Manage HR Magazine | Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Fremont, CA:Employee perks and benefits got significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Workplace wellness is one of the work areas affected by the coronavirus. As a result, employers in all fields related to work faced new challenges last year (2020).
As a result, many organizations found themselves in a position where they had no choice but to shift and rethink their employee wellness plans and investment areas.
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Even though it occurred last year, the coronavirus pandemic continues to shape employee wellness offerings in 2021.over the past few years, mental health has been a top priority for organizations. However, with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the ability to address mental health became even more pressing as employees dealt with grief, isolation, loss of income, and fear.
With stress and anxiety at an all-time high, it's heartening to see that employers of all sizes are paying attention.
Top Employee Wellness Benefits and Programs
Employee mental health is at the forefront of everyone's minds in the coming year, according to the report (2021). Almost nine out of ten employers intend to increase their investment in this area, with only one percent planning to decrease their investment.
During the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine programs saw a surge in popularity. According to a study, 87 percent of employers intend to increase their investment in telemedicine programs this year, a total 25 percentage points higher than last year.
Since 2018, there has been an increase in the number of stress management and resilience programs. Because of the pandemic and the stress and anxiety it has caused among workers of all ages, it is not surprising that 81 percent of companies plan to increase their investment in this area in 2021.
Employees are experiencing increased stress and behavioral health consequences due to the many financial difficulties, health fears, social distancing measures, and other anxiety-inducing disruptions to normal life caused by COVID-19.
Mindfulness and meditation benefits continue to be a popular investment, with nearly two-thirds (69percent) of employers planning to increase spending in this area of health. In addition, mindfulness and meditation have played an essential role in supporting employees' mental health as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to do so.
Such a new wellness offering aims to reduce the risk of unknowingly exposing employees and other individuals in the workplace to the virus. Moreover, it is an appealing wellness program because it is inexpensive, can supplement other safety measures, and is simple to implement.
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