Disability insurance is income protection

Three Lessons I Learned Through Postpartum Depression

By Diane Russell, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Lincoln Financial Group If you have children, you know there’s no shortage of advice from family, friends and sometimes even strangers. Yet, mothers dealing with postpartum depression often feel like they have no one to talk to about what they’re going through. At least, that’s…

Successful stay-at-work services

Successful Return-to-Work Program Design for Behavioral Health Conditions (Part II)

Dan Jolivet described the importance of return-to-work programs for employees with behavioral health and substance abuse disorders in his first post along with two key elements associated with program success: a holistic approach and the services of a return-to-work consultant. In Jolivet’s second post, we consider the importance of stay-at-work services and program metrics.  …

Successful Return-to-Work Program Design

Successful Return-to-Work Program Design for Behavioral Health Conditions (Part I)

Prior to the pandemic, the United States saw a decades-long epidemic of “diseases of despair” with increasing rates of depression, suicide, addiction and overdose deaths. Mental health and substance use issues—and the economic and human costs of those conditions—were a focus for employers. Then came the pandemic. Rates of anxiety and depression tripled and remain…

Overworked young professional with his head on the desk

You Need a Vacation (And So Does Your Team)

As Labor Day fades from view, most HR teams typically breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a respite from juggling vacation requests and staffing. But, just as everything about 2020 has been different, this year summer didn’t automatically mean “vacation.”   In fact, a vast majority of your team might have forgone any days…

Helping Employees Deal With Change

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. shared the following article. In business and life, change is constant. Markets go up and down, companies merge and close, economies struggle, and global issues affect people’s lives. Knowing how to respond to these changes is challenging. Employees especially worry about how these changes will affect their jobs and livelihood. Employers can…

How Mindfulness Empowers Us to Skillfully Engage in Difficult Conversations

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…

Substitute Perks: How To Give Your Employees Benefits Even When You’re Apart

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…

Is Stress Affecting Your Employees? Here’s How to Help

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Work-related stress is the leading workplace health problem. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently included “burnout” in its new edition of the International Classification of Diseases, describing it as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” And the…

Taking Time Off is Good for Employee Engagement

The pandemic hasn’t stopped 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…