LifeLabs Inc.’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards win is helping the company communicate the value of its mental-health support offerings to employees.
The organization’s holistic wellness strategy took home the mental-health program award for companies with more than 5,000 employees. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, LifeLabs strengthened its mental-health strategy to address employees’ intensified needs. It included a dedicated coronavirus wellness resources page to provide easy access to free services, such as virtual health care, home pharmacy delivery, weekly live/recorded webinars and other online resources. It also developed a package for its mental-health leaders to showcase support tools and provide tips on guiding their teams.
Read: LifeLabs awarded for strengthening mental-health program in face of pandemic
“We have our WBA award in our signatures, so we’re very proud of it,” says Trin Pettingill, LifeLabs’ national director of total rewards, human resources operations and technology, noting the award has also been promoted on the company’s LinkedIn page.
Crystal Arnold, manager of retirement and benefits, says the win has helped create a buzz and has gotten the word out about the various mental-health supports available to employees, noting there’s been an uptick in usage of mental-health paramedical benefits over the last year. “We have to be creative in how we communicate . . . because our employees are spread across [a] . . . footprint of four provinces,” she says, noting the organization has received a lot of positive feedback about the program.
Read: LifeLabs adding resources to support employee mental health
As the pandemic recedes and employees settle into a new normal, Arnold says LifeLabs’ evolving mental-health strategy will focus on flexibility, choice and supporting employees throughout the entire continuum of care — prevention, treatment and follow up.
“Our mental-health program is ever evolving,” adds Pettingill. “It’s something that’s going to change and flex to ensure we’re always meeting employees’ needs.”
Enter the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards here. The deadline is June 30.