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Elevating employee engagement (PDF 50 KB)
Industry: Technology
Company size: 57,000 employees
Goal: Increase global employee engagement
With so many different stressors in the world, the leadership team of a high-tech global company wanted to make sure their employees felt supported and valued — and had the tools to reach their full potential inside and outside of work. They understood that employees in a culture that prioritises wellbeing are more likely to take care of themselves, be engaged and stay with the organisation.
The company offers their employees support through Optum® Emotional Wellbeing Solutions. It includes a complete portfolio of telephonic, digital and in-person solutions, making it easy for members to access the support they need. The solutions include 24/7/365 emotional support, self-care resources, wellness coaching, therapy, and financial and legal services.
Unfortunately, utilisation data showed employees weren’t using the resources as much as they could be, particularly in certain regions. With limited team capacity and resources, the organisation needed help figuring out how to reach employees and drive engagement. They turned to Optum and their employee benefit consultant for help.
Optum and the organisation’s benefit consultant worked closely to deliver and implement a measurable strategic plan to cultivate emotional wellbeing, belonging and resiliency globally. Optum took the lead on the programme campaign specifics, including utilisation data analysis, programme best practices and solution delivery. The benefit consultant, with their broader view across the organisation’s complete benefits offering, served as the initiative’s project manager and also facilitated alignment and cross-collaboration with other vendors supporting the organisation.
First steps included conducting an employee survey and reviewing emotional wellbeing program utilization data to identify pain points and opportunities. The survey found globally that many employees 1) wanted more work-life balance, 2) harbored stigmatizing views toward mental health, and 3) found it difficult to identify and access mental health resources.
The data analysis helped identify engagement rates per nation, issues and trends that correlated to higher use. They also identified opportunities to raise awareness and engagement overall and particularly in lower-use regions. These insights enabled the organisation to directly address and target the mental health support needs of specific populations. For example:
Optum and the benefit consultant created a multifaceted strategic plan to meet individual needs whilst accounting for cultural and regional differences and building upon existing internal resources. An essential part of the plan centred on change management strategies to shift cultural mindsets with regard to mental health, wellness and seeking support. For example, they implemented trainings to help managers understand the purpose of the wellbeing solutions and available resources as important management tools for helping employees live healthier lives.
Managers came to understand they don’t have to have all the answers in regard to employee mental health and wellbeing. Rather, they can lean on Emotional Wellbeing Solutions’ management resources for help navigating difficult situations and challenges and encourage employees to access available programme resources for support.
Optum and the benefit consultant scheduled a series of events and resource-specific promotional campaigns to foster emotional wellbeing and mental health inclusivity. These included:
In addition, Optum and the benefit consultant established quarterly, semi-annual and annual key metrics to measure the impact of the campaigns and initiatives by country and overall. Each report offers insights on successes and opportunities for improvement. The data ensures the programme stays on track. It also motivates regional leads and managers to refer their team members to resources that can be of benefit.
In one year, the strategic initiative increased employee satisfaction, trust and engagement.
Download the case study
Elevating employee engagement (PDF 50 KB)