Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics

Studies indicate that 1 in 5 Americans may have a diagnosable mental disorder; however, when an estimated 71% of Americans believe mental illness may be due to “emotional weakness,” the stigma surrounding mental health creates major barriers to treatment. This is especially true within the workplace. Fear of discrimination, prejudice, and misunderstanding can pose a significant barrier to seeking help. Other issues such as workplace bullying and poor work/life balance can take a toll on employees’ mental health—even increasing their risk for chronic illness.  

Mental Health America of the MidSouth’s (MHA) Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics Assessment aims to promote mentally/emotionally healthy workplace cultures. It is our hope that as workforce challenges and mental health struggles are addressed through this project, employees will become more productive, motivated, and empowered in their careers and personal lives. Additionally, employers will report less absenteeism, more engagement, a healthier culture and increased productivity.

According to MHA National’s recent State of Mental Health in America report, Tennessee ranked 42nd in overall adult mental health nationally. Nearly 20% of Tennessee adults experience a mental health illness; over 7% have had a substance use disorder in the past year, and 4.55% reported serious thoughts of suicide. Over 56% of Tennessee adults experiencing mental illness have not received treatment, even though 20% of them reported seeking it. Recently, workplace mental health was identified by as a critical need by NashvilleHealth.

Studies show that workplace mental health is vital in reducing employee turnover and increasing morale, productivity, profitability, and healthy relationships. Furthermore, rates of anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD are soaring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet fear of discrimination can prevent an employee from seeking help.

MHA’s Workplace Wellness initiative aims to create systems change in business operations while also offering innovative ways to approach employee health, especially for staff without employer-provided benefits. It involves a company assessment, employee focus groups, policy change, HR benefits, and access to healthcare. Through this project, we aim to equip businesses with the tools needed to assess and respond to workplace challenges while caring for the mental health of all employees.

MHA’s Workplace Wellness initiative was created to meet Tennessee employers’ desire to support their staff, understand root causes of negative workplace issues, and improve healthcare access for uninsured or underinsured employees. Our approach uses a combination of live presentations, resource dissemination, and the Occumetrics Assessment tool—a research-based assessment process created by Mental Health America of Ohio (MHAOhio).  

Occumetrics helps agencies identify and improve the underlying causes of their greatest staffing challenges through a 3-step process. Step one (Assess) distributes an in-depth, research-based job satisfaction survey to employees. Step Two (Engage) digs deeper into survey data by leading employee focus groups, and Step Three (Change) analyzes the data and findings. Information is then presented to organizational leadership, with suggestions for addressing prominent issues and affecting positive change.  

In addition to Occumetrics, Workplace Wellness delivers presentations to employees on topics like depression, healthy communication, stress reduction, work/life balance, workplace bullying, and more. Packets are also distributed containing a charity clinic locator tool, MHA’s evidence-based screenings, fact sheets on mental health topics, and FamilyWize prescription discount cards. These resources are especially vital for employees without insurance.

The resources and information presented through Workplace Wellness is applicable to any type of employee, and it has several “white collar” components, but it’s especially valuable for part-time and seasonal workers, who lack health benefits and need assistance accessing/affording healthcare. 

Lack of access to healthcare, including mental healthcare, is a significant problem. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that nearly 85% of uninsured people are working age (19-64), over 50% have a high school education or less; they are disproportionally working in service, sales, construction, transportation, and similar industries; disproportionately located in the South; and are more likely to be living in poverty than the insured population. Many of these employees use hospital emergency rooms as their primary source of health and mental health care.  

Workplace Wellness seeks to mitigate this trend. This project supports MHA’s philosophy of “B4Stage4,” which emphasizes prevention and early intervention of mental illness before it develops into a more serious issue. Just as we treat the early symptoms of diseases such as cancer before they reach Stage 4, so should we be addressing the early symptoms of mental illness before they become unmanageable and result in job loss, a suicide attempt, incarceration, or hospitalization.

Workplace Wellness offers a unique workforce development program that primarily supports low-to-moderate income workers with a “whole person” approach to employee relations. Studies show that workplace stress is linked to higher rates of absenteeism, substance use disorder, and loss of productivity. Many workers without employee-provided health benefits may never seek help for mental health struggles, which can negatively impact their workplace engagement and ability to advance professionally. Through Workplace Wellness, MHA aims to equip businesses with the tools needed to care for the mental health of all employees and link them to local mental health resources, thereby preserving their workforce.

Number of full-time employees   4

Number of part-time employees  0

Number of contractors                1

Mental Health America of the MidSouth is committed to providing an inclusive climate that encourages the open expression and exchange of ideas; that is free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; and that is welcoming and comfortable to all stakeholders with whom we work and serve. In pursuit of that commitment, MHA is dedicated to the philosophy of equal treatment and access to services for all stakeholders, regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex or gender, religion or religious belief, age, marital status, disabilities, or veteran status. This philosophy extends from MHA’s board membership to constituents we serve in the community with our programs and activities. We expect all employees, board leaders, volunteers, and participants to work towards this commitment.

As unmet community mental health needs are identified, MHA develops programs and services to meet them. The Workplace Wellness program is one such development. This program was inspired by data that showed part-time, seasonal, and entry-level workers are at higher risk of negative health outcomes, due to barriers to healthcare and mental healthcare access. This results in high costs to families, businesses, and taxpayers. In response, the Workplace Wellness program was designed to train employees and business leaders in alternative pathways to access to mental and general healthcare, as well as provides tools to facilitate that access and support wellness.  

This project has been successful; however, there is room to go deeper and identify the root cause of workplace issues instead of merely assessing the symptoms. Generational workforce values are shifting, and the necessity for organizational leadership to listen, understand, and adapt to employee needs is vital. In an effort to meet this need, MHA partnered with MHAOhio to use their Occumetics tool with Middle Tennessee businesses.  

Many times, there is a gap between an employer’s perception of workplace problems and an employee’s actual experience. This can be especially true if the employee is a minority. The Occumetrics assessment uncovers hidden workplace issues by acting as a neutral, third party for employees to share their concerns, both large and small, to effectuate positive change. To our knowledge, there is no other initiative that combines data-driven interventions with access to mental health education and resources, such as Workforce Wellness with Occumetrics.

Currently, Workplace Wellness uses the technology of laptops, email, video conferencing, LCD projectors, and the Internet to connect with businesses and help them share helpful resources with employees. MHAOhio handles our data assessment analysis but we use Survey Monkey to conduct employee assessments. MHA offers ten free anonymous, evidence-based screenings that are online. MHA also co-developed a healthcare navigation tool to help employees connect with their nearest charitable clinic. During COVID-19, MHA has provided Workplace Wellness and self-care workshops via Zoom. We also use printing services to create resource packets and Occumetrics reports.

MHA has successfully used email to communicate with businesses, Zoom video-conferencing technology to present virtual workshops, and Survey Monkey to collect anonymous feedback.

Goal: MHA will lead businesses through the Occumetrics assessment while educating human resource officers, business owners, and workers on alternative ways to access healthcare, as well as change the practices of workplaces in how they approach employee health, especially for employees who traditionally receive no employer-provided benefits (part-time, seasonal, etc.).  

Objectives

• Guide 10-12 businesses through the Occumetrics assessment process.
• Secure healthcare for 25,000-30,000 under/uninsured workers by disseminating free resources and wellness information throughout HR/business communities, large corporations, chambers of commerce, and other trade-related associations.
• Provide workplace wellness trainings to teach up to 10,000 human resource professionals and rank-and-file employees how to access their EAP, how to access pharmacy prescription discounts, motivate them to treat mental health as physical health, and help part-time and seasonal employees navigate the health system provided resources.  

Activities

• Meet directly with 25 HR directors to discuss Workplace Wellness and how MHA can help meet the mental health needs of their staff by bringing training and resource materials to their workplaces, and our focus will be on businesses that are minority-owned and/or likely to have employees making low wages and receiving little or no benefits.
• Present digital resources (MY Healthcare Home, online screenings, prescription discounts) to 100 workplaces/associations. Presentations will include teaching workers how to access their EAP programs and directing small business owners, uninsured workers, or underinsured employees to charitable clinics, to avoid using expensive emergency rooms as primary care.
• Disseminate at least 2,500 prescription discount cards in English and Spanish to Tennessee businesses
• Increase traffic at the My Healthcare Home website by 300%.
• Increase enrollees in FamilyWize prescription discounts by 2,000.
• Participating businesses report 100% of employees have a healthcare home.
• Participating businesses report significant improvements in health-related human resource statistics, such as decreases in absenteeism or turnover.  

Outcomes

• Increase traffic at the My Healthcare Home website by 300%.
• Increase enrollees in FamilyWize prescription discounts by 2,000.
• Participating businesses report 100% of employees have a healthcare home.
• Participating businesses report significant improvements in health-related human resource statistics, such as decreases in absenteeism or turnover.

MHAOhio has never licensed Occumetrics to another entity. However, they have offered to partner with us and waive their $7,500 5-year licensing fee in exchange for help developing the operation manual and piloting the licensing model. We currently have a pending request to pilot Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics with local Truist Bank locations, but also plan to approach some of our local partners as potential sites during the next year. These include Advance Financial, Smile Direct, State Volunteer Mutual Insurance, Maury County School System, Montgomery County School System, Tennessee Grocer’s Association, Middle Tennessee Society of Human Resource Personnel, Bridgestone Americas’ legal division, and Ascension.  Our goal would be to reach 10-12 businesses annually, and up to 60 over the course of five years. We are especially interested in working with minority-owned businesses.  

While the Workplace Wellness program is part of MHA’s ongoing commitment to addressing the psychological needs of the workforce, there is great potential to make this program revenue-generating. Most businesses do not have the time to gather the data needed to gauge employee satisfaction, and employees may not feel comfortable providing honest feedback to a co-worker or superior conducting the assessment. In the next five years, MHA plans to approach corporate businesses and school districts, charging $11,000-$16,000 per Occumetrics assessment, depending on the level of follow-up required.

Currently, our greatest challenge has been continuing program activities in light of COVID-19 restrictions. We have paused our in-person trainings and focus groups in favor of virtual learning opportunities, which bring new challenges and changes in attendance. Employees are working remotely and maintaining client, co-worker, and community partner contacts by phone and video communications. Both employees and employers are concerned about the future of America’s workforce, and organizations may not be willing to invest in programs such as Workplace Wellness if they are in danger of closing permanently.  

COVID-19 has also negatively affected our fundraising efforts. This year, MHA was unable to execute its only 2020 fundraising event, a concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Individual donations are waning due to the pandemic, while the demands for our services soar. Reliable foundations have informed MHA that they will focus giving on basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter – not mental health. Rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental issues have skyrocketed due COVID-19; and these issues impact youth/students, parents, essential workers, older adults in long-term care—virtually everyone. This has put a burden on us financially, which has impacted our ability to expand existing programs or create new ones.  

It is difficult to predict how long the pandemic will last, so we aren’t certain about what Workplace Wellness will look like in five years. Ideally, it would be a thriving program with an excellent reputation for providing valuable, evidence-based data and resources that benefit both employees and employers.

MHA has quickly adapted to new systems and protocols to ensure quality services and will continue to look for proactive solutions to the rapidly changing health and safety needs in our community. We have upgraded our Zoom video-conferencing account to allow more virtual training and meeting options, and have posted resource materials online that were previously distributed in-person. We are exploring new methods of soliciting donations and generating revenue, while still maintaining social distancing practices.

We want to know the long-term impact of Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics for both the businesses and employees. Ideally, we would like to conduct longitudinal surveys that measure productivity, absenteeism, employee satisfaction, upward mobility, and workplace conflict. We are also interested in how attention to mental health and employee wellness affects the work experience of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other employees from marginalized communities.

Since 1946, MHA has worked to connect communities with specialized mental health resources, provide services that improve quality of life, and promote effective services where mental health needs exist. MHA aims to consistently provide factual information about the causes and treatments of mental illness, combat the stigma associated with mental illness, and facilitate access to resources. Our programs include school-based mental health curricula, suicide prevention, aging and Alzheimer’s support, multicultural outreach, mental health screenings, a mental health assistance center, training for professionals, and community education. All services are free and provided without regard to age, race, religion, ability, or gender.

Leading the Workplace Wellness program is Dr. Desireé Kelly, MHA’s Public Health and Education Manager. Dr. Kelly has a doctorate degree in public health with a specialization in health advocacy and leadership from Capella University. She specializes in public speaking, designing health resources, and creating presentations and curricula for specific generational cohorts in diverse topics. She earned her Master of Science in kinesiology and physical education from the University of Central Arkansas, and her Bachelor of Science in exercise and sports science from the University of Memphis.

Dr. Kelly’s supervisor, Program Manager Amber Hampton, LMSW, has extensive experience in providing social services to adults in healthcare and homelessness settings. Additionally, MHA CEO Dr. Tom Starling chairs a number of local, regional, and statewide advocacy coalitions. He also served as Board President of MHA National, and has served on the Safety Net Consortium of Middle Tennessee for the past nine years.

MHA is a highly collaborative organization because our mission is to connect communities in need of mental health services to providers, to provide education to the general public and professionals, and to provide referrals as needed. Therefore, we maintain a significant network of partnerships with agencies across the state to provide awareness and educational opportunities. These include, but aren’t limited to: Church Health, Christ Community Health, St. Francis Hospital, Crestwyn, Compass Intervention Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Health’s Commissioner’s Council on Injury Prevention, Tennessee Department of Health’s Child Fatality Statewide Review Board, Tennessee Coalition of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TCMHSAS), Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY), the Council on Children’s Mental Health, Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare (TCSW), Tennessee Co-Occurring Disorders Coalition, Mental Health America of Ohio, Tennessee Mental Health Statewide and local Planning Councils, and Tennessee Voices for Children.  

Workplace Wellness has directly grown out of partnerships with local businesses and corporations, including: Nashville General Hospital, St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee Small Business Association, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, Sheriff’s Departments, Police Departments, Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association, Nashville’s music industry, Society for Human Resource Management, HCA, Vanderbilt Medical Center, local charitable clinics, and others. As the Workplace Wellness program grows, we are looking forward to expanding our network of employers to reach even more workers who need healthcare support.

MHA operates as nonprofit, providing free services and resources to individuals. We are supported by federal and state grants, general contributions, fundraising, and special events. However, the Workplace Wellness program will operate with a fee-for-service model. Businesses will pay MHA for our materials, time, and efforts to administer the Occumetrics assessment and present workshops and materials.  

Existing key resources include our reputation as a trusted provider of mental health content, our vast network of contacts throughout Tennessee, and the expertise of Dr. Kelly. Key activities are conducting the 3-step Occumetrics assessment, curating resource materials, and presenting workshops on workplace stress related topics. Most businesses do not have time to coordinate and distribute in-depth surveys, let alone conduct focus groups, analyze the results, and make changes. The power dynamics that exist between employees and employers can prevent employees from sharing honest feedback, especially when their main source of workplace stress may a supervisor. Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics offers businesses a helpful, professionally run service not found anywhere else, which we believe organizational leaders will value.  

The impact of our services will lead to increased productivity, less absenteeism, better communication, higher rates of job satisfaction, and reduced turnover. Other benefits could include exposing barriers and biases that prevent employees from marginalized communities to advance in their careers. Businesses may also take steps to create a more inclusive work environment. Revenue generated from this project would make it self-sustaining, and may eventually further support MHA’s overall fiscal health.

As a nonprofit, the majority of MHA’s income comes from fundraising and grant funds. However, we plan to make Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics a revenue-generating program.  

If we look at MHAOhio’s rate of success with Occumetrics as a predictor of MHA’s potential using the tool, our outlook is bright. MHAOhio has successfully charged a fee to perform Occumetrics, with earnings of $714,000 from 2016-2022. This includes fees of $350,000 from the Ohio Department of Mental Health, $200,000 from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, $100,000 from the Columbus Foundation for program expansion, $64,000 from fee-for-service contracts, and $35,000 to assess several Michigan mental health centers.    

Our fees would be set at a level sufficient to cover expenses and render the program self-sustaining. Tennessee businesses are hungry for this type of data, especially when it has the potential to save them thousands in lost productivity, absenteeism, and retention costs. Funding from this request would provide us with a runway to build relationships with businesses and demonstrate the value of cultivating employee mental health wellness. This could help us secure future engagement to delve deeper with mental health presentations and/or Occumetrics assessments for a fee.  

In addition to Occumetrics, we are looking to partner with MHA National to award Bronze, Silver, and Gold Bell Seals for Workplace Mental Health after recommendations from the Occumetrics assessment are implemented. This could result in additional consulting fees to help businesses achieve this distinction.

MHA has applied to several other foundations to grow and sustain this effort to support the uninsured workers in our community. We have received Workplace Wellness funding from The Healing Trust ($150,000 3-year grant received May 2020), Joe C. Davis Foundation ($10,000 1-year grant received September 2019), and Frist Foundation ($25,000 1-year grant received August 2020). We also have a pending request to the Truist Foundation ($25,000 1-year grant request). We continue to aggressively pursue funding for this program from diverse public and private sources, and we are continuing to develop its revenue-generating potential.

In addition to the partnership we are developing with MHAOhio in this endeavor, Workplace Wellness also has a pending request with Truist Foundation for $25,000. Additionally, MHA has diverse streams of income from foundations, private grants, and donors, and we are always looking for ways to expand our services and create revenue-generating opportunities. During this lapse in the economy, the American workforce has been challenged in unprecedented ways. Through the Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics assessment, MHA intends to support businesses and workers while creating a new, sustainable stream of income.

MHA’s estimated expenses for fiscal year 2021 is $1,682,068. This includes staff salaries/benefits, taxes, building and technology expenses, and professional development. The Workplace Wellness program budget is $124,428, which includes staff salaries/benefits, contractor fees (contractor will assist with running focus groups), office equipment, taxes, printing, and staff training.

MHA’s Workplace Wellness with Occumetrics project aims to go beyond direct programming to create change in the structures in which Tennesseans work. Funding to assess 10-12 Tennessee businesses over the course of a year would be spent in the following ways:

• Dr. Desireé Kelly will take 2 trips to Columbus, Ohio to train with MHAOhio on the Occumetrics tool, job shadow their staff, and participate in focus groups and corporate assessments. Estimated cost for travel, meals, and lodging is $2000.
• Contract worker to take notes during focus groups, organize and bound corporate reports, assist with curriculum development, $3000.
• MHA would invest in a laptop and portable LCD projector, incur minor printing costs, and purchase snacks and water for 48-60 individuals in focus groups, $2000.
• MHAOhio will manage the assessment data analysis at a cost of $1500 each, equaling $18,000 for the first year.
• A dedicated SurveyMonkey account for client survey administration at a cost of $4,500 for customized surveys ($500 each).
• Printing and binders for corporate reports, $500.
• Bell Seal scholarships: $4,000.
• Enhancement and printing of current workshop materials, Rx discounts cards, and other resources, $3,000.  

After the initial period of licensing, on-going costs for the Occumetrics license is $5,000 for each subsequent five-year period, $1500 data analysis fee per assessment, and a dedicated SurveyMonkey account for client survey administration for $500.

Workplace Wellness will be MHA’s first revenue-generating program; we would benefit from support to help us build this as a profitable business model and sustainable revenue stream.

MHA would like to partner with a variety of organizations to promote Workplace Wellness and offer our services to their employees. We seek to collaborate with Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management, Memphis’ Momentum Nonprofit Partners, hospital systems, and large employers that hire part-time and seasonal workers. Since many of our Workplace Wellness resources provide information relevant to uninsured and underinsured people, it’s important for us to target the “working poor” who may be employed by service-oriented organizations and large employers. We also want to target the Tennessee Grocer’s Association, various music trade associations, and the hospitality industry, to present Workplace Wellness workshops and/or distribute packets of information. We already have several leads with these prospects.