counselor via text
• Mindfulness and meditation programs
• Mental health days available through the PTO program

If you are sending a manager-specific communication during annual enrollment, it’s a good opportunity to reacquaint managers with any tools you may offer to help them promote good mental health on their teams. True, managers don’t need to be mental health counselors, but as the front line to employees and because managers have a large impact on employee mental health, it’s important to offer them support for how to:

• Identify an employee who may be burned out.
• Have a conversation with an employee about mental health.
• Help employees set boundaries for better work-life integration.
• Set realistic expectations for workloads.
• Recognize and reward employees for a job well done.

Workplace flexibility.

A ManpowerGroup survey found that nearly 40 percent of global candidates say the ability to structure work in a way that best integrates with their lives is now among the top three factors they consider when making career decisions. To show how your culture values flexibility, make sure to remind employees of the policies that support it, like:

• The option to work remotely at least part of the time
• Compressed or four-day workweeks
• Alternate work hours that align better with family responsibilities or personal productivity
• Unlimited paid time off
• Choice and control in work shifts for those who can’t work remotely, including self-scheduling, shift-swapping, part-time work, and job sharing
• No-meeting Fridays

Caregiver support.

The pandemic highlighted how broken our childcare system is and the need for private employers to step up with additional support so employees—particularly women—can work. In response to growing demand, many employers now offer onsite daycare (if they didn’t already), childcare allowances, backup childcare options, and elder care benefits for those taking care of older family members. Caregiving support can also include paid parental leave for both parents who are welcoming a new child through birth, adoption, or surrogacy.

Storytelling works well to highlight these types of benefits that showcase a culture of caring. In your enrollment materials you might include a few testimonials of employees who are using these benefits to make their caregiving roles easier.

Financial wellness.

PwC’s 2023 Employee Financial Wellness Survey notes that the vast majority of employees want employers to provide financial wellness support that goes beyond simply helping with retirement. Include information on the financial wellness benefits you offer, including:

• Student loan debt repayment programs
• Budgeting assistance
• Help saving for big purchases like buying a home or sending a child to college
• Identity theft protection
• Retirement planning
• Paycheck flexibility, including choosing pay dates and allowing for “earned wage access” that lets employees access their earned pay prior to payday to help with unexpected expenses

Physical activity and nutrition.

Organizations with a culture of well-being know that bursts of physical activity throughout the day actually increase productivity and focus versus detracting from work time. Use the annual enrollment period to highlight why it’s important to take breaks and offer ways employees can incorporate more movement into their days through:

• Onsite or remote fitness classes
• Walk-and-talk meetings
• Onsite health coaching sessions
• Stepping away for a 20-minute daily walk or aiming for at least 250 steps per hour
• Periodic wellness challenges

Similarly, make sure to highlight the healthy food options you offer to show alignment with physical well-being. This could include grab-and-go healthy dinners from the cafeteria, meal kit services, healthy cooking classes and webinars.

Family planning and inclusive health care benefits.

Help with family planning remains popular among employees and demonstrates caring not only for the employee, but their family as well. These benefits might include longer family leave times, additional time off for pregnancy loss, and support in areas like fertility treatments, adoption processes, and surrogacy planning. Remember to incorporate LGBTQ+ friendly family planning benefits so that your offerings are equitable across all employees, not just women. Many inclusive workplaces now also offer comprehensive health benefits for trans and transitioning employees.

Annual enrollment’s main goal is to help employees select the benefits that are right for them and their families for the coming year. But, given that you’ll have their attention, it’s also a great time to highlight the additional perks and benefits you offer to help support employees and their families across their whole lives. Making the connection between benefits and your company culture is not only critical to helping employees understand the investment you are making in them, but can also lead to greater engagement and retention in the long-term. For help ensuring that the benefits you offer send the right message around employee well-being, contact us at connect@webmd.net.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” and identifies three classic symptoms:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• Reduced professional efficacy (a measure of confidence in and ability to complete work tasks).

Gallup found that while these symptoms of burnout have lessened for individual contributors over the past couple of years, burnout remains high among middle managers. So what is going on?

A recent Harvard Business Review article sums up the unique issue of manager burnout well: “Managers have had to guide their employees through a pandemic and its aftermath, facing situations that have required them to lead with empathy while managing escalating demands with potentially fewer resources—all while receiving little recognition for their efforts.”¹

The Nature of the Manager Role Has Changed

While there are likely many factors contributing to the escalation in manager burnout, two new developments stand out:

The skills required to be a manager are different now.

Managers have always been saddled with a dual responsibility—getting their own work done while also making sure that their direct reports know what’s expected of them, and have the right training and skills to achieve their goals. But now, in the wake of the pandemic, a social justice reckoning, global unrest, the Great Resignation/Reshuffle and more, managers are being additionally called upon to lead with empathy; to be able to have conversations about mental health with employees; and to help team members feel more connected and valued in the workplace. It’s a tall task.

