Employee Wellbeing an ‘Unseen Priority,’ New Report Finds

• Employee wellbeing is a key concern among workers, according to Personify Health’s “2024 Insights: Employee Health and Productivity Report.”
• When job searching, potential employees review a company or organization’s social media presence to see how they address company wellbeing. 
• When analyzing psychological safety in a hospital work setting, researchers determined that the safer nurses felt, the better their work performance and patient outcomes. 

Just one in four employees believe wellbeing is a priority at their workplace, according to a new study on employee health and productivity.

The insight is one of several gleaned from Personify Health’s 2024 report, which was the focus of a recent Becker’s Hospital Review webinar. Additional revelations include:

• Employers with optimized health and wellbeing programs see better outcomes “across the board”  
• Employee benefits need to meet the needs of employees. If the benefits already do so, more awareness is needed.

John Petrov, chief human resources officer for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, said on the webinar that there’s not a “one-size-fits all” answer to employee wellbeing, acknowledging that with multiple generations in the workforce, offerings need to be tailored.

“Historically, especially in healthcare, we’re slow to react and adapt to change,” Petrov said. “The other piece is we have historically developed policies and programs and benefits structures that apply to the majority of our workforce.” 

Survey Says

When job searching, potential employees review a company or organization’s social media presence to see how they address company wellbeing.

“They will review very carefully a number of different sites, including social media,” Jeff Jacques, MD, and Personify Health chief medical officer, said in webinar. “LinkedIn, for example — How are you talking about how you care for your employees?”

Surveys show that, if all else is equal, candidates will choose the employer that is “making a greater commitment to employee wellbeing,” Jacques said.

Mental and emotional health was cited as most likely (41%) to affect an employee’s ability to do their job, followed by physical health (30%), social wellbeing (22%), and financial health (22%).

Britt Sinha, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s corporate director of benefits, health, and well-being, said the hospital system leadership doesn’t believe employees can display its values of integrity, empathy, and respect, among others, if their wellbeing isn’t prioritized and there’s not a psychologically safe work environment.”

The hospital, she said, has employee experience and wellbeing coaches who are available not only to meet one-on-one with employees, but to connect them with additional resources. 

Health Declines and Work Interest

Health declines — whether physical, mental, social, or financial — result in decreased enthusiasm, increased issues focusing, and a decrease in the worker’s commitment to their employer, among other issues, according to the Personify Health report.

Petrov said that looking back a decade ago, he never would have thought psychological safety or burnout would be top priorities.

“We have to be flexible, and we have to be focused not just on the present but on the future,” Petrov said, noting that benefits like parental leave only apply to “certain populations.”

The UAB Health System takes a “multi-pronged approach,” he said.

“We have a myriad of communications that we deploy throughout the year on an ongoing basis,” he said.

Burnout, low pay satisfaction, and poor work-life balance are “consistently seen as challenges to a gap between employer intentions and employee realities,” according to the report.

“Employers should see this as a wake-up call,” the report stated. “Challenges like burnout, low pay, and work-life imbalance indicate deeper systemic problems. This will require you to dismantle brick by brick the disconnected and one-size-fits all approach.” 

What Nurses are Saying 

A Nursing Outlook analysis published in 2022 found that organizations and employers “must build capacity for nurses’ well-being and explore its connection to patient safety and quality outcomes.

Some hospitals and healthcare organizations are doing so through on-site relaxation areas. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center established “serenity lounges” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lounges — of which there are now a baker’s dozen — are complete with massage chairs, artwork, and aromatherapy oils.

“Historically, studies have shown that nurses’ wellbeing affects job satisfaction and performance, along with the quality of care we can provide to patients,” said Melanie Barone, RN, MSN, associate nursing director and co-creator of the medical center’s Serenity Lounge initiative, in a news release.

When analyzing psychological safety in a hospital work setting, researchers determined that the safer nurses felt, the better their work performance and patient outcomes.

“Nurses who worked in an environment with higher psychological safety levels were more likely to be satisfied in their current job, less likely to intend to leave their current job within the next year, and more likely to report favorable patient safety ratings,” the authors stated. “ … When nurses feel psychologically safe at work, they are more likely to engage in open communication, which in turn can lead to greater job satisfaction, decreased turnover intention, and improved patient safety.” 

The Bottom Line

Personify Health’s employee health and productivity insight report shows that a majority of workers want their wellbeing to be a priority in the workplace. However, healthcare leadership noted that because of the multigenerational workforce, the approach can no longer be one-size-fits-all. Additional academic research supports the fact that employees who feel supported at work and have opportunities to improve their wellbeing are more satisfied and produce better patient outcomes. 

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