March 31, 2021, Atlanta, Ga. – As we all begin to see changes emerging, again, in our work environments, the leadership at Corporate Health Partners (CHP) is considering what habits and experiences we can maintain, going forward. While 2020 was the most disruptive year for corporate cultures and worker’s lives, there were glimmers of positivity that bear consideration for permanent integration into our wellness programs, as we all move into a post-Covid workspace.
“Like so many organizations that relied on in-person interactions, we found ourselves scrambling, early on, to enable our coaches and maintain connections with our wellness clients,” says Dan Feruck, President of CHP. “As time went on, and the novelty wore off, we were able to get our bearings and see the trends among the employees we coached. Now, with much of it behind us, we are taking a hard look at the technology, employees’ changing needs, and how we can help re-integrate those employees who were isolated.”
CHP will be adjusting our services to embrace the best practices from 2020 and incorporating them into our service offerings to all of our clients. Though these changes were responsive to circumstances beyond all of our control, some of them turned out to be true improvements to how we deliver coaching and wellness programs.
Integrated Virtual Support Our coaches found that virtual coaching proved very effective at reducing risk factors and developing deep, meaningful relationships. In some situations, virtual proved to be a better solution, as employees were more focused and became a captive audience, able to incorporate not just their work life, but their home life. In addition, virtual coaching sessions could be less disruptive for employees in the field.
CHP will maintain a permanent offering for remote and virtual coaching for all our clients. It will become an option made available to employees in order to help them best meet their goals. This new hybrid method will allow far greater flexibility to both organizations and employees, allowing coaches and program managers to meet the team where they are.
Enhanced Mental Health Services All of our coaches expressed a need for more emotional and mental health services as they saw an alarming rise in stress, among their clients. In response, coaches were trained in the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Program, from Atrium Health, to help identify, understand, and respond to an individual experiencing a mental health challenge. Through the course of the year, CHP Health Coaches applied their training to both employees and their spouses, trying to help them work through the increased stress from the pandemic – and referring them for additional services, where appropriate.
Since the vast majority of illness are precipitated by stress, the management of stress will continue to be a challenge for individuals and organizations going forward. Stress reduction can lead to both healthier bodies and healthier relationships. To help, CHP will be increasing our mental health support in an effort to bring a more rounded perspective to our clients as we move towards another stressful, unprecedented year.
Fast Tracking Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) While our coaches have always worked with clients as advocates for EAP services, with the advent of Covid, we saw a heightened sense of urgency and need among more employees and were able to make referrals to meet the emerging need.
As we move into the new year, we have implemented a fast-track system for our coaches that offers them more guidance on how to introduce employees in need to the available EAP and guide them through the process. With more flexibility and autonomy, coaches will be able to bring a broader group of employees into EAP programs, helping them improve their overall wellness.
Annual Retainer After consideration, we decided not to increase our annual retainer fees for 2021. We believe organizations will have a greater need to support their employee’s overall wellness and want to be respectful of how hard our clients worked to maintain their employees’ health through the pandemic. We are grateful for the continued partnership and want to help our existing clients rebuild their connection to their teams, as we all move into a post-Covid workplace.
Our Program Managers collaborate with your organization, drawing from a set of services that can be coordinated to form a highly personal and effective program.
- Program Management
- Health Coaching
- Participant Wellness Portal (CoreHealth)
- Online Wellness Assessment/HRA
- Health Screenings/Biometric Data Collection/Analysis
- Culture-Building & Engagement
- Reporting
It has been our priveledged to help guide our clients and their employees through one of their most difficult times. We believe a coach is critical to lasting, behavioral change and that healthy changes will lead to better overall wellness. As we all move into another tumultuous year, we are optimistic that strong, culturally-rich wellness programs will be a deciding factor, among employees, for engagement, retention, and recruitment. It is our hope that after a year reactively focused on clinging to health, we can spend this year proactively focused on wellness.
About Corporate Health Partners Corporate Health Partners is a privately held corporation, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. It has gained national recognition for its “Coaching First” approach to behavioral change with programs engineered to fit each unique organizational culture and employees. CHP’s evidence-based approach generates participation and engagement results far exceeding industry standards (more than 85% employees express satisfaction with CHP vs. the industry average of just 24%). Our work transforms organizations fostering happier, healthier employees who support one another, increase productivity, and demonstrate higher company loyalty.
About Mental Health First Aid Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a public education program that teaches participants how to recognize and respond to the signs of a mental health challenge. Mental Health First Aid is help for a person experiencing a mental health challenge, mental disorder or a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional help is received, or the crisis resolves. This course was developed by the National Council on Behavioral Health along with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Missouri Department of Mental Health.