With the pandemic highlighting the care responsibilities of employees nationwide, expectations have shifted towards greater employer presence to accommodate through flexible work schedules and to provide resources on the job. mental health and wellness education, said Rachael McCann, Senior Manager of Willis Towers Watson.

Transcription

AJMC®: Hello, I am Matthew Gavidia. Today on the News from the medical world of MJH Life Sciences, The American Journal of Managed Care^® is pleased to welcome Rachael McCann, Senior Manager of Willis Towers Watson, who will speak on a investigation by her organization reviewing current employer wellness and caregiving programs.

It’s great to have you, Rachael. Can you just introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your work?

McCann: Hi, happy to join you. I sit in our health and benefits practice at Willis Towers Watson. I work extensively with employers around their strategy, the workforce really, by supporting the employees. I spend a lot of time on inclusion, diversity, equity, caregiving, and I’m really excited about this discussion.

AJMC^®: According to the survey, less than 3 in 10 employers say their wellness and care programs are effective in supporting their respective workforce amid the pandemic. Can you discuss some of the notable care needs that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and why current programs may not sufficiently address these concerns?

McCann: So, when you think about what was exacerbated, it was really several things. Access, therefore access to caregivers, regardless of their age. Health and security. We’ve never had to think of health and safety the way we do today. As the pandemic grew, you really haven’t heard from employees talking to their employers about their children’s educational needs. And that really changed as the pandemic grew and the struggle to have kids in school really grew.

The last element, and we hardly ever talk about it – but I think it’s becoming more and more of a priority right now and relates to well-being – is that we never put the emphasis on caregiver care and on thinking about the important wellness needs that this caregiver has. So the pandemic really tore the bandage away from all of these issues and moved employees by looking at what they expected from their employers.

AJMC^®: On the basis of what you just said, in particular, more than two-thirds of employers identified the increase in demands for care as the main driver of employee mental health problems. What can be done in the short term to better support employees right now, and in the long term, how can employers be better prepared to accommodate workers who may be burdened with a greater burden of care?

McCann: Yeah, good questions. When I think back to the start of the pandemic, the short term solutions were alternative care days for children and the elderly, paid or unpaid time off for care needs. What if we think about what’s really going to support employees now, because very few employers believe the solutions work – and this is simply demonstrated by employees who identify mental health as one of the top concerns raised by employees. increased needs of care provision – it is a matter of really thinking about comprehensive support.

So, yes these programs are amazing and they are good for the days they offer, but what else is there? So, think about behavioral health resources and virtual access to therapists far beyond what EAPs [employee assistance programs] never provided. Think about flexible working and the importance of when someone works, how they work and where they work.

Really important distinction, even thinking about the fact that an employee always works 40 hours per week, is there any flexibility in the hours they can be active and inactive to balance care needs? Because it can reduce the level of stress and tension leading to mental health.

It is the training of managers. I know we ask a lot of managers, and managers were often business leaders – they were really good at their jobs – but they weren’t managers of people and didn’t help their employees navigate things. such as providing care in the event of a pandemic. So really providing these managers with the tools and the education that they need, as well as the limits within which it needs to be operated, in flexibility and stuff. But, that’s not a thing.

Some of these themes are really long term. So we are working more and more with companies to identify what the long term care approach is, because employees have spoken, they expect their employer to play a role. It’s partly about resources and partly about flexibility, time and finding care delivery solutions that truly meet the needs of the entire workforce.

Granted, employees with elderly care needs often haven’t brought this to work and maybe not now, but we do know that one in five employees is a caregiver in some form or another for most Americans. aged.