When it comes to wellness,the message is really quite clear: Always get to the root of theproblem, instead of simply treating the symptoms.  Thatsame advice can apply to benefits advisors and employers looking toprovide benefits that help employees improve their financialwellness. This is especially relevant when trying to help employeeswho are coping with stress.  Consider the following: ManyAmericans are struggling with unhealthy levels of stress and it'staking its toll:

• According to the American Psychological Association's12^th Annual Stress in America survey, almost half ofthe respondents reported laying awake at night due to stress.
• About half of the general population stresses over financialconcerns, while more than two-thirds of millennials report havingmoderate to high levels of anxiety about savings and income, according to a Northwestern Mutual survey.
• These young employees, who comprise the largest and fastestgrowing generation in the U.S. workforce, commonly struggle withheavy student debt burden, a lack of financial planning knowledgeand fear of costly risks.
• A study conducted by PWC found that employees whoare stressed about their finances are nearly five times more likelyto be distracted at work and are twice as likely to spend threehours or more at work dealing with financial matters.

While all this stress is unsettling for individuals, it also hasa debilitating effect on their employers. American businesses losemore than $300 billion every year because of employees'stress-related issues that are negatively affecting productivity,absenteeism, turnover and out-of-pocket medical, insurance andlegal costs, according to statistics cited in an ARAG study.

Take, for example, the impact of employee stress on anemployer's health insurance premiums. Employees with high stresslevels are two times as likely to have a heart attack as otheremployees, three times more likely to have ulcers and 500 percentmore likely to experience increases in anxiety and depression.

With stress eating away at employee wellness and productivity,it's not surprising that employers are looking to offer benefitsthat will help employees cope. Walking groups, massages and Fridayafternoon beer carts are some of the initiatives that employershave used to help employees breathe a sigh of relief in today'sgo-go world.