Fostering Workplace Well-Being Amid Today’s Stressors

BY Wanly Chen | February 13, 2024

With 81 at-home baseball games a season, Atlanta Braves’ executive vice president DeRetta Rhodes knew her employees would need to catch a break during their shifts.

Introducing the wellness room: a room that mirrors a living room, equipped with a sofa, TV, and refrigerator for anybody who simply needs time to rest. “It’s about creating space for individuals who need to be able to take care of themselves,” Rhodes said. “In the wellness room, people have the opportunity to go and take a relaxing break if they need to.”

In a recent survey, 77% of employers saw an increase in mental health concerns, with 16% anticipating an increase in the future, indicating that health and wellness will continue to be a pressing issue for employers and employees in 2024.

Rhodes’ approach is one of many other health and wellness strategies employers are taking to meet their employee’s needs. At From Day One’s Atlanta conference, leaders joined moderator Kelly Yamanouchi, business reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss their health and wellness focal points for the new year.

Changing Traditional Financial Processes

Whether it’s due to the rising cost of living, inflation or the flexibility of remote work, more workers are working two jobs than ever before. Eight million Americans reported working more than two jobs this past January alone. For workers who take on a second job to make ends meet, timely pay matters, says Jon Lowe, chief people officer of financial services company DailyPay.

“Today, the number of people who have more than one job is quite high and that creates a very high degree of stress. If you were a bartender around Christmas, you probably made a killing. But come January, when you’re working your part-time job and bartending on the side, there’s this degree of very high variance that we start to see,” Lowe said.

With more than 60% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, employers need to rethink the two-week pay cycle, Lowe said.

“When we look at this idea of earning wage access, we need to be disrupting this idea that two weeks is the right cadence to be paid,” Lowe said. “Today, we’re able to offer access to tools that technology allows us to do, where it recognizes the evolution of what work looks like and allows that degree of flexibility to be able to go and tap into resources that otherwise would not be available.”

Building Wellness into the Culture

For Kimberly Rath, vice president of home builder company PulteGroup, wellness programs play a key role in building a healthy foundation for a company.

The full panel of speakers from left to right: Steven Lester of Mayo Clinic, Josh Crafford of Synchrony, DeRetta Rhodes of the Atlanta Braves, Kimberly Rath of PulteGroup, moderator Kelly Yamanouchi of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Jon Lowe of DailyPay (photo by Dustin Chambers for From Day One)

“At PulteGroup, we build homes. If you think about how wellness comes to life for you, a lot of what you do or how you take care of your well-being is done in your home,” Rath said. “At work, it’s similar. Wellness is the health of an organization and how people show up for work. If we’re strategizing how we take care of our employees and build great places where people work, we're going to get so much more from our employees.”

From higher retention to increased productivity, employers can yield the benefits of happier and healthier employees. At healthcare clinic Mayo Clinic, professor of medicine and cardiologist, Steven Lester, M.D., discusses how supporting employees both in and off work can strengthen the overall performance of businesses.

“As an organization, we are optimizing our business performance by incorporating well-being into the design of work,” Lester said. “We have programs supporting the financial, physical and mental well-being of our employees at work and we are also thinking about how we identify and allow people to have purpose, meaning and belonging at work.”

Leading With Empathy

An overwhelming 90% of U.S. employees believe empathetic leadership leads to higher job satisfaction, underlining the strong value employees place on leaders who lead with purpose and care.

One part of empathetic leadership is active listening which helps in engaging with employees, Lester said. “We want to be actively listening to the needs of individuals and give them that safe, comfortable opportunity to engage and be heard, and know that the organization is here to support them and their well-being,” Lester said.

With the emphasis on supporting employees, leaders will need to shift their priorities, Josh Crafford, vice president of technology learning and development, of financial services company Synchrony, said.

“We're teaching leaders to be coaches and mentors and not care as much about the numbers,” Crafford said. “The numbers will come but the happier, safer and the more secure and connected your workers feel, the more productive they will be.”

