Traditional on-site employee health and wellness programs create barriers to change. Here’s how to fix it.

Remote and hybrid work models, at least in some industries, are here for good. Employers and workers now asking what comes next for workplace health and wellness offerings?

For workplaces that have made the hybrid work model permanent, in-person fitness classes and employee wellness programs have often been eliminated as well. And while some employee programs moved into the virtual world, new barriers to health and wellness have been created.

So, is there a way to overcome these newfound hurdles to better health? The short answer is yes. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of maintaining health and wellness programs for remote and hybrid employees, and how they produce positive results for companies and individuals alike.

Employer sponsored wellness programs can be a first line of defense

With employees holding on to the new liberties offered by remote and hybrid work models, companies are turning to digital/hybrid wellness and coaching options aimed at helping individuals maintain healthy habits and make lasting, impactful lifestyle changes. Such programs can provide a critical lifeline for workers.

An employee’s health and wellness can impact every aspect of their life, and not just the personal elements and their relationships. If an employee is struggling with inactivity, poor diet, stress, inadequate sleep, addictions, as well as any associated health risks such as depression and anxiety, their work, productivity, attendance and even company morale can be negatively impacted. In fact, according to a recent survey, the pandemic has intensified substance use among employees. More than one-third of workers struggling with addiction said their work has been impacted more since the pandemic began.

By providing wellness solutions that work for an increasingly virtual workforce, say in the form of digital and human coaching programs, employers can effectively engage their employees to make lasting change.

Mix of coaching programs can support health and wellness initiatives

Several unhealthy habits happen to be at the root of most chronic diseases. With many workers likely struggling with multiple issues at the same time, it’s important for companies to offer programs with the ability to prioritize care and meet each employee where they are in terms of their personal care needs.

For example, not every employee who smokes cigarettes needs to immediately start with a tobacco cessation program. Some workers may need to focus on reducing stress while others want to improve their sleep before they are ready to tackle kicking their tobacco habits. This is where many programs struggle to attract, engage, and produce real outcomes for employees. It’s because they take a one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellness, when in fact true success is realized with personalized care.

Personalization is critical to building a strong foundation that propels an employee’s momentum to change their unhealthy behaviors. When it comes to health and wellness, a mix of individualized and digital coaching can enable employees to get what they need, when they need it, how they need it.

By offering employees personalized health and wellness experiences, companies can effectively engage workers and drive employee satisfaction all while raising the likelihood of their successfully completing programs that will achieve improved health outcomes with lasting power.

Health and wellness programs lead to a reduction in overall expenditures

Did you know there are eight risks and unhealthy behaviors that account for some 80% of total costs for chronic conditions? Poor diet and stress management, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, poor standard of care, insufficient sleep, and lack of health screening drive several chronic conditions including cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, congestive heart failure, lung and kidney diseases, among others.

Take smoking for example. In 2019, some 14% of American adults smoked cigarettes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking-related illness in the U.S. costs over $300 billion each year, including nearly $170 billion for direct adult medical care and $156 billion in lost productivity.

Data signals that most chronic conditions, as well as the immense healthcare and productivity costs they can incur, are preventable. The key: helping workers eliminate unhealthy behaviors. Reducing risks and unhealthy behaviors ultimately comes down to individual employees. However, employer-sponsored programs aimed at curbing lifestyle risks can provide the support they need to make a change.

Moreover, enhanced wellness programs and health coaching can lower many costs for employers and employees alike. Employees who take steps to improve their general health, complete treatment protocols, and make healthier choices are less likely to miss work and require expensive medical interventions. On the other hand, those who take proactive steps to eliminate unhealthy behaviors and manage their chronic conditions will require less healthcare resources in the long term to help address recurring health issues.

With the pandemic giving rise to sustained remote and hybrid work conditions, exacerbating substance use, and creating new barriers to traditional workplace-sponsored health and wellness programs, it’s up to employers to foster opportunities for their employees to create and maintain healthy habits.

Digital coaching solutions can help employers make lasting changes in their workplaces and support employees dealing with substance use.

Hopeless. It’s how many people feel when caught in the cycle of substance use. The struggle is weighty and ongoing as people’s brains have been trained to encourage them to keep using the substance. The cycle can often feel impossible to break. However, while difficult to achieve, lasting change can be made.

One in seven people in the United States are projected to struggle with substance use disorder at some point in their lifetime, according to a report from the surgeon general. And, while 75% of people suffering from substance use disorder are part of the workforce, most employers are wholly unaware of their workers’ private struggles and the impacts such issues can have on all their employees and workplaces.

So, what can employers do to help even when they don’t know employees are struggling?

They can offer support and resources to employees and help break down barriers to treatment, giving workers an opportunity to make long-term change. Below, we explore the pandemic’s effect on substance use, the impact substance use has on workplaces and how employers can support their employees.

