Answering the Call for Whole-Person Health: How Employers Can Listen to Support Their Employees

Employers invest in human capital for both their internal and external communities. At Milken Institute Health, we view the workplace as its own community, in which organizational leadership is uniquely positioned to introduce, model, communicate, and normalize a “whole-person” approach to health that prioritizes physical, mental, and financial well-being equally. Investments in whole-person health can come in the form of expanded health benefits, changes to internal policies and programs, shifts in workplace culture to allow people to bring their “whole selves” to work, and increased levels of opportunity that recognize the many roles and responsibilities employees take on, such as caregiving.

Sabrina Spitaletta, senior director, Public Health at the Milken Institute, and Jen Ughetta, executive vice president and chief people officer, Liberty Mutual, sat down to discuss ways leadership within organizations can lead with a whole-person health approach in mind.

Employers are defining "whole-person health” in various ways. As an employer, how do you envision a whole-person health approach in the workplace and in community investments from the employer??

As a purpose-driven organization, the foundation of what we do is helping people in their time of need and our employees are proud of that—proud to be part of something bigger and support those around us. As company leaders, we’re committed to fostering an environment where all of our 40,000 employees are healthy, engaged, and doing meaningful work in support of our customers and the communities around us. Through an inclusive workplace, physical, mental, and financial benefits to support whole-person health, ongoing growth and development opportunities to keep employees aligned to our company’s goals, flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance, and employee-led communities for connection and belonging, we're committed to supporting the total well-being of our employees and creating a workplace where people can grow meaningful careers.

What are the risks if employers do not adopt or move towards a whole-person health approach?

As a large employer, we recognize that employees are multifaceted, and we have a role to play in keeping them healthy and engaged and building resilience. What they experience outside of work can often show up at work, and there’s interconnectivity between stressors and their impact on employees’ health. By investing in a full suite of benefits, programs, and policies that support employees’ whole-person health—physical, emotional, and financial—employees feel that they have what they need to tackle these stressors and build resilience inside and outside of work. That also translates to a healthy and engaged workforce.

What steps are employers uniquely positioned to take to normalize and achieve a whole-person health approach?

In addition to providing comprehensive benefit plans, we have cultivated a culture at Liberty Mutual that prioritizes inclusion, well-being, and belonging. Our executive leadership team sets the tone by modeling healthy behaviors, demonstrating a commitment to work-life balance, leading and participating in open conversations with employees, and lending their time, resources, and voices to nonprofit organizations in our local communities.

As a large organization, we have the ability to leverage our scale and partnerships with nonprofit organizations to support healthy community engagement and initiatives. In addition to supporting more than $50 million annually in corporate giving through Liberty Mutual Foundation, we also provide programs that provide robust community support with volunteer opportunities and matched donations for employees to support the organizations that are most meaningful to them.

For a number of years, we have combined healthy movement, friendly competition and employee giving through a global activity challenge that has helped raise money for a global nonprofit partner. Through the challenge, more than 7,000 employees tracked 1.3 billion steps to secure a $50,000 donation for Action Against Hunger, an organization committed to ending life-threatening food insecurity worldwide.

In your opinion, which organizational leadership roles or positions need to be involved for this integrated approach to be adopted across the organization and in the surrounding community?

With our employees spanning the globe, every employee collectively cultivates and contributes to a healthy work environment at Liberty Mutual and within the community. For example:

• Our executive leadership team models healthy behaviors, including a healthy work-life balance, actively engages with employees across the company, and shows up as active members of the local community.
• Our people leaders role model an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and supported, cultivating that mindset across the company by creating space for open dialogues and providing meaningful feedback to shape career growth and development.
• Our employee listening strategy captures employee sentiment around a range of topics, from benefits to technology and tools, to ensure we’re continuing to meet employee needs where they are.
• Our benefits team regularly taps into employee feedback to help shape our holistic benefits offerings to support the total well-being of our global workforce.
• Our employees support one another by living our values and creating meaningful connections across the company and within our seven employee resource groups, which have more than 16,000 active members.

By fostering this shared responsibility, we collectively support a holistic approach to well-being that includes everyone.

How do employers build a sustainable whole-person health approach that anticipates the ebb and flow of the external environment, whether those are shifts in the economic, social, or political landscape?

With five generations in today’s workforce, needs vary across generations, geographical regions, etc. Our data-driven listening strategy includes:

• Deploying monthly engagement surveys, where we ask employees about their experiences within that given month, giving people leaders insight into what their team members are experiencing and allowing them to prioritize actions as a result.
• Conducting twice-a-year deep dives to capture employee feedback about benefits and well-being programs, giving us insight into what is most meaningful to them and why.
• Organizing comprehensive employee focus groups and preference surveys to inform our long-term well-being strategy.
• Capturing valuable insights into utilization and engagement, helping us to better understand employee preferences and behaviors.?

• Understanding what employees value most to then make design changes to align with preferences.?Through a recent assessment of employee sentiment, affordability rose to the top for our employees.?That feedback enabled us to revamp our cost-sharing structure, including the design of our Health Savings Account employer contribution, giving more back to employees to support medical costs.?

We leverage all of these insights and evaluate where we can integrate that feedback into decision-making, including enhancing our offerings. As a result, over the last year, we’ve rolled out several new benefits, including:?

• A virtual physical therapy solution that provides dedicated one-on-one support—from convenient 15-minute exercise options to proper ergonomics setups—from the comfort of one’s home. It includes a qualified health coach and physical therapist that you connect with via text, email, phone, or video.??
• A service for moms who are traveling for work and need to ship their breast milk to their child(ren). Supplies can be ordered prior to a business trip and delivered to a hotel or office; then, a pre-paid shipping label can be used to ship pumped milk back home.?
• Discounted fitness packages?for all benefits-eligible Liberty employees and 18+ benefits-eligible dependents. Packages offer employees access to a broad range of gyms in their area. Many packages also offer online fitness classes and grocery delivery services.?
• A 401(k) student loan match program that treats employees’ monthly student loan payments as if they’re contributing to the Liberty Mutual 401(k) retirement plan. The program supports employees in building financial resilience and reducing their financial stress, now and in the future.

Through these tools and strategies, we’re able to evolve our benefits offerings and customize engagement strategies that resonate with our employees, as well as deploy targeted communications to boost awareness of benefits, increase utilization, and close gaps in care.?When employee feedback is reflected through our policies, programs, and benefits, employees feel valued and supported. In fact, US employees say that our benefits meet their needs—with sentiment exceeding external benchmarks.