MetLife Employee Benefit Trends
The New Work Life Reality
Key Takeaways:
- Even before COVID-19, the blended work-life world was becoming more complex, leading to challenges for both employers and employees.
- Data from before and during the crisis shows that when employers provide greater support to their employees, their employees are more successful.
- A flexible approach to work, along with managers and supervisors who lead by example, is essential in helping employees manage the challenges of the work-life blend.
- Financial wellness support is continually valued: employees who successfully navigate the work-life blend are more likely to say their employers offer financial wellness programs that meet their needs.
Even before the pandemic, new ways of working meant that our professional lives increasingly found their way into our personal lives — and vice-versa.
Many employees struggle to navigate the realities and demands of this world.
Now, in the midst of COVID-19, work and life are blending more than ever. This is forcing people to manage their priorities in dramatically different ways.
Employers play an even more critical role in supporting employee well-being.
Employees are facing new work-life challenges during COVID-19
- Employees are concerned about contracting the virus and social distancing.
- Overall sources of stress, like work and finances, still persist.
- 77% of struggling employees say technology makes it difficult to switch off, up 8 percentage points from before the crisis.
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Employers can help employees navigate the work-life blend
Create a flexible culture
Wave 1 research revealed successful employees were more likely to have employers who offered flexible programs and policies.
Help employees set boundaries
Even before the pandemic, 87% of employees were interested in working for an organization with policies to help set boundaries on working hours.
Support employees’ mental health and financial wellness
58% of employees who struggle with work and life blending said their employer doesn’t offer mental health programs that meet their specific needs, or they are difficult to access/understand.