Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. Cooler temperatures, changing leaves, the sounds of football games in the background… Sounds like a recipe for happiness to me.

It probably doesn't hurt that it often closely follows a summer break or two. No matter how much you love your job, perspective and a little time off is a good thing. This year, I was lucky enough to spend time with my family in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest (the stomping grounds of Face of Change interviewee, Laura Frances, pg. 8), followed by a backpacking excursion in the Rockies with my brother. It doesn't take long for the stress of deadlines and unanswered emails to fade as you explore a new city or watch your fly floating on the water.

Because I'm lucky enough to do something I've dreamed about my entire life, my transition back to the office is never too painful. But that's definitely not the case for everyone.

A recent study by Fidelity, with researchers from the Stanford Center on Longevity and Cornell University, examined the overall well-being of Americans workers and uncovered their biggest stressors. The top culprits? Their finances and their jobs.

The study examined four critical factors: health, money, work and life. The good news is that 77 percent of respondents were determined to be “well” overall; the bad news it that 68 percent were “unwell” in at least one factor, with nearly all (98 percent) admitting they've felt stressed in the last few months.

Nearly half confessed high levels of work stress, with nearly a quarter facing limited career growth opportunities, and 27 percent burned out.

Meanwhile, saving for the future was a cause of stress for more than a third of respondents, followed closely by paying off debt. And as we all know, employee debt directly correlates with lower productivity at work; those with the highest levels of debt experience a rate of absenteeism twice that of their peers. Medical debt is particularly damaging, the study found, with past-due medical bills the leading indicator of workplace absenteeism.

So no, a little time off doesn't magically erase all stress. However, benefits consultants are in a prime position to help provide lasting solutions to many of the ongoing problems plaguing today's workers (and their employers.) In this issue, you'll find tips on bridging communication gaps (pg. 20); a cybersecurity checklist to help protect employee data (pg. 26); and an analysis of how AI customization can help improve engagement and enrollment (pg.16).

Hope you're feeling well-rested. We're heading into the busy season and there's a lot of work to do.

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