Burnout is a pervasive issue affecting every corner of your organization – most of all those on the front lines – including Human Resources (HR) teams.
And as an HR leader, you’re likely feeling more than exhaustion and burnout. You’re experiencing compassion fatigue too – worn down from caring for your workforce across several years of social, economic and health disruptions.
You’ve been there through everything to help your employees stay motivated, productive and engaged with resources that support their changing health and well-being needs.
But managing these ongoing demands is challenging, especially when asked to constantly create hard-hitting workforce strategies that address today’s ever-shifting market.
Know that you’re not alone
DeLinda Washington knows all too well some of the tough choices and vexing dilemmas on the doorstep of HR leaders today. As Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at HealthPartners, she shouldered these responsibilities to support 26,000 employees working in health care and insurance administration.
She wants HR leaders to know: If you’re feeling the effects of burnout and compassion fatigue – you’re not alone, and there are partners out there who can help.
“While self-care is important, it is going to realistically take more than that to get through this successfully. You need to find ways to strategically offload and delegate some responsibilities to a partner that can help guide, navigate and implement the right solutions – from flexible and integrated, comprehensive medical, dental, pharmacy and well-being benefits, and more.”
Read on to learn how partnering with the right health plan partner can help you navigate your toughest market challenges, all while keeping your workforce and bottom line healthy.
Lean on a partner to create a seamless employee experience
Finding the right partner to support your workforce's whole health – their emotional, financial, mental, and spiritual health – takes you one step closer to creating a sustainable, inclusive culture and positive employee experience that drives retention. An employee experience involves everything your workforce sees, feels, hears and learns throughout their employment. Managing that experience effectively means listening to your workforce’s needs to implement everything from diversity, equity and inclusion plans, comprehensive health and well-being benefits to flexible work arrangements and more. You’re likely in the thick of all that work, dealing with the mundane day-to-day tasks and the high-level decision making.
Take a moment to think critically about your employees’ experience at your organization, and how healthy they are with your current set of solutions:
- Do you know how all your benefits, programs and tools strategically fit together to ensure your employees are getting the right care?
- How engaged are they in these solutions and what results are you seeing?
- Are your health costs increasing despite your efforts?
- Are you continually experiencing recruitment and retention challenges?
If your health care costs are increasing and you’re feeling the strain of recruitment and retention woes, perhaps it’s time to ask for help to ease these burdens. Doing so could give you more time to invest in innovative plans, benefits and solutions that catalyze long-lasting, positive organizational change, retention and growth.
It’s critical to your organization’s survival to ask these questions and know where you stand. The longer you continue without the right support, the more it could cost your organization in the long run. A 2017 study found that job stress nationwide costs businesses as much as $187 billion. The pandemic and related social and economic stressors have only worsened that situation. Stress has also exacerbated physical and mental health conditions. Depression alone costs the U.S. economy $210 billion, and workplace stress can make people three times as likely to find a new job.
“It’s essential to seek a health plan partner who understands how to address employee health and well-being holistically, and I don’t simply mean offering a bunch of unrelated programs and apps,” says Washington. “These programs don’t add value unless they have tightly intertwined teams working cross-functionally to meet your employees’ health needs across what we call the Care Experience Curve. That involves managing everything from maintaining health and preventing rising health risks to stabilizing chronic conditions. It’s not about cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solutions, but unique, personalized, equitable programs, that drive measurable results for your entire employee population – no matter where they are or want to be.”
Transform workforce health through proactive care
Juggling numerous health and well-being, disease and care management, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) solutions that don't communicate with one another or share data can create many challenges. It can lead not only to poor customer service but also a disconnected treatment plan that leaves employees feeling unappreciated, perplexed or disengaged. And it will surely result in even worse health outcomes down the line.
A tightly integrated health solutions partner is one that prioritizes proactive care and prevention, always working to anticipate needs and address them before they become costly. And that’s only possible because of the teams behind-the-scenes that operate as one, using the same data and information to offer members the best advice, referrals, recommendations, tools and resources.
With the right health plan partner, there are no barriers, only a tight-knit community of teams and technology, helping your employees stay healthier (and happier) resulting in a more productive and loyal workforce. That gives you more time and energy to make sure your organization has everything it needs to grow and thrive.
It can restore your ability to be that business partner you want to be for your team, helping drive critical business decisions, value and a rich, storied employee experience and culture that is as inclusive, flexible and welcoming as it is supportive and engaging.
It’s a win-win for HR, your employees and your company’s bottom line.
Empower your HR team to transform burnout across the organization with the help of a health solutions partner that can provide tightly integrated health solutions. Learn more at HealthPartners.com/ProactiveCare.