When it comes to wellness, the message is really quite clear: Always get to the root of the problem, instead of simply treating the symptoms.  That same advice can apply to benefits advisors and employers looking to provide benefits that help employees improve their financial wellness. This is especially relevant when trying to help employees who are coping with stress.  Consider the following: Many Americans are struggling with unhealthy levels of stress and it's taking its toll:

• According to the American Psychological Association's 12^th Annual Stress in America survey, almost half of the respondents reported laying awake at night due to stress.
• About half of the general population stresses over financial concerns, while more than two-thirds of millennials report having moderate to high levels of anxiety about savings and income, according to a Northwestern Mutual survey.
• These young employees, who comprise the largest and fastest growing generation in the U.S. workforce, commonly struggle with heavy student debt burden, a lack of financial planning knowledge and fear of costly risks.
• A study conducted by PWC found that employees who are stressed about their finances are nearly five times more likely to be distracted at work and are twice as likely to spend three hours or more at work dealing with financial matters.

While all this stress is unsettling for individuals, it also has a debilitating effect on their employers. American businesses lose more than $300 billion every year because of employees' stress-related issues that are negatively affecting productivity, absenteeism, turnover and out-of-pocket medical, insurance and legal costs, according to statistics cited in an ARAG study.

Take, for example, the impact of employee stress on an employer's health insurance premiums. Employees with high stress levels are two times as likely to have a heart attack as other employees, three times more likely to have ulcers and 500 percent more likely to experience increases in anxiety and depression.

With stress eating away at employee wellness and productivity, it's not surprising that employers are looking to offer benefits that will help employees cope. Walking groups, massages and Friday afternoon beer carts are some of the initiatives that employers have used to help employees breathe a sigh of relief in today's go-go world.