If COVID has taught us one thing, it is how important wellness is – physical and mental. This week on The Source, we caught up with Stacy Cutrono, PhD, Wellness Coach at UKG. She started her career in academia, pursuing exercise and cancer research. From there, Stacy joined the UKG team expanding their employee wellness program.

So what can employers do to help their employees during this time? How can smart benefits design overcome the challenges faced by employers to support improved employee and company culture wellness?

Pro Tip: It’s not what you do, it’s HOW you do it that matters.

In our current situation, emotional and mental health is top of mind for Stacy. “There is still a stigma that surrounds mental health and our country has not done the best job of starting the discussion.” We are all globally experiencing similar situations at the same time, so talking to one another gives us an opening to enlist various support systems to help achieve individual wellness. 

From an HR perspective, ideas to consider would be hosting webinars to offer tips on how to handle anxiety and stress; products to help employees better prepare for change; or access to free online resources. Take the first step…start the conversation with your employees, ask them how they are doing and listen to their responses.  Remind your staff that they are not alone and that we are in this together.