The employer side of HLTH 2023: Key takeaways 

HLTH 2023 did not disappoint. It’s incredible what happens when 11,000 health and wellness innovators from around the globe come together at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you haven’t yet experienced HLTH, you really should put it on your calendar for next year! 

Mercer once again hosted the employer stage, which featured panel discussions with some of our clients. Across the sessions, these were the four most prominent themes:  

Increased focus on family planning, including fertility, surrogacy, adoption, and caregiver support benefits. A representative comment: “We thought our family support benefits were market competitive, but found we needed to update them again.” One employer provides career coaching services geared to new parents and has seen a marked reduction in turnover among this population, particularly new mothers.  

Emphasis on bringing mental health support into the workplace, especially in sectors that deal with the public, such as healthcare and retail. One healthcare employer instituted routine welfare checks with all employees: Managers meet with staff regularly to ask “how are you doing?” By helping to identify employees who are struggling and need extra support, this practice has resulted in improved clinical results. Workforce violence came up in several different discussions as an increasing challenge. Employers need to prioritize workplace safety; the best benefits program can’t make up for feeling unsafe at work.  

Employee listening is more important than ever to understand what diverse populations need. Employers are looking at creative ways to get input and share with employees: Slack channels, BRGs, surveys, QR codes, chatbots. All discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion stressed the importance of employee listening. The stories we heard painted a picture of the many different ways that organizational cultures evolve to support employees and business – with a common thread being the importance of authenticity and intentionality. 

Get benefits data into the operations conversation. Helping leaders understand the relation between worker productivity and mental/physical health is critical to getting buy-in to address issues. Employee productivity metrics can point to where there may be health concerns. Telling stories that illustrate how benefits have had an impact on employees or their dependents – the human side of the benefits equation – can also elicit support from leadership for initiatives. Understanding the “value on investment” can be just as important as understanding the “return on investment.” 

It would be easy to get overwhelmed by all the great ideas that surfaced during the conference. So I’ll finish with a piece of helpful advice from one of the employer panelists, who said: “You can’t do it all, so figure out your strategic priorities, create a three-year plan, and focus on making progress a little at a time.”