When employees face hardship in their personal lives, it can take a toll on job performance. Be it divorce,
After years in social work, Powell DiGangi started Beam, which partners with building and construction companies to offer support and resources through trained social work professionals. DiGangi saw the strain that life's common obstacles put on people's ability to show up and function well at work, and the
"We found that a lot of employers struggle with workforce retention, and many of the reasons for why are people's personal challenges," DiGangi says. "Maybe they're having challenges with transportation, housing, relationships, mental health, parenting, you name it — and it's actually these off-the-job barriers that are the cause of them being late, tired, or not showing up."
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While benefit leaders can direct employees to helpful employer offerings like
With their network of resources in areas like healthcare, education and law, Beam's social workers can offer assistance with a wide range of issues, such as addiction, helping a parent find the right accommodations for a disabled child, divorce and child custody and real estate planning for aging parents. It also has an optional employee emergency assistance fund that employers can subsidize, but the administrative responsibility is taken over by Beam. Along with giving workers a personalized, confidential solution, employers that provide this type of benefit are protecting their business interests as well.
"If we can have a social worker embedded in a workforce to help employees with those off-the-job challenges, that's going to increase workforce retention numbers, and it's going to build higher morale within the workforce," DiGangi says.
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All about access
For many of life's most stressful moments, a human-touch solution can be more effective than tech-based assistance. This is especially true for workers who are on a job site with limited access to make calls and check emails.
"A lot of our modern life is challenged by being on hold, dealing with a chat bot, dealing with customer service in another country; we really want these types of social services not to be an extra burden to access, especially for our demographic within the building trades and construction," DiGangi says.
Establishing a rapport with employees also helps those who are not used to speaking about things like their home life or mental health to seek the help they need. Word of the positive impact made by Beam often spreads fast among workforces, and "once people start hearing about the benefits, the floodgates open," he explains.
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Beam team members work with employers to familiarize employees with the benefit, attending company safety meetings, new hire orientations, and visiting worksites to meet with people on their lunch break. Contracts are typically one year, with a monthly cost based on a workforce's size and geographic scope. For leaders, looking out for their employees' wellness outside of work so they can perform while on the clock is well worth the investment.
"Social support often falls on the shoulders of the public sector or the nonprofit sector," DiGangi says. "This is a perfect way to engage the private sector to support their employees and take an active interest in their overall well-being."
