By Carol Harnett Editor’s Note: The Council for Disability Awareness – led by Fred Schott and its research committee – has closely monitored the impact of mental health on short-term, long-term, and individual disability claims for several years. Given the exponential increase in attention the pandemic and recent societal events brought to this topic, we…
As the effects of COVID-19 caused offices to close and send workers home, they lost access to many of the perks they might have relied on for comfort and well-being. Given that employees routinely say that benefits play a large role in their job satisfaction, this deficit can lead to a loss of productivity, especially…
By Cheryl Jones, Director of Mindfulness at Aetna As if the intensity of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic with its health and economic implications wasn’t enough, we now find ourselves in the midst of rising racial and political tensions. It feels as though our sanity and our humanity are at risk. I believe mindfulness (awareness that…
By Fred Schott In March 2021 I wrote a conversation-based CDA blog post with Ian Bridgman, executive director of The Claim Lab and a Council for Disability Awareness Board member, about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on working Americans’ mental health. Bridgman indicated he was surprised with one trend in particular: “One of the data items…
The pandemic couldn’t stop summer from arriving! As vacation season kicks off, it is a good time for HR teams to encourage the value of taking a break. As we all know, vacations are important for emotional and physical health of employees. In fact, studies show that they build a far more engaged, happy, and…
By Carol Harnett If there is one thing you need to know about me, it’s this. I am a Bruce Springsteen fan. As a native Staten Islander, I found myself on the Jersey Shore more often than just about anywhere. And as the Jersey Shore goes, so goes being a fan of The Boss. I…
By:Tracey Ferstler, Assistant Vice President, U.S. Claims and Operations, MetLife The topic of mental health took on an entirely new meaning in 2021. After a year of uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, employees and employers alike are focusing more closely on mental wellness and burnout. Employee anxiety, depression and burnout are at…
Fred Schott, director of operations and research at The Council for Disability Awareness, and Ian Bridgman, a CDA board member and executive director of The Claim Lab are kicking off The CDA’s new topic beat on mental health. What follows is an exchange between the two on the dirty little data details that can be…
Winter is in full-swing, which has many people excited to either hit the slopes or hunker down for the next few months. While the dead of winter is a great time for reflection, it can also lead to burnout for even the most productive employees. Between the cold weather, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and short days, winter…
No doubt about it: 2020 has been a year for the record books. We’ve faced the most serious public health threat we’ve seen in more than a century. We’ve experienced months of lockdowns, travel bans, closures, and restrictions. As a result, we’ve seen the global economy teeter on the verge of collapse, even as we…