Pandemic propels increased drug and alcohol use

According to a recent survey, the pandemic has resulted in notable increases in workers’ substance use issues across all generations and industries. Some one-third of responding workers who reportedly struggle with substance use issues stated that their work has suffered more since the pandemic began.

Data suggests there have been large increases in fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine use since the coronavirus pandemic was declared a national emergency in March 2020. In fact, according to a study of over 880,000 drug test specimens, entitled “The opioid epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic: Drug testing in 2020,” positivity for heroin increased by 44% once the pandemic began. An increase in the use of alcohol among U.S. adults was also noted by a study assessing the pandemic’s impact on drinking behavior and stress.

Extensive costs of substance use in the workplace

When it comes to employees’ substance use, most employers are often left in the dark while employees struggle in silence. This combination has damaging impacts. It can lead workers to leave the workforce outright or stay quiet as their work declines, damaging workplace health and safety.

For employees, the personal costs of substance use can include missed work that results in lost wages as well as the health and lifestyle side effects of drugs and alcohol use. For employers, substance use in the workplace can result in increased absenteeism, lost productivity, and additional healthcare expenses.

A recent report assessing the impact of substance use disorders in the workplace found that employees typically miss 15 work days each year for illness, injury or reasons other than vacation and holidays. On the other hand, employees with a substance use disorder were more likely to take 25.6 days off – or 1.5 weeks more than their colleagues – for illness and injury. However promising, employees who have recovered from a substance use disorder in the prior 12 months missed about 11 days of work annually.

Moreover, substance use disorder can result in higher turnover rates for employers and increase costs on recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees. One study found that employee turnover costs 33% of an employee’s entire salary, which stacked against the median wage in the U.S. can total about $15,000.

There are numerous negative impacts workers struggling with substance use disorders can have on workplaces that are harder to quantify including diminished job performance, faulty decision making, distraction and preoccupation with addictive substances, lack of focus, reduced cooperation with colleagues and supervisors as well as reduced workplace morale and illegal activities happening on site.

Employer support can lead to positive outcomes for all

Even without knowing about an individual’s personal struggles, employers can provide all employees with the support and resources they need to take the crucial first step toward treatment.

It starts with culture. Workplaces can positively and negatively impact the prevalence of substance use disorder. For example, workplaces where alcohol is readily available or there’s an acceptance of addictive substances can contribute to worker substance use disorder. Stressful, unhealthy workplaces can also be a breeding ground for substance use disorders. At the root of addiction is emotion, and workers who deal poorly with stress can intuitively train their brain to continue dealing with stressful situations in the same detrimental manners. Reducing stressors can play a role in helping workers overcome their struggles.

Next, employers can incorporate healthy living and substance use disorder education into their training and ongoing outreach programming. This can both inform employees about the effects of substance use disorders and help employees identify behaviors and changes in colleagues who may need support. In addition, employers can provide more robust benefits, resources, and behavior change courses, like LivingClear™, provide employees with confidential substance use disorder screening and online learning experiences, support treatment referrals, and deliver follow-up care to support employees in recovery.

By improving workplace culture, educating employees, and providing workers with supportive and confidential services, employers can break down barriers to treatment, encourage employees to seek help, and support employees in making lasting changes that benefit both the individual and workplace.

Patients need continuity of care, including coaching, to help them maintain progress and success.

Time to read: 3 minutes
By Clark Lagemann

Patient dropout in behavioral health programs is a common occurrence. In order to make meaningful and long-lasting change, providers need to understand the unique challenges program participants face. Developing a personalized, hybrid coaching program can help strengthen engagement and success.

In Clark Lagemann’s latest article in Behavioral Health Executive, he explores how a hybrid approach can help solve the patient engagement problem in behavioral health, including the benefits of in-person and virtual patient engagement programs and how they can drive greater access to care and increased long-term recovery for substance use disorders.

Click here to read the full article.

For contributed media inquiries, contact:
Kristin Hege
kristin@conveycommsagency.com
480-540-6496

Listen to the Tech Talks Daily Podcast with Neil C. Hughes featuring Clark Lagemann, Co-CEO of Avidon Health.

Time to listen: 17 minutes – Tech Talks Daily Podcast

In this episode:

Clark Lagemann joins Neil C. Hughes on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to discuss how technology can help employees who are struggling with substance abuse. According to a recent survey, the pandemic has exacerbated substance use for employees. Among workers struggling with addiction or substance abuse issues, more than one-third say it has affected their work more since the pandemic began. Unfortunately, many employees are afraid to say they need help.

They may end up leaving the workforce altogether or suffer in silence as their work deteriorates–and they may experience safety risks if their job entails driving or using heavy machinery. So what can employers and companies do to help if they don’t know their employee is struggling?

Fortunately, technology can make a difference for individuals needing to make a change and Avidon Health takes a different approach to online coaching through a hybrid approach.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts.