If your company has managed to make it through the Great Resignation relatively unscathed (so far), now’s not the time to breathe a sigh of relief and carry on with business as usual. Consider this statistic from a 2022 Microsoft Work Index Study:

This is not a pandemic problem. The way employees view work has fundamentally changed forever. And companies that wish to remain competitive need to change too —for the better. One way they can do so is to prioritize workplace wellness, something that many companies haven’t done an amazing job of in the past. Fifty-two percent of respondents to a 2021 Indeed study indicated that they feel burned out, and 67 percent said that feeling had worsened over the past year. Burnout hurts the bottom line.

“Healthy humans translate into a healthy company,” explains Eleven Eleven Talent Collective founder, Tess Sloane. “There is a literal cost to people taking sick days or underperforming in their roles.”

But a failure to invest in workplace wellness doesn’t just harm current employees; you’ll also have trouble attracting new talent in today’s recruiting environment.

“Candidates have an expectation that they will have access to benefit programs that are more holistic and include mental health support etc. It’s a very competitive space now for employers to attract talent and this can be a deciding factor,” says Eleven Eleven Talent Collective founder, Alisha Adams.

According to Sprout At Work’s “2022 Ultimate Guide to Workplace Wellbeing” (PDF), investing in an employee health and wellness program will pay you back in spades: “Organizations with highly effective health and productivity programs report: 11 percent higher revenue per employee and 28 percent greater shareholder returns.”

So, what should you include in your workplace wellness benefits program if you want to attract top talent and ensure your current employees are thriving and happy? There’s a lot to consider, but we’ve narrowed down the list to these 5 must-haves:

5 Benefits Your Workplace Wellness Plan Must Have

Personalized benefits

Health and wellness is not one size fits all. Since every employee has different needs, be flexible with the benefits you offer. Consider things like health and nutrition coaching, on-demand fitness classes, self-care subscription services, and menstrual leave for employees who have uteruses.

At Eleven Eleven we empower our employees to be accountable to what wellness is to them, make that part of their daily routine, and have autonomy to make these decisions for themselves.

2. Digital health benefits

Chances are your existing employee benefits package already covers things like physical trips to the doctor or dentist, but including a digital health platform can help employees access mental health services and overcome barriers to access like long wait times, or poor availability.

Check out this excellent article by Calm to learn how to select the right digital health benefits for your organization.

3. Holistic benefits

Since the onset of the pandemic, there’s been an increasing importance placed on discussions around mental health and just how much our work lives impact it. Frankly, the realization that physical and mental health are equally important is long overdue, and employers have an obligation to prioritize both.

One way to ensure your benefits speak to your employees’ bodies and minds is to implement mindfulness and meditation programs at work. We incorporate meditation practices into our meetings at Eleven Eleven, so it’s become a part of our day-to-day culture.

For more about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation at work, check out these posts:

If you’d like to learn how to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your workplace, check out our other company, Chapter Two Meditation. We offer workplace guided meditation, certified meditation event speakers, and meditation lunch and learns.

4. Financial benefits

Financial troubles can be a great source of stress and anxiety. Consider helping your employees focus on their financial wellness through workshops, financial wellness tools, and perks like tuition reimbursement and fertility assistance.

5. Caregiver benefits

The pandemic created an acute crisis for working mothers and other caregivers. Employers have a duty to help their employees find balance within all their roles and responsibilities. This can be done by offering remote work, flexible work hours, and providing caregiver-provider referrals.

Offering a well-rounded health and wellness benefits package is just the start of how employers can invest in the wellbeing of their employees. It’s also important to promote and foster a culture of self-care. While all of this may seem like the softer side of people management, this is truly the future of work, and companies who make the shift now will experience the rewards for many years to come.