Health benefits are evolving and expanding to meet the diverse needs of consumers seeking support beyond urgent health concerns and routine physicals.

As benefits evolve, there has also been a transformation to caring for a person as a whole, bringing topics like mental health, inclusive family planning, and personal well-being to the forefront. The latest discussions illuminate how all aspects of a person’s health are interconnected, and how no single need—physical, social, and behavioral—is less important than any others.

This increased focus on whole-person health emphasizes that today’s employers fundamentally rework their wellness programs, looking beyond immediate care initiatives in favor of holistic, meaningful support to attract and retain high-performing employees.

Effective Well-being Programs That Empower

Reinforcing positive physical and mental health can directly correlate to higher employee retention and business performance, equaling a demonstrable ROI for organizations offering this level of support. Here are a few things to consider as you shift to a whole-person approach for employee benefit offerings.

• Understand Employee Health Plan Needs. The most effective health and wellness programs are the ones employees use. As you consider features of your health coverage, make sure you understand your employees’ needs and tailor your benefits with easy access to the support they need. One way to start is by recognizing the complexity of juggling work/life balance. Offer your teams digital healthcare options like access to virtual visits, mental health support, and personalized well-being initiatives, opening access to care beyond the constraints of time and even geography.

  Consult with your account management team to review claims analysis and program utilization and see what benefits employees actually use. Consider surveying employees directly to identify any gaps in your benefits — and get ahead of what your competition may use to lure your talent away.

• Offer Support Across All Stages Of Life. From big decisions like having children to deciding when the right time is to retire, every person faces life transitions at some point. Providing your employees with support through varied life changes shows you value and respect them, while also making it easier for them to show up at work.

  Forward-thinking health companies like Anthem are continually looking for ways to support today’s workforce and their changing needs with integrated benefit offerings. From hire to retire, your health plan is a key strategy for talent acquisition.

• Reduce Stress And Boost Financial Health With Educational Resources. Chronic stress can negatively impact job performance, morale, and even lead to major health conditions. Long-term untreated stress can also cause burnout, which has reached an all-time high in the U.S. workforce. Money is one of the most common stressors, with the American Psychology Association reporting that 72 percent of Americans note feeling stressed about money in a given month.

  Employers may find it beneficial to offer financial wellness programs, like an Employee Assistance Program, which usually include components around budgeting and goal setting, debt reduction, building savings, and managing retirement funds.

  Set aside resources to help employees pinpoint how to use offerings like Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Also consider providing access to health advocates that can help work through complex insurance billing situations, saving time and headaches. These are some of the options you can offer your employees that go a long way in reducing stress around finances.

• Strategically Design Your Plan To Offer Holistic Care Options. With strategic plan design, employers can maximize their ROI by reducing spend while also improving outcomes. Successful implementation relies on employers syncing their employees to healthcare in new ways, made possible by technological innovation. Using real-time connection points, integrated solutions, and personalized, simplified care experiences, they can proactively offer support for employees’ physical and mental wellness needs. What results is a scalable solution for providing personalized healthcare in urgent, chronic, and even preventative health situations.

Developing a whole-health strategy factoring in diverse support and health impacts beyond physical conditions and treatments may seem challenging. Companies like Anthem can help you pinpoint the optimal whole health strategy for your organization so that you not only improve workforce health, but also pull top talent through your competitive wellness offering.