As states around the country consider when and how to reopen the economy, employers are faced with a new challenge: how to balance what’s needed for your business and what’s safe for your workers. You’re likely stocking up on cleaning supplies and masks, retrofitting workspaces and rearranging floorplans. But to fully support your workers, there’s more to consider than hygiene and health. 

COVID-19 and its complications will hit frontline workers the hardest. It’s difficult enough in normal times when an employee comes to you struggling with something in their lives that you have no resources to address. What do you do when every one of your employees is suddenly anxious and overwhelmed with the same mounting crisis?

When working with a Resource Navigator, your employees are not just getting connected to community resources—they’re being coached on having difficult conversations with their landlords, they’re being empowered to take control of thousands of dollars in medical debt, and they’re getting the tools and information they need to be better prepared for whatever life throws at them…not just today but months, and even years, from now. 

Now more than ever, employers are investing in wellness programs to improve the physical health of their workforce. Various studies, however, offer conflicting results on whether workplace wellness programs actually provide cost savings and improved worker health.

WorkLife Partnership is excited to announce that we received a $1.1 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation earlier this fall. This funding will spark a major leap forward in the way that we meet the needs of businesses and their workers.

“I’ve stopped checking my mail,” said Travis, overwhelmed by the past-due medical bills and collections notices piling up in his mailbox. Unfortunately, Travis’ situation is all too familiar. It seems like every week another family is in the news, sharing their story about unexpected medical bills, unaffordable healthcare costs, or being so burdened by medical debt that they have to file for bankruptcy. These stories aren’t anomalies; they’re very much a reflection of reality.