How Artemis Health is Using Data to Take Action on Employee Stress

The client’s senior leadership identified stress as a concern for a group of their client-facing employees. They talked with the benefits team about concerns over possible higher rates of turnover & leaves of absence compared to behind-the-scenes employees. In some roles, employee duties had evolved to be more demanding over time.

Artemis’ client is a leading provider of enterprise software services, and like many companies, they’re concerned with employee stress. Stress affects mental health, absenteeism, employee turnover, productivity, and healthcare costs. The American Psychological Association estimates the cost of stress could be as high as $300 billion each year.

The client’s senior leadership identified stress as a concern for a group of their client-facing employees. They talked with the benefits team about concerns over possible higher rates of turnover & leaves of absence compared to behind-the-scenes employees. In some roles, employee duties had evolved to be more demanding over time.

The Data-Driven Approach.

Artemis Health and the client teamed up to take a data-driven approach to exploring this problem.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

First, Artemis integrated multiple data feeds to provide a holistic view of the client’s benefits data, including medical, Rx, dental, vision, HRIS, biometrics, disability, leave of absence, Health Risk Assessment, and more. We also used the Artemis Platform to create a “cohort,” or a trackable group of these employees.

We found that the client’s concerns were supported by data: 32% of this employee group reported high stress. 61% said they experienced moderate stress. Only 6.7% said they were not experiencing stress.

Step 2: Data Findings

Next, we wanted to know: what is causing the stress, and how is it impacting the organization as a whole?

20% of our cohort referenced “Job Responsibilities” as their highest stressor.

High-stress employees incurred $1,878 higher per member per year medical costs compared to their non-stressed colleagues.

Furthermore, when we looked beyond medical claims, we found that this cohort was being prescribed anti-depressants and opioids at higher rates than others. These Rx costs are part of the reason Cohort “A” employees are experiencing higher overall benefits costs.

Finally, our holistic analysis found that high-stress employees within the cohort used almost double the leave days and leave hours per year compared to nonstressed employees in the cohort.

Step 3: Plan Action

Based on these findings, Artemis’ client is using a multi-faceted plan of action to make a difference for these employees, with attention to the work environment, new resources and programs to build resilience and mindfulness, and support for employees during times of need.

Step 4: Track Solutions

Artemis Health is ensuring the client’s efforts are measurable and meaningful. We’re tracking the impact of these solutions by integrating new data sources related to the programs being offered. We’re setting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) around cost, risk, productivity, and quality of life. And we’re also using Match Pair Cohorts analyses to track at-risk employees and compare their overall outcomes to the rest of the employee population.

These ongoing efforts showcase how Artemis is helping clients take a data-driven approach to employee wellness.