Dive Brief:
- Wellness tech trio Welltok, meQuilibrium and Zipongo released a new survey on Americans’ physical, emotional and financial struggles, broken down by gender, age, income and region. The survey, Consumer Health POV 2017, polled 2,000 full-time workers nationwide.
- The survey reveals that Americans are highly stressed, with respondents under 45 being the most stressed, but those over 45 being sleep-deprived. Financial stability is a top priority for both genders and all demographics — perhaps one reason why millennials reported being the most stressed of all generations.
- According to Michelle Snyder, Welltok’s chief marketing officer, 70% of a person’s health status is driven by environment and lifestyle. She says the survey results show that health and wellbeing go far beyond physical health, and that people want support for their emotional, financial and social well-being.
Dive Insight:
Employers are recognizing workers’ total well-being. This holistic approach has led them to include emotional and financial components to their wellness programs.
Employees cite their financial struggles as a major distraction and stressor at work. Employers that can provide workers with information on managing finances and help with controlling debt can reduce the stress and health problems workers often face. Millennials, in particular, are entering the "sandwich" phase of life, in which they often have both young children and aging parents to care for, on top of pernicious student loan debt.
Work environments that invest in employees’ well-being have an edge in attracting talent. Employees who feel emotionally, financially and physically healthy are productive and have higher job satisfaction, according to current and past studies.