Wanly Chen is a writer and poet based in New York City.

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Empowering Employees: Cultivating Career Advancement From Within

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The consensus was this: democratize, market, prioritize, and measure.Opening Mobility Opportunities to AllUnless the direction of travel is upward, it may be tough for employees to envision the ways their career might go. Examples likely exist in their current company, yet many remain unaware of the multidirectional career paths that surround them.Workers have to be able to see what’s available, says Terri Hatcher, the chief diversity and inclusion officer at global IT provider NTT Data Services. To show employees what’s available, the company uses an AI-driven talent-management system that can turn employees on to open roles that suit their skills. Hatcher also hosts storytelling events. In one recurring series, women in the company tell their stories about their career growth. “Specifically,” she said, “they talk about the programs in our company and the tools they’ve used that have helped them grow.”A workforce development strategy, to be truly effective, must be democratic. By analyzing the demographics of workers advancing up the ladder at NTT, Hatcher discovered that some segments were being excluded, and it had become evident in the composition of leadership teams. The middle management layer was the bottleneck. “We noticed that people in middle management were not advancing, and women were not advancing, so we took hold of that. There is no way we’re going to be able to see a difference in senior leadership if we don’t see anything change in middle management.”Encouragement also has to come from people managers, not least because they have the influence enough to ignite or dampen a career. Hatcher found that even though training programs were open to all, and women knew that they could nominate themselves, they weren’t quick to do so. “You might open up a program to everyone, but you’ve got to really market that program to everyone,” she said. “Your managers have to be in on it, they have to be encouraging people to get out there and get engaged. Because sometimes people don’t feel like it’s for them for whatever reason.”Maryland-based medical network, Adventist HealthCare had run its emerging leaders program for several years to warm reception, but in 2019, Brendan Johnson, the organization’s SVP of human resources, examined the demographic makeup of the program cohorts and found that the program participants did not reflect the company’s workforce. So they opened the program to everyone in the company – all 6,000 of them.The panelist spoke in a session titled "Creating Opportunity Within: How Employers Are Boosting Internal Mobility"“That completely changed the way that we made sure that everyone was aware of opportunities.” With that, leadership opportunities were no longer about who you know, but about how much you want to grow. Three years later, said Johnson, the demographics of the leadership program looked like the demographics of the workforce.Without clear expectations for high performance, leadership teams naturally sort themselves homogeneously, says Johnson. “If you don’t have a strong and very objective way to measure top performers, top performers end up being the people that look like your presidents and look like your vice presidents.”Knowing the right people and being exposed to new functions and departments can unlock tremendous opportunity. “I don’t think that any of us in this room would find our next opportunity by applying for a position,” said Ricks of Strategic Education. “I think it’s going to come down to our networks.”Carrie Theisen, the SVP of total rewards at Fannie Mae noticed that in her organization there were certain barriers to mobility, one in particular that the company had inadvertently erected: Pay grade bumps came only with promotions but as Johnson reminded us “not everybody wants to grow up and be a leader.” So Fannie Mae changed the pay structure so that individual contributors had the potential to make as much as people managers. To market opportunities, Theisen chose to link career progression with the company’s employer value proposition, live well, and build the employee experience in the service of advancement.Prioritize Internal MovesOne of the simplest tips came from Steph Ricks: give internal hires priority. She describes the standard practice as her former company, Wayfair. “When a [requisition] went live, we would interview anyone internal who applied for the role. If we weren’t satisfied, then we offered interviews to any employee referrals. If we didn’t find the talent we needed there, then it was open externally.”Theisen’s advice was to plan well into the future. “Succession planning is most effective when it starts at the top,” said Theisen. “We present our succession plans to our board quarterly. They include for every key role across the organization and the key successors. Are they ready now? Are they emerging?” She found that the board was eager to prioritize diverse representation at all levels, and this would be her contribution.Tracking movement and paying attention to changes over time, that’s how you get better at internal mobility, panelists said. At Adventist, Johnson reports quarterly to the board on internal versus external promotions. He aims for more than 40%, and in the last five years, he’s been able to report 50%–60% internal hires.And he has his own measures: “We shifted last year from measuring employee engagement to measuring employee fulfillment.” Engagement, he said, is about what the employee is doing for the company, hedging the question, “will you still be here in three years?” But by measuring fulfillment instead, Johnson hopes to shift the onus, and learn whether the company is doing enough to retain its workers.Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | May 17, 2024

