New benefit: Extreme climate support 

If you’re looking for evidence that extreme climate is a growing issue for employers, check out the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. According to their data, in the 1980s there was one billion-dollar disaster every four months (inflation-adjusted) compared to one every three weeks between 2018 and 2022.  

We called out climate in a recent post on seven breakthrough benefit strategies, and we’re not alone. Gartner’s list of workplace predictions for 2024 is that “climate change protection will become a new in-demand employee benefit.” They included support for physical safety, compensation (paid time off) to impacted employees, and mental health support. These are all important and a good place to start, but depending on your organization’s circumstances, more support may be needed. We published some additional ideas here. 

The best reason of all to take action is because it is important to your workers. Mercer’s Inside Employees Minds research found that 18% of workers said that their health, or the health of a family member, has already been negatively impacted by a climate event, and 44% were concerned about the potential impact on their personal health and safety. Importantly, as discussed in the government report mentioned above, extreme climate events worsen already existing inequities – people with the fewest resources will be less able to manage the impact. 

From an employer perspective, extreme climate negatively impacts business success in the form of lost productivity and increased health care costs. That is why we are working with the CDC Foundation and Health Action Alliance to stand up the National Commission on Climate and Worker Health. You will be hearing a lot more from us on this topic. Reach out if you want to get involved now.