Do your wellness plans really meet your people’s needs?

Understanding the key factors that impact your employees’ health – and your business.

Do your wellness plans really meet your people’s needs?

Understanding the key factors that impact your employees’ health – and your business.

What does ‘average’ look like in your workplace? We all know that no two people are the same, and everyone faces different health risks and wellbeing needs. That can be a big challenge if you’re a multinational trying to look after an employee population that can number in the hundreds of thousands. And when designing employee healthcare programmes at this scale, it can be tempting to aim to meet the ‘average’ person’s healthcare needs in the hope of helping as many people as possible. But a one-size-fits-all solution could leave some of your people in danger of falling through the cracks.

So, what does it mean to be healthy? And what should multinationals be aspiring to when creating an all-encompassing, truly comprehensive health and wellness programme?

It’s much more commonly understood these days that health isn’t just about physical fitness and the absence of disease – it’s also about mental and social wellbeing. The concept of ‘value-based care’ recognises three determinants of health: physical, mental and social and encourages a shift in mindset and action from being reactive i.e., treating conditions as they appear to being proactive and trying to prevent disease in the first place.

Within these three broad pillars – physical, mental and social health – there are so many factors that play a role in how healthy someone is. Diet, age, genetics, culture, gender, work and socioeconomic status can all have an influence on our health and wellbeing.

And given this multitude of factors influencing someone’s health, it can be a real challenge for multinationals to deliver the right healthcare and wellness benefits. However, one key to greater success in this area could be your data. Healthcare claims data can tell a compelling story and with the right analysis, can help unlock the secret of building a successful wellness programme that delivers better outcomes.

In our report, How do industry, culture and gender affect your workforce’s health? Insights from MAXIS claims data, we share our exclusive analysis of standardised, anonymised health care data drawn from millions of multinational employees around the world so that you can build wellness programmes that are effective for both your people and your organisation.

Why industry, culture and gender

In this report, we have focused our analysis on health claims data according to industry, culture and gender because we want multinationals to consider what it is about the nature of the work their people do, who is doing it, how, and where, that shape the claims we see now and will see in the future.

Consider this: does a factory worker face the same health issues on the job as an office-based employee? Does a menopausal woman have the same wellness needs as a younger woman just starting out in her career? And what about two multinational employees doing the same job – one in a country with a robust public healthcare system, and the other, wholly reliant on their workplace health insurance for preventative testing and screening services – would offering the same benefits to all of these people be truly effective?

Of all the factors that influence health, industry, culture and gender seem particularly significant. The question is… why?

Industry – exploring hospitality’s metabolic health problem

Let’s start with industry by looking at how claims data from the hospitality sector tells an important story about the effect someone’s job can have on their health. Spending on metabolic disease claims, which include conditions like diabetes, is higher in this industry than in any other.

Factors likely to be contributing to the problem include irregular meals and unhealthy food choices due to varying working hours, disruptive shift schedules affecting circadian rhythms, stress from the fast-paced environment and potential excessive alcohol consumption.

Culture – understanding its influence in disease

Let’s look at the same health problem through another lens: culture. But first, what makes up culture?

It can be defined as a body of knowledge, of belief and of behaviour that shapes the way someone lives their life.2 It can be influenced by a vast range of things, from geographic, social, ethnic and religious factors, to a sense of personal identity, politics, customs, values, and much more. Any of these could be shaping the way someone approaches their health and wellness – like what they eat.

Some dietary practices, like the Mediterranean diet – rich in fruits, vegetables, and olive oil –contribute to overall health. Others, like Western diets heavy in processed foods, can influence the development of health issues like cardiovascular disease. But dietary choices alone do not explain illness.

Endocrine/nutritional/metabolic diseases paid claims amount1

For example, Mexico has among the highest diabetes death rates in the world and has recorded a sharp increase in mortality over the last three decades.3 Traditional meals often incorporate ingredients high in salt and saturated fat, contributing to the prevalence of these health concerns.

But factors like weight, genetics, and income inequality have also helped drive the surge of type 2 diabetes in the country. Mexico grapples with some of the highest global obesity rates, which is both a sign and symptom indicative of diabetes and a risk factor for heart disease.4

'Two-eyed seeing'

Many different perspectives on health and wellbeing exist, and we can’t assume everyone shares the same knowledge. The concept of ‘two-eyed seeing’ suggests considering those perspectives by using one ‘eye’ to see the strengths of indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and the other to see the strengths of Western knowledge and ways of knowing.5

In Canada, indigenous peoples face a higher disease burden and poorer health outcomes than non-indigenous populations. An organisation involved in tackling the issue in British Columbia credited using the two-eyed seeing concept, alongside self-determination and the removal of barriers to health equity, as a factor in improvements to indigenous people’s healthcare access and engagement.6

Employers can pay attention to this concept by using both ‘eyes’ to view the diverse perspectives shaping their people’s lives, and ensure they provide comprehensive healthcare programmes and wellness initiatives that take multiple viewpoints into consideration.

Gender – the inflammation gap

And finally, gender needs to be considered – one example we see in our data concerns endometriosis. Millions of women around the world suffer from endometriosis, which has been called the ‘missed disease’ because of its historical under-diagnosis.7 The condition, which affects an estimated one in ten girls and women of reproductive age worldwide, occurs when tissue similar to uterus lining grows outside the organ.8

 Endometriosis leads to inflammation and scar tissue formation which can leave sufferers living with heavy periods, fertility issues, debilitating pain that can prevent them from attending school or work, and mental health issues.