The Benefits That Employees Want to See Enhanced in 2024

What does a covetable benefit look like in 2024? Take the pharmaceutical company Moderna’s lifestyle spending account, a cherished benefit that Jeffrey Stohlberg, Moderna’s director of company benefits spoke about in a panel session at From Day One’s Boston Benefits conference. Moderna gives employees $300 a month to use on lifestyle-related activities or purchases. “In addition, if you commute to work in a sustainable fashion,” referring to walking or taking public transportation, “Moderna gives you an additional $100 a month,” said Stohlberg.What constitutes ‘lifestyle’ can differ, a gym membership passes muster, craft beer, not so much. But this is one case of companies encouraging and incentivizing employees in the pursuit of their well-being. When 80% of employees say that they’d stay in a company solely for their benefits, it’s imperative to figure out the ones that matter. “We work with individual employees on how it affects them,” says Britt Barney, head of client success at financial-wellness platform Northstar.To her, it’s about getting tactical with employees making sure it fits in their individual financial brand. “Make sure it’s customizable,” because an intersectional and individualized approach to benefits nurtures diversity and inclusion.At the security company Akamai, a recent survey revealed that most employees want remote work. “95% of our workforce stays working from home,” said Ken Wechsler, Akamai’s VP of total rewards. “Keep things that are good,” he said. For example, the company completely shuts down and institutes wellness micro breaks, where employees are encouraged not to check their phone, or required to appear on video during calls.At Moderna, about 70% of the workforce is in the office. “There is a big focus on collaboration,” said Stohlberg. “People have gotten Zoomed and Teamed out.” The company offers three mental-health recharge days, which employees are highly encouraged to fully take advantage of. Upon their return to the office, the benefit team routinely asks all employees what they did during their recharge days.Cost-Effective BenefitsEvery benefit has a financial implication. “Mental health is a very expensive service,” acknowledged Britt Barney. “Our number one claim is related to anxiety, mental health, and depression, with 42% of the employees children,” said Stohlberg. “It’s a significant issue, and partnering with a mental health vendor has been impactful.”The panel session titled "The Benefits That Employees Want to See Enhanced in 2024" was moderated by Rebecca M. Knight, Contributing Columnist at the Harvard Business ReviewMental health still has some cultural barriers to overcome. “The stigma was that young people were using therapy, [older people] not as much,” Stohlberg said. “Now, over the last few years, we’ve seen employees across the spectrum use therapy.” They offer 26 complementary sessions, and after those are maxed out, you can use the same therapist through BlueCross.Wechsler found similar success in offering complimentary sessions, “I was excited to say we offer 16 [complimentary] mental-health sessions.” His company has 90 employees who act as the point of contact to direct those who need it towards the EAP. The Allure of SemaglutideCompanies have started offering coverage for GLP-1 drugs. “The science of GLP-1 is a real thing, it’s not something that is going away,” said Brian Harty, head of total rewards at Accolade. “These are blockbuster drugs, not just in suppressing appetite, but also for addiction and heart health. The science of it, that’s what I am excited about.”Accolade currently covers GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, and does not cover it when it’s intended for weight-loss medication. There are doubts regarding whether it’s a worthwhile investment, at an estimated cost of $14,000 per year, per patient. “40% of Americans qualify for Wegovy, with a BMI > 27,” Harty said.“When you introduce it like that, there’s no way you can change [the cut-off] to a higher BMI.” For his company, it would mean investing millions.Moderna, by contrast, offers it for weight management and diabetes. “In 2023 we saw a spike related to weight loss management: We looked at claims data, and after mental health, obesity and weight management were the second drivers,” said Stohlberg. Not everyone who wants to manage their weight is encouraged to take semaglutide, though.Moderna also uses a virtual weight-loss management program, where employees can work with a physician specializing in weight loss. “It’s not a path to GLP-1s but [the physicians] can provide medication for that person.” “Why do people need drugs like this?” asks Barney, advocating for a holistic approach. “Weight [can be attributed to] stress and environment. Physical health is not just physical health.”Angelica Frey is a writer and a translator based in Boston and Milan.

