Supporting employee wellbeing isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a business imperative. At Delta Dental of California & Affiliates (Delta Dental), we understand that thriving employees drive successful organizations. We’re committed to offering equitable programs that provide opportunities for advancement, foster meaningful connections, and improve the wellbeing of our employees and their families.
To frame the experience we provide our employees, we created the People Operating System, which includes three key programs: LeadWell, WorkWell