Women face a higher risk than men for a number of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Our data shows women’s inflammation claims costs now outpaces men’s, perhaps reflecting increasing recognition of these issues and demand for care. But are healthcare systems responding adequately? In recent years, research has highlighted women turning to social media to seek support as they struggle to get diagnosis or treatment.9

How to use data to tailor your wellness initiatives

The data we have shared is just the start – in our report we share many more insights and analysis from our claims data, including:

  • the scale of musculoskeletal claims costs across every industry and the role of sedentary work in this trend
  •  the role genetics plays in predisposing individuals to certain diseases – an often-overlooked factor in designing employee wellness programmes
  • employee benefits trends, including menopause and fertility support and gender-affirming healthcare coverage
  •  how employers can make meaningful changes to their healthcare and wellness programmes to address the stories our data tells.

When you make the effort to understand who your people are and how to support them in leading happy, healthy lifestyles, you give them the chance to convert their sense of wellbeing into productivity, so they can be rewarded with job satisfaction and optimism for the future.

In turn, you can be rewarded with better organisational resilience, eased pressure on healthcare costs and the ability to attract and retain talent.

Dr Leena Johns, Chief Health & Wellness Officer at MAXIS GBN, recommends using our report’s analysis to inform your discussions about how to plan truly comprehensive employee benefits.

“Data insights help you, as an employer, to tailor your healthcare programmes and take the proactive steps that help your people understand and look after their own health, and hopefully drive costs down as a bonus. Multinationals can act today to create health and wellness programmes that are tailored to their industry and incorporate the culture and gender of all of their people.”

How do industry, culture and gender affect your workforce’s health? Insights from MAXIS claims data is available now.

[1] MAXIS GBN proprietary data (Sourced: February 2024)
[2] Anon. Cultural respect. National Institutes of Health https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect (Sourced: February 2024)
[3] Gutiérrez-León, E. and Antonio Escamilla-Santiago, R. (June 2022) Trends and effect of marginalization on diabetes mellitus-related mortality in Mexico from 1990 to 2019. Scientific Reports. 12 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12831-z (Sourced: February 2024)
[4] Meza, R. and Barrientos-Gutierrez, T., et al. (December 2015) Burden of Type 2 Diabetes in Mexico: Past, Current and Future Prevalence and Incidence Rates. Preventive Medicine. 81 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743515003278 (Sourced: February 2024)
[5] Jeffery, T. and Kurtz, D.L.M., et al.(October 2021) Two-Eyed Seeing: Current approaches, and discussion of medical applications. British Columbia Medical Journal. 63(8) https://bcmj.org/articles/two-eyed-seeing-current-approaches-and-discussion-medical-applications (Sourced: February 2023)
[6] Lee, V. and Neufeld, C. (January 17, 2024) Unlocking the power of Indigenous knowledge to improve health, wellness and access to care. World Economic Forum. weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/indigenous-peoples-how-health-systems-can-meet-the-moment/ (Sourced: February 2024)
[7] Hudson, N. (March 2022) The missed disease? Endometriosis as an example of ‘undone science’. Reproductive Medicine and Society Online. 14 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8517707/ (Sourced: February 2024)
[8] Anon (March 24, 2023) Endometriosis factsheet. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis (Sourced: February 2024)
MAXIS GBN may receive fees, commissions and/or other remuneration from third parties in connection with the services we carry out for you.
[9] Holowka, E.M. (May 2022) Mediating Pain: Navigating Endometriosis on Social Media. Frontiers in Pain Research. 3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9189299/ (Sourced: February 2023)

This document has been prepared by MAXIS GBN and is for informational purposes only – it does not constitute advice. MAXIS GBN has made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this document has been obtained from reliable sources but cannot guarantee accuracy or completeness. The information contained in this document may be subject to change at any time without notice. Any reliance you place on this information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

The MAXIS Global Benefits Network (“Network”) is a network of locally licensed MAXIS member insurance companies (“Members”) founded by AXA France Vie, Paris, France (“AXA”) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY (“MLIC”). MAXIS GBN, a Private Limited Company with a share capital of €4,650,000, registered with ORIAS under number 16000513, and with its registered office at 313, Terrasses de l’Arche – 92727 Nanterre Cedex, France, is an insurance and reinsurance intermediary that promotes the Network. MAXIS GBN is jointly owned by affiliates of AXA and MLIC and does not issue policies or provide insurance; such activities are carried out by the Members. MAXIS GBN operates in the UK through its UK establishment with its registered address at 1st Floor, The Monument Building, 11 Monument Street, London EC3R 8AF, Establishment Number BR018216 and in other European countries on a services basis. MAXIS GBN operates in the U.S. through MAXIS Insurance Brokerage Services, Inc., with its registered office located at c/o Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10020-1605, a NY licensed insurance broker. MLIC is the only Member licensed to transact insurance business in NY. The other Members are not licensed or authorised to do business in NY and the policies and contracts they issue have not been approved by the NY Superintendent of Financial Services, are not protected by the NY state guaranty fund, and are not subject to all of the laws of NY. MAR01362/0224