Angelica Frey | May 16, 2024

Boosting Productivity in a Changing Workplace–and Workforce

A number of stressors are hindering the productivity of today’s workforce. Some employees still need help with the adjustment to working remotely or in a hybrid environment, says Millette Granville, VP of diversity, equity and inclusion at 2U.“People get a little antsy if they’re remote but three people on their team are in person,” she told moderator Krissah Thompson, managing editor of the Washington Post in a panel discussion at From Day One’s conference in Washington, D.C.“They’re thinking, ‘Do I have career growth? 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It’s OK not to be OK, but it’s not OK to not ask for help.”The panelists spoke on the topic "Boosting Productivity in a Changing Workplace–and Workforce" at From Day One's D.C. conference A lack of access to healthcare providers, particularly in the mental health field, is an issue that prevents many people from seeing the help they need, says Mistry. “That’s where having some navigation services for behavioral health is really key,” he said. “And it’s not just the employee. We also have to think about the family unit.”Alight data shows that 20% of behavioral health guidance is for pediatric adolescent conditions. “So, let’s not forget about the element of the parental unit and how that affects productivity at work,” he said. Employees also need some flexibility in the workday so they can go to appointments when they find a provider.Remote and Hybrid WorkFlexibility is also the key to remote and hybrid work, says Kness. “One size doesn't fit all,” she said. Nearly half of all GDIT employees are on-site in a secured facility because of the nature of their work. That didn’t change, even during the pandemic. However, some employees were working remotely for years before Covid.She said the key is to have an approach that balances all these ways of working while keeping everyone connected. For example, GDIT’s employee resource groups now meet remotely to discuss topics such as mental health and inclusivity.“It has to be a very multifaceted strategy around investing in your managers, engaging your employees, being really intentional about your strategy, and building those communities,” Kness said.According to Granville, employers should also be aware of proximity bias which could lead to unequal treatment between in-person team members and remote ones.“If you’re the leader, you need to make sure you’re doing all the things you need to do to engage everyone in a way that’s impactful and meaningful to them,” she said.How to Keep Employees EngagedLiz Janssen, VP of talent experience and transformation at ICF says the company has been on a performance management journey over the past three years. “We heard our employees through surveys and focus groups say they want to connect what they do to the company mission, and that they want more frequent feedback,” she said. “They also wanted to focus on their career growth. That was the number one reason why people were leaving.”ICF responded by doing quarterly check-ins with employees rather than an annual review. If an employee or manager wants to have conversations even more frequently than that, they can make that request. In addition, managers have started talking to employees about how their work contributed to the firm’s overall success.“We test the effectiveness and our employees are saying it’s really helped a lot,” Janssen said. “We didn’t make it mandatory, but we’ve seen a growth and adoption rate of 50% year over year.”Michal Alter, founder and CEO of Visit.org, which helps corporations engage their employees, said one client came to them several years ago because morale was extremely low at the company following a merger.“We worked on putting together a larger global day of service,” she said. “That’s what we do, we work with nonprofits all over the world. 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Mary Pieper | May 14, 2024