Workforce Stress Is High; Wellness Benefit Usage Is Low

Although employers design wellness benefits to boost well-being among their workforce, many employees do not know how to find information about these benefits or say the benefits were never communicated to them in the first place. That is according to a workplace communication and well-being study conducted by employee experience platform Firstup.

In its survey of 1,000 full- and part-time workers in the U.S., Firstup found:

55% of respondents said stress contributed to feelings of burnout.
48% said stress diminished their motivation.
37% believed it negatively affected their overall work performance.

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Wellness Woes: Why Aren’t Employees Using Your Benefits?

Despite workforce demand for wellness programs to mitigate such stress, the survey found:

25% of respondents didn’t know where to find information about these benefits or the information was never communicated to them.
22% found their provided wellness program options to be unsatisfactory.
Just 28% have taken advantage of these benefits, and 23% are unlikely to do so.

“When employees are struggling with their well-being, it’s difficult for them to perform efficiently,” said Casey Hauch, managing director of employee experience at WTW. “High choice and sufficient benefits options positively impact employee perceptions on work culture ... and their overall trust in employer selection of well-being.”

Why Awareness and Usage Are Low

Although employers have made significant investments in well-being programs in recent years, Hauch stated that several factors contribute to low participation, including poor communication, ineffective programs and a lack of manager support.

The Firstup survey noted 15% of employees are unaware of whether their employer even offers wellness benefits. The survey also found that, while 48% of organizations rely on email to communicate these benefits, this approach may not be effective for the 54% of workers who are either deskless or spend only part of their day connected to email.

Laine Thomas Conway, vice president for engagement services strategy and enablement at Alight, said a lack of attention, time and money were the three biggest reasons for low employee engagement with their wellness benefits. She explained employers should make benefits more affordable and do more to communicate what benefits are available as well as how to use them.

How to Raise Engagement

To improve communication and awareness of wellness benefits and programs, Hauch and Thomas Conway provided the following leading practices for employers:

Communicate your offerings. Employers should promote usage and encourage action. If employees do not know how to use their benefits, they won’t do so.
Provide training for managers. Teach managers how to talk to their direct reports about wellness benefits and show a sincere interest in their well-being. Managers also need the right tools and support to communicate effectively.
Offer a “one-stop shop” wellness benefits resource. Employees should be able to engage with their wellness benefits programs quickly and conveniently. Ideally, employers should offer online and mobile portals. This reduces the burden on busy HR departments and encourages participation.
Strengthen your team’s social well-being. Employees with a high social well-being at work are more likely to actively participate in wellness programs and contribute positively to their workplace. Community-building activities in the workplace can help employees feel a greater sense of social connectedness and belonging at work.
Regularly revise and update benefits programs. It’s important for employers to offer, promote, personalize and maximize wellness benefits. By encouraging employees to take advantage of these benefits, employers can strengthen their well-being and return on investment with wellness initiatives. Employees who feel their needs are being met are less likely to look for a new employer and are more motivated to stay with an organization.

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