Meeting People Where They Are: The Case for Employers to Adopt a Whole-Person Health Approach

Employers invest in human capital for both their internal and external communities. At MI 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 Pamela Greenberg, president and CEO of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, sat down to discuss the ways leadership within organizations can lead with a whole-person health approach in mind.

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

My comments come from the perspective of an association CEO who represents health plans and advocates on mental health and substance use disorder policy issues. As many of us have learned over the last several years, focusing on an employee’s physical health, while extremely important, is no longer enough. Our society is demanding more; employees want an employer who focuses on the whole person, meaning the physical, behavioral, financial, emotional, occupational, social, intellectual, and spiritual health of the employee and their family. I think what’s important for employers to know is that these expectations go beyond providing a benefit in these areas. People want employers to have open conversations about these topics, to provide valuable and educational information, and to help their employees and their families excel in all areas of their lives.

Employees are proud to work for an employer that demonstrates their support, not just for their employees but for the community they live in. After all, that community is what helps to keep them housed, safe, social, etc.—in essence, an employer that genuinely cares about all aspects of their employee, the whole employee.

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

I’d like to focus on one step that employers are uniquely positioned to take, and that is in the area of employee, family, and community health education. The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer online survey of more than 32,000 respondents across 28 countries found that people with low trust in the health ecosystem see their employer as the most believable channel for health information. Because employers are seen as a trusted source of health information, they are uniquely positioned to help internally and in the community with health literacy. Attaining health literacy to improve the health and well-being of all happens to be one of the overarching goals of Healthy People 2030, an initiative from the US Department of Health and Human Services that identifies public health priorities to help individuals, organizations, and communities across the United States improve health and well-being. A health literate individual is more likely to manage their and their family's health better, prevent health problems, and save health-care dollars.

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?

For an integrated, whole-person approach to be adopted by an organization and its surrounding community, the C-Suite needs to back the proposed changes and demonstrate that they personally see the value in this shift in approach. Yes, funding new models of care is essential, but it’s more than supporting and building a better health-care structure. Members of the C-Suite have to be the first to access whole-person health services and talk about its benefits with employees and individuals in the community. C-Suite employees are recognized, respected leaders; employees, friends, and neighbors will take heed of their actions toward a fully integrated approach to health.