Thebest packages offer services that encourage employees to not onlyadopt healthy lifestyles, but also encourage their families to makehealthy lifestyle changes. (Photo: Shutterstock)

In today's modern workforce, it's important for employers torecognize the role that truly engaged employees play in drivingsustainable company growth and success. There are multiple factorsthat influence employee engagement. From personal health issues, to family matters, todaily workplace stresses, the reality is that notevery single paid hour can be used to its full potential.

To help overcome this, employers should focus attention onretaining employees and fostering as engaging a workplaceenvironment as possible through many initiatives including abenefits package designed to keep employees –and their families –healthier by focusing on their holistic wellbeing.

When it comes to benefits packages, there simply is no “one sizefits all” approach. The best packages offer services that encourageemployees to not only adopt healthy lifestyles, but also encouragetheir families to make healthy lifestyle changes. Each person isdifferent and requires different services to drive behavioralchanges to lead a healthier life, one that reduces costs for bothemployer and employee alike.

While resources provided through a benefits package are an idealvehicle to achieve this, sifting through the tailored choices canbe so cumbersome and time-consuming that many employees are notaware of the options available to them. This can be overcome bysimplifying employee benefits programs throughservice centralization and the use of a mobile app that effectivelybrings together previously siloed services into one, easy-to-accesslocation.

Breaking through the noise

The sheer amount of benefits provided to employees can be vast,but it is important that they are aware of value of what theyreceive as a part of their employment with an organization. Notonly should employees be able to quickly and easily accessinformation such as employee assistant program, drug treatmentalternatives, remote health care monitoring or pre-programmedmedical care plans, all within a single mobile platform, it is alsoimportant for all HR-related services to be centralized within thisplatform. The inclusion of such services as disability, EAP,retirement and insurance helps employees keep better track of whatis offered to them, and thus, more likely to utilize those servicesand appreciate what is offered to them.

Traditionally, companies tend to view employee wellness througha generalized lens, such as pushing staff to take the proper numberof “steps” within a single day or by offering group exerciseclasses and subsidizing healthy food options for lunch, or evenencouraging a number of annual screenings. While this is a goodstart, companies that take a more holistic view of employee health,one that encompasses their entire health spectrum, will realizethat true wellness stretches well beyond steps taken per day orgeneralized activities. The most productive employees are those whoare physically and emotionally healthy. Offering health andwellness packages that support an employee's entire family at apersonal level lessens presenteeism, absenteeism and keeps themfocused on their daily work.

The impact of financial health

Thinking holistically also means identifying other stressors inthe workplace. According to the PwC 2017 Employee Financial Wellness Survey, 46 percent ofrespondents who indicated that they are distracted by theirfinances at work spend three or more hours each week in the officethinking about or dealing with issues related to their personalfinances. Providing tools for employees to better understand theirfinances and create a strategic plan for managing their family'sfinancial future can help reduce or eliminate the loss of worktime.

The FinancialEducators Council defines financial literacy as “possessing theskills and knowledge on financial matters to confidently takeeffective action that best fulfills an individual's personal,family and global community goals.” Much like health care resourcescan be centralized within a single platform, so too can resourcesfor employees to better manage their finances. Integrating suchmaterials as financial educational presentations and courses allowemployees to learn strategies to save money and best provide fortheir families. Recognizing financial wellness as a key componentof an overall wellness program and educating employees on how tobetter manage their money is a value-add that provides truedividends for employers and their staff.

Targeting every stage of life

There are generational considerations to be taken as well,according to the Brookings Institute, 165,000 health-related apps available,which means millennials run the risk of being overwhelmed with thenumerous options for managing health conditions or financial andemotional wellness. The solution to this dilemma is for companiesto focus on offering one single company-branded app that makes itsimple for an employee and their family to manage all of theirhealth records, medical conditions and holistic well-being.

While a single, company-branded app is proven at keepingemployers in the forefront of human resource innovation foremployee engagement, a study by LIMRA indicates that less than 25 percent ofcompanies use this type of technology. Platforms such as theseprovide employers with additional flexibility to communicate withtheir employees, so as they grow from starting a family to planningfor retirement, they can rely on their employer-provided platformthrough every stage of the life. Similarly, employers can leveragesuch services to not only hire and attract talent, but retain thestaff they have already invested in by engaging them on a personallevel.

By taking the time to identify what programs and servicesemployees and their families value the most, employers can createcomprehensive, personalized benefits programs that not only improveemployee well-being, but also lower overall costs and drivecorporate engagement. By doing so, employers better positionthemselves to create a healthier and more productive workforce.

Dinesh Sheth is CEO and Founderof Green CircleHealth.