Hybrid work arrangements have made the job of a manager more difficult.

Finding the balance between in-person and remote work is taking a toll on managers. Many leaders want employees to come back to the office, while most employees prefer to work remotely at least part of the time. Managers are stuck in the middle of this tug-of-war. As Gallup states, “They are the translators and the scapegoats.”²

Hybrid work has also made the sheer act of managing more challenging. It’s not easy to coordinate the activities of employees who are on different schedules and might be working from numerous locations. For some managers, it’s also harder to monitor output and track employee progress. A Microsoft study found that 85% of leaders say the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence that employees are being productive.

Gallup also claims that managers can no longer rely on their peer manager networks for real-time help, advice and support—which not only makes their jobs harder, but also less enjoyable.³

Manager Burnout Is a Significant Retention Risk

Microsoft studied the degree to which the classic symptoms of burnout influenced a manager’s decision to leave the company. They found that managers experiencing:

• Exhaustion are nearly two times more likely to leave compared to managers not experiencing it;
• Cynicism are three times as likely to leave;
• A lack of professional efficacy are three times more likely to leave the company; and
• All three symptoms are five times more likely to leave compared to a manager experiencing none.

So clearly manager burnout is a significant retention issue, and not just for the manager population. It stands to reason that employees who report to burned out managers may also decide to leave the company if they feel they are not being adequately managed and supported.

How to Mitigate Manager Burnout

Here are several ideas for how organizations can focus on providing the support and care managers need to cope with burnout:

Don’t neglect managers’ own growth and development.

Middle managers often spend so much time ensuring their team members have goals and a career path that they can feel a little stuck themselves. This may lead to feelings of disengagement and frustration. It’s crucial to discuss managers’ goals regularly to ensure they feel heard. Then, work together to articulate a career path that will help them feel fulfilled in their work. This may include new projects or a different scope of work that can inject new energy and life into their role to increase feelings of professional efficacy.

Focus on well-being and self-care.

It goes without saying that giving managers the tools to focus on all the dimensions of their well-being is key, including physical health, mental health, clinical management, financial wellness and social connections. Many well-being programs, including WebMD’s, have specific solutions to address these needs. Managers also need to feel they have permission to tend to their own care as well as that of their team.

Ensure managers feel connected to the purpose and mission of the organization.

All employees increasingly want to be able to connect what they do each day to the overall mission of the company. This is even more true for managers who must, in turn, impart this sense of purpose to employees. Senior leaders must therefore clearly define goals, milestones and success metrics for managers.

Provide more training in soft skills, like empathy.

While being empathetic comes naturally to some managers, it’s not true for all. After all, many managers were promoted to lead teams based on their own job success, not necessarily because they are inherently good people managers. The good news is that empathy is a skill that can be taught, including how to be a better listener, how to put oneself in someone else’s shoes, and how to be more present in interactions with employees.

Support managers in having emotional conversations with employees.

The pandemic broke down many of the barriers between work and life, which is a great thing, but it also means that managers are now more regularly discussing emotional and mental health concerns with employees. Help make this new part of their role easier by providing training, toolkits, job aids, and talking points.

Create a psychologically safe environment for managers, too.

A psychologically safe workplace isn’t just essential for line employees. Managers also need to feel they can speak up about burnout without the fear of being embarrassed, rejected, or humiliated. Manager Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can provide a forum for this type of sharing and support. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) can also help.

Recognize and reward managers’ efforts.

Like other employees, managers want to feel their efforts are seen and valued. A quick note from a senior leader, a mention on the company’s recognition platform, or even a small token like a spot reward or additional time off can make a manager feel valued and combat symptoms of burnout.

Give managers permission to truly take time off.

Burnout results from a number of factors, including unrealistic expectations, an overly demanding workload, and lack of support—so simply taking time off isn’t a cure-all. It does give managers the time and space to recharge, though, but only if their time away is respected. Urge managers to set good boundaries around time off so that they can return to work feeling more refreshed.

Be flexible.

Flexibility is one of the most important tools we have as leaders to help our managers with stress and burnout. Whether that means working non-standard hours, compressing a workweek, taking a personal or mental health day, or leaving early to pick up a child or attend an event, it’s important to give managers the authority to do what they need to do to make their life work.

Managers have always been the “sandwich generation” of the workforce—balancing the demands of leadership with the needs of their own team. But recent developments have made their roles more complex and demanding, resulting in managers feeling overworked and burned out. It’s critical for organizations to recognize the signs of burnout as a manager and take steps to help combat it with a focus on well-being, flexibility, and additional training. If you’d like help supporting your managers, contact us at connect@webmd.net.