98% of U.S. companies surveyed are adding mental health resources this year after the COVID-19 pandemic
The survey was released by Sequoia, a human resources investment firm that helps companies design programs to support employees. 70% of companies surveyed are based in California.
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“The pandemic has caused a huge shift in how employers approach supporting their employees,” said Kaleana Quibell, vice president of wellness and platform partners at the company. “Whether it’s their physical health, their emotional health, their financial health, and their family plans.”
According to the survey, 98% of companies have added or plan to add mental health resources to support overall employee wellbeing. 50% have added or plan to add allowances, and 47% have added or plan to add parental support – mostly in the form of flexible working arrangements.
“I think one of the most surprising things about wellness trends is giving employees more choice,” Quibell said.
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The companies said some of the new benefits are intended to help employees who have faced challenges throughout the pandemic.
“People were having a hard time figuring out how to show up at work? And deal with all these things that were going on whether they were directly or indirectly impacted,” said Melina Murray, who works for Replicated, a delivery management company. software.
Murray says the company plans to add mental health programs for all employees with therapy and digital resources to help with meditation and mindfulness.
“More… more free time,” Murray said. “Here’s the deal. Three weeks off minimum…do you want to take five weeks? Take five weeks.”
The survey found that companies plan to add the following benefits for parents of school-aged children:
- 16% plan to add additional paid time off.
- 18% plan to add child care subsidies.
- 36% plan to add programs to meet the emotional needs of their children.
- 54% plan to add flexible working arrangements.
- 31% are still undecided.
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Andrew Barrett Weiss with healthcare startup GoodRX is part of this group.
“I don’t think child care isn’t a priority, it’s a priority. But I think we haven’t found the right way to handle that through COVID,” Weiss said. “It’s really hard as a business to provide childcare when people are already invested with people looking after their kids.”
Quibell says that overall, most companies surveyed are still unsure how schools and daycares will adhere to evolving COVID policies going forward.
For a detailed overview of the survey, click here.
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