by: Jennifer Weinstein
1. Programs to reduce loneliness. A recent Harvard Business Review articlehighlights that “Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity.” With the rise of open work spaces designed to promote in-the-moment collaboration, the loneliness gap grows as employees move away from their desk space to find quiet work space. The growth of social media is also partly to blame. Viewing the lives of others through an online lens can exacerbate the feelings of feeling alone. Forming stronger bonds with people at work will become part of the total rewards package. Starting with onboarding, creating space for friendship development will be part of on-the-job perks.
*Start now tip: (1) Increase networking opportunities by partnering with employee resource groups (ERGs) to promote your current benefits line-up. (2) Utilize onsite wellness champions as first-day buddies for new employees. (3) Create mentorship and buddy pairings for remote workers.
2. Perks and support for the childless. Did you attend fewer baby showers in 2016? If so, it may be because the fertility rate in the United States was the lowest it’s ever been. Blame the millennials and generation Z (again) for this downturn. As it stands now, living at home longer with the ‘rents isn’t proving conducive for starting a family. But what’s not understood is whether these twenty-somethings are just postponing parenthood, or dismissing it all together. And the number of women without children is the highest it’s ever been. In 2014 (most recent census data) 47.6 percent of women between age 15 and 44 had never had children. With the rise in popularity of parental leave, it may be difficult to imagine focusing on benefits for those without children, but that will be the new topic for debate. Family friendly benefits will cozy up to new offerings focused on the life concerns of those without the need for onsite daycare. And if you read this bad news, the health of women who are childless by choice or by life circumstance will move to the top of the list in your wellness program.
*Start now tip: (1) Ensure inclusivity when you talk about work life balance – it’s not just for those with children. (2) Work with your life insurance and retirement vendors to create programs focused on financial planning, and how an employee’s choices may change if he/she is not planning for children.
3. Give me a break. Work-life balance will still be trending, but by 2022, the conversation will include how to incorporate longer, more punctuated work breaks. In Rachael O’Meara’s book Pause, Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break, she describes the importance of pausing. She eloquently details the five signs you need to pause, like “you used to love your job; now you loathe it”. And she provides tools for planning your pause, whether you have five minutes or five months. What may currently be considered as an individual responsibility will be seen as a sought-after benefit. Above and beyond the traditional sabbatical, break time will be an at-work norm. Built in recess periods will provide space for extended meditation, time for me, or stress reduction. And new ways to pause and get unstuck will be part of the performance goals.
*Start now tip: (1) If in a leadership role, set an example to your team to create space in your day for reflection and room to think. (2) Allow space at offsite meetings for downtime.
4. Employee disengagement epidemic. Employee engagement will still be the nut to crack, but employee disengagement will be at an all-time high. Distractions outside of work will trickle into the workplace even more, pulling an employee’s attention in multiple directions. Disconnectedness will become part of the benefit manager’s list of problems to solve. Current programs, such as the EAP, will become more important, and new, innovative techniques will be required to solve this issue.
*Start now tip: (1) People managers can help employees focus by ensuring priorities and goals are aligned so the employee’s focus is narrowed. (2) Mindfulness programs can help bring focus back to a frazzled employee.
5. Self-directed happiness. Data can drive decisions on which benefits to implement. Trying to solve for the masses, capture engagement, and drive results will slowly be replaced with self-ownership of one’s own happiness and health. Move over incentives, employees will step up to the plate to create their own directive, on their own terms. This individualized, create-your-own-benefit path mentality won’t be the end of wellness. In fact, it will revolutionize it. Using social media, employees will share their unique approach to how they got it done, how they improved their life, and inspire others to do the same; a sort of grassroots effort unlike ever before.
*Start now tip: (1) Change your communications messaging to emphasize the opportunity every employee has in choosing their own path to happiness. The employer may set the destination, but the employee can create the map. (2) Amp up your use of social media in promoting programs. The best advertising campaign is an employee testimonial.
