By Kevin Marrs, courtesy SBAM Approved Partner ASE
According to a recently released survey by Welltok, a leading consumer health SaaS company, more than half of workers (56%) say the health and well-being programs offered by their employers are irrelevant, suggesting that current efforts by employers to enhance well-being among their staff may be misplaced.
Workplace well-being, unlike simple wellness initiatives, considers both the physical and mental state of employees. And according to the authors of the report, “To be truly effective, employers need to gain deeper insights about their employees as individuals by leveraging consumer data. Consumer data can provide valuable insights into a person’s social determinants of health (where a person lives or works, their education level, household composition, etc.), which largely contribute to their overall health status. Leveraging all types of data (healthcare and non-healthcare) and applying advanced analytics and machine learning better predicts who will be most receptive to what programs, and ultimately, how best to drive targeted actions. Over time, advanced analytics also provide insights about which programs are working (or not working), enabling companies to optimize their program offerings.”
Other key findings include:
-
Just 16% of those surveyed agreed strongly that they know where to find resources available to them.
-
More than 60% of employees are seeking support from their employer for all aspects of health, with financial health being their top priority.
-
Over 50% of millennials have seriously considered switching jobs due to workplace stress. And, just a third of all respondents believe that their employer offers them tools and resources to help them reduce work stress.
-
Nearly 70% of respondents have to some degree increased their use of technology over the past couple of years to manage or support their health.
-
To collect the data, Welltok, working with the independent research firm Ipsos, surveyed more than 1,000 full-time workers ages 21 and over across the U.S. The survey was conducted online in December 2018.