Holistic benefits for your happiest + healthiest. Wake County, NC partnered with Marsh McLennan Agency to meet all their employees’ needs—and you can, too. See how MMA can help you keep your employees holistically healthy.
We’ve all been there, hearing “this is how we’ve always done it,” or getting a “why rock the boat?” response when benefits conversations roll around each year. But with employees relying on their employers for more well-being support than ever, rocking the boat is just what you need to do to keep them from jumping ship.
Take it from one organization that listened to the needs of their diverse workforce and is reaping the rewards. North Carolina’s Wake County needed help turning their vision for an inclusive, practical benefits program into a reality. To help them steer the ship, they turned to Marsh McLennan Agency to navigate the unknown.
What’s going on in Wake County?
A little geography to get us started: Wake County comprises Raleigh and 11 other municipalities. It’s growing fast, and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. Great news…until you remember that an expanding county means an expanding number of county employees.
In Wake County’s case, that number is a whopping 4,500 employees. And those 4,500 team members (and their dependents, of course) have health needs that are unique to each individual. On top of that, they have workers in a wide range of roles—from public safety to public health, from engineers to customer service representatives, ranging from age 18 to 81. The challenge? Making sure their benefits programs meet all those vastly different needs.
So did Wake County accept the status quo and offer “standard” benefits that met a reasonable amount of employee needs? Uh, of course they didn’t. They linked up with Marsh McLennan Agency to help support their vision of Living Great at Wake, a holistic health and wellness program.
Mental wellness is the common denominator
Living Great at Wake addresses health issues ranging from diabetes management to smoking cessation. But the best example of how Wake County met their employees’ needs is their response to employee’s mental health needs.
Wake County leaders asked themselves two big questions about mental health benefits:
- How can we make sure employees know how important it is to seek help?
- How can we make sure Wake County employees know how to access help?
The answer involved three major components:
- Health clinics. With some help from Marsh McLennan Agency, Wake County set up two on-site health centers offering low- or no-cost medical services to employees and their spouses. What made these clinics so special? They’re also staffed with qualified mental health professionals who provide coaching and support.
- Webinars. Education is key, especially when it comes to mental health and well-being. So Marsh McLennan Agency helped Wake County set up webinars where employees could ask questions anonymously and get answers from Wake County’s partner vendors.
- Wellness leave. It’s tough to show up fully when we’re not feeling our best. Wake County understood this, so they offer two days of paid leave for employees every year, no questions asked. Wake County encouraged their employees to use their wellness leave to manage stress, anxiety, or depression.
Going above and beyond
Although mental health was a huge component of the vision Wake County had for their benefits programs, it wasn’t their only concern. The goal was holistic health benefits, and Marsh McLennan Agency helped them deliver. And the stakes were high.
After all, Wake County employees are responsible for 1.1m+ residents and 857 square miles of property. To help their staff meet the needs of the general public, Wake County knew they needed to support their staff’s mental, physical, and financial health. People helping people…helping people.
To help support their workforce, Wake County offers a variety of programs and benefits, including:
- eight weeks of paid leave for new parents
- tuition reimbursement
- a weight loss program
With benefits that cover a wide range of needs, Wake County’s program has been hugely successful, positively impacting their employees and making it easier to recruit top talent.
No matter what your people need, Marsh McLennan Agency is here to help you accomplish your health and wellness benefits goals. From identifying the areas where you receive the most claims to developing strategies to prevent those claims, Marsh McLennan Agency can help you challenge the status quo. Uncover the most impactful benefits for your ever-changing workforce and create a game plan to tackle your problems with Marsh McLennan Agency.