As the situation in Ukraine evolves, businesses should be mindful of potential risks to their people, assets, operations, or supply chains in the region and globally. Marsh, as part of the Marsh McLennan family of companies, has created a page with information, tools, and resources related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Please visit the page for the latest information.

Foster a caring culture

This section of the workbook introduces employers to specific strategies that can impact the social determinants of health of their employees and links to employer and social care resources designed to help employees thrive. 

Employer Strategies

Address gaps in healthcare access

Address gaps in access to social resources

  • Support awareness of public programs such as food banks in the community, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC),and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 
  • Bring farmer’s markets on-site and offer employer-sponsored discounts on fresh produce. 
  • Offer healthy meal vouchers or employee free meals. USA Today reported that 67% of employees who received free food at work were also very satisfied with their employer. 
  • Provide public transportation vouchers.
  • Share information about caregiver transportation programs in the community. 
  • Provide medical transportation vouchers to support employee well-being through services like Uber Health.
  • Consider flexible work hours given transportation challenges, keeping in mind “a lack of transit options, particularly at off-peak hours, means that people who work irregular schedules often have no safe or affordable way to get to work.” 
  • Provide information about personal safety. This includes information about remaining safe at work, in the community, and at home (i.e., domestic violence). 
  • Consider covering emergency childcare for low wage earners. “The economic impact from being late or missing work because of the need to stay home to care for a child is quite large for these (low wage earner) households. You can see how a seemingly small disruption could snowball into larger issues that affect income, stress levels, and decisions.”

Address gaps in economic stability 

Social determinants of health playbook steps

Behavioral change programs that aim to promote well-being and medical benefits alone will not be as effective if social determinants are not addressed. By addressing the social determinants of health, organizations can enhance the overall well-being of team members and their families by levelling the playing field so that all employees have an opportunity to thrive. This playbook explains where to start, what to do, and shares resources on how to do it. We will focus on four steps.