Employees stress on the rise as wellness benefits become more inaccessible
Of organizations who offer employee wellness programs, the report found that only 28% have taken advantage of them and 23% say they are unlikely to do so.
Many U.S. employees report high stress levels as a result of their jobs and there is not enough adequate communication around the wellness benefits available to them. A new report by Firstup, a California-based intelligent communication platform, found that 60% of full or part-time working adults who identified themselves as stressed, reported that their jobs were a significant contributing factor.
Stress not only affects employees personally, but the organization as whole. The report found that over half (55%) of respondents said their stress contributes to feelings of burnout, diminishes their motivation (48%) and negatively affects overall work performance (37%).
Based on this information, there’s a strong need for improved employee wellness programs, however many companies don’t offer them or they are underutilized. Over one-third of employees said their organization does not offer employee wellness programs such as gym membership reimbursements, mental health resources or preventative health screenings.
Of organizations who do offer employee wellness programs, the report found that only 28% have taken advantage of them and 23% say they are unlikely to do so, suggesting a disconnect between programs’ availability and employees’ perception of their value, according to the report.
“As leaders, we can no longer ignore the employee wellness crisis,” said Nicole Alvino, Firstup CEO. “We are asking more from our people, and we need to ensure we are supporting their wellbeing and caring for them as whole people. It’s on us to get them the wellness programs and support they need to thrive. It’s not enough to just offer a benefit, then bury this information and hope they find it. We must ensure every employee receives the wellness information they need, where and when they need it, whether as a desk or in the field.”
Related: Employees prioritize better health benefits over higher salary, survey finds
The report found that a quarter of respondents said they either don’t know where to find information about wellness benefits or the information was never communicated to them. Additionally, 15% of employees said they are unaware of whether or not their company even offers wellness benefits to them.
In order to best address this harmful communication gap, the report recommends that organizations tailor their approach to sharing wellness benefits information with employees. With over 80% of the workforce being deskless, employers can help ensure that information is accessible by using more appropriate channels such as mobile, web or integrated with tools such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.