PORTLAND, Maine — Employers both large and small in Maine are emphasizing their workers' mental and physical health in the workplace in 2024.
A new survey from Forbes Health/OnePoll of 1,000 U.S. adults (conducted on Oct. 23, 2023) looked at Americans’ attitudes surrounding resolution setting and what types of goals were prioritized.
For 2024, the Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found some resolutions to be more common than others, with the most popular goals including:
- Improved fitness (48%)
- Improved finances (38%)
- Improved mental health (36%)
- Lose weight (34%)
- Improved diet (32%)
Maine companies are making time for employees to attend to themselves even while on the clock.
"Sometimes it is hard to take a break. Some days are just really busy," Unum's Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Kelly Thayer said.
Thayer demonstrated the company's treadmill desks, which allow staff to walk while they work. Unum's Portland campus has several throughout the facility.
"Just knowing that even if I can't get outside, I can come over here and move my body and not just be in one position is really important," Thayer said. "It's better for your health. It's better for your brain. It's better for the work environment. It makes me feel happy to be here."
That happiness has become the company's focus. The Portland campus also features an on-site fitness center, featuring free weights, strength training machines, cardio equipment, yoga, spin classes, and more. Employees can use the gym anytime between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m., and if they use it at least eight times per month, their membership is reimbursed quarterly.
"We all spend a lot of time at work. And so if we're going to be healthy – mentally and physically – our work environment has to be supportive," Mike Simonds, Unum's chief operating officer, said.
Simonds said employee surveys found that physical and mental well-being rank high on their priorities. He added that employees whose jobs or tasks are not time-restricted can finish their work outside of the normal business hours, so long as they meet their required goals.
"There's a big role that employers can play," Simonds said. "What we're seeing is the employers that take a more active stance that make those investments get better outcomes for their customers and for their business."
But not every company has the budget and resources like Unum, a Fortune 500 company. However, small businesses in Maine are also finding ways to prioritize mental and physical health.
At LeBlanc Diggins Attorney at Law in Falmouth, co-founder Justin LeBlanc already gives his employees one day off a month, strictly for mental health. He also does not require his staff to work on their birthday. But he wanted to do more.
"I just want everyone to be happy and healthy," LeBlanc said. "We wanted not just to talk the talk, but walk the walk."
So, he purchased an online health and wellness program for his staff of less than 10. The program called the Action Health Platform provides individualized exercise prescriptions. The goal is to reduce the risk of injuries, improve fitness, and detect injuries early and intervene. Users fill out a survey for both mental health and physical health, including questions about fitness goals, access to equipment, and current orthopedic injuries. Programs are all available on a free video app and online. Videos and written instruction help users perform the exercises correctly.
"For us, it was a natural extension of the emphasis on mental health, and a lot of the benefit we're hoping to get from this program is not necessarily physical health, but more mental health in terms of reduced stress, anxiety, better sleep, treating the whole person," LeBlanc said.
Through reoccurring surveys, the platform can monitor the physical and mental health of a user and refer cases that may need in-person interaction to the appropriate professionals. Other Maine companies, such as Gorham Savings Bank and Maine Eye Center, have also purchased the AHP for their employees.
"As we exercise, we get a whole slew of different chemicals that are released in the brain, and some of these are natural happy pills," Chris Pribish, the principal owner and director of Momentum Performance and Wellness, which created the AHP, said. "Even 20 minutes of exercise can dramatically change your mood and mental health. It's even proven to be as effective as some antidepressants people are taking for medications."
Pribish said his company has seen a 20-25% increase in new customers in 2024 seeking his health services.
And, there's nature's medicine: healthy food. Unum discounts certain choices in its cafeteria.
"The healthier our employees are over time, frankly, the less we're going to need to spend on health insurance," Simonds said. "There's this really nice reinforcing loop where, again, you're doing the right thing to support your colleagues and in the right. In the long run, it's the right thing to do for your business as well."
Unum also offers employees access to the BeWell nutrition program, which provides freshly prepared, nutritious, and healthy meals while saving money.
- BeWell recipes are 500 calories or less, with less than 500 mg of sodium and less than 5 grams of saturated fat.
- Unum additionally offers access to registered dieticians to assist with following healthy eating habits.
Additionally, Unum offers onsite and virtual counseling services, mediation rooms, certified peer-to-peer mental health support, and access to Unum Behavioral Health, which is Unum’s digital solution available to all employees at no cost.
Unum also offers child and adult dependency care support, pet care, and financial well-being programs.
Employees like Thayer notice the effort.
"It just really feels like I'm an important part of the team and they care about us."