New Research From Fidelity and Business Group on Health Finds 95% of Employers Now Include Emotional and Mental Health Programs in Well-Being Platforms
As the global pandemic and resulting financial crisis continue to impact how and where employees work, 95% of employers around the globe now include emotional and mental health programs in their corporate well-being platforms, according to the 11th annual Health and Well-Being Survey from Fidelity Investments and Business Group on Health.
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“Employers are facing a completely different set of well-being challenges this year as they and their employees try to adapt to changes to their physical work environment or their job status”
The study is designed to provide a snapshot of the current well-being landscape and a glimpse of what companies have planned for the future. The survey was fielded last fall and prior to the pandemic, and some employers may be adjusting their well-being strategies going forward – but many of the results are even more applicable to the current workplace environment.
The survey’s findings suggest that emotional and mental health programs can be particularly valuable to employees who may be adjusting to working from home or may have had changes to their workspace due to health safety. Examples of commonly offered mental/emotional help programs included teletherapy, which will be offered by 69% of employers this year, along with stress management (50%) and resiliency programs (49%). Another 33% of employers will offer programs to help improve sleep, up from 25% in 2019.
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Employers are also increasing their emphasis on helping employees improve their work/life balance, with 78% of employers including these types of benefits in their well-being platforms. Popular work/life balance benefits include caregiver support (46%), programs and tools for new parents (36%) and child care support (35%).
“Employers are facing a completely different set of well-being challenges this year as they and their employees try to adapt to changes to their physical work environment or their job status,” said Shams Talib, head of Fidelity Workplace Consulting, a division of Workplace Investing, which helps multinational organizations design and manage leading employee benefit strategies and supporting programs. “The study results are consistent with the thousands of calls we’ve been having with plan sponsors since the pandemic began. The expanded focus on mental and emotional well-being comes at a time when a growing number of employees may be facing increased anxiety and stress based on the evolving social and economic landscape.”