Younger generations want employee wellness programs and mental health services, along with a positive employee culture, with their jobs. Organizations have to understand how certain benefits are a competitive advantage when recruiting, hiring and retaining millennials, which are now the largest generation in the workforce.

Millennials value their health more than anything except their families, according to a Sanford Health study. That’s one reason they’ve been dubbed “the wellness generation.”

EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS ARE GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES AND BUSINESSES

Wellness programs can incentivize employees to improve their overall health and wellbeing. The programs encourage people to exercise, eat healthy and take mental breaks, which boost employee morale and productivity.

While traditional wellness programs can appeal to millennials and Gen Zers, they want mental health services, too. That’s why employers should prioritize those services for their workers.

“Millennials are more engaged and more open about their mental health struggles than previous generations and they are also more likely to expect mental health benefits from their employers,” noted Employee Benefits News.

Mental health factors can determine if millennial or Gen Z employees stay with their employers. Fifty percent of millennials and 75% of Gen Zers have left a job, either voluntarily or involuntarily, for mental health reasons, according to survey results featured in Harvard Business Review.

A growing number of prominent employers now offer mental health benefits that cover a higher number of therapy sessions and a wider range of treatment options, including therapy and mental health coaching. Still, younger generations say it’s not enough. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) of millennials believe their company should do more to support their health and wellbeing needs, according to a millennial survey report from Welltok.