The Evolution Of Health And Wellness Benefits

Why employers are going beyond step challenges, snacks and health insurance

The Covid-19 pandemic affected workplaces across the globe in many different ways. From businesses being forced to shut down, to stay-at-home and remote work orders, the workplace as we knew it changed almost overnight. Fast forward to today, two years later, and workplaces are continuing to evolve. One of the biggest changes we continue to see is the evolution of employee benefits.

Before the pandemic, employee benefits were pretty straightforward, focusing more on improving work-life balance and creating an exciting and enticing office environment. Benefits outside of health care and vision plans included things like free snacks, parking reimbursements, cell phone stipends, etc. However, as a result of the pandemic, employees are putting more emphasis on their own health and wellness over these office perks and pushing for employers to adapt.
 

Why has this shift in workplace benefits occurred? In what ways are employers reacting and what sort of benefits are there that focus on improving employee health and wellness? This piece will answer these questions and more by exploring the evolution of health and wellness benefits and why employers are revisiting their offerings to include holistic health programs.

Pre-Pandemic 

Health and wellness benefits may have been top of mind for some employers, however, most struggled with implementing them. Furthermore, of those that did invest in expensive workplace wellness programs, most did not see a return on investment nor an improvement in health outcomes for employees. Typically, employees would see optional gym memberships or healthy in-office food offerings in their benefits instead of full-fledged programs.

While gym memberships and office snacks are a good place to start, employee wellness programs should also include an educational element to highlight why healthy habits matter. Whether it's content that employees can use to better understand what healthy habits are or nutritional guidance from a coach, these educational aspects provide knowledge and empower individuals to improve their health.

Pandemic

Once the pandemic hit and employees across the globe were forced into remote work, gym memberships and healthy office snacks were no longer suitable offerings for employees. This is when the evolution of health and wellness benefits accelerated.

What started with recognition of workplace burnout, inflexible work hours, insufficient mental health support, and added stress quickly shifted into a look at employees’ holistic health and what employers could do to improve not one, but multiple, aspects of employees’ lives. Not only did employers begin recognizing that employee benefits can be life-changing for their workforce, especially those centered around mental and physical health, but employees also did as well - and were vocalizing it.

We saw a shift with more employers offering enhanced health benefits, expanding wellness offerings, and enhancing physical health benefits through technology such as virtual workouts. While this was a move in the right direction, it was still just scratching the surface of what health and wellness programs could do for both employees and employers from an educational and holistic health perspective.

Post-Pandemic

Today, health and wellness benefits outpace the traditional employee benefits such as cell phone allowance, free food, coffee or snacks in the office, and even remote work. More employers have realized the tangible benefits these programs have on the workforce and their overall bottom line. 

The pandemic also shined a light on the need for holistic health programs that incorporate mental and physical health vs. standard calorie counting or step counting apps. The benefits can be seen from both the employee and employer perspectives, as implementing holistic health and wellness programs has been shown to encourage employees to adopt healthy habits while improving retention, reducing health insurance claims, and minimizing absenteeism. Holistic health programs also bring in the educational aspect of health and wellness most apps or offerings tend to leave behind.

In 2022 and beyond, I expect to see an increased focus on holistic health benefits for employees. Mental health resources, mood tracking, and health literacy resources can help counteract the negative health impact caused by increased isolation and uncertainty. The most successful organizations will be investing in resources that provide employees with the tools to take an active role in their physical and mental health. I think we’re only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to health and wellness offerings and believes we have a generation of workers who will latch onto these programs rather quickly and will demand the same from their employers.

While the pandemic opened our eyes to problems with health and wellness in the workplace, it also encouraged change and introduced ways for employees and employers to improve. It put a spotlight on what has historically been lacking with benefits while giving employees the adequate tools for taking back their health. We’re at the beginning of the holistic health revolution and I look forward to seeing more companies unlock the true power of their employees through these offerings.

Dr. Don Brown is the Founder & CEO of LifeOmic. Connect Dr. Don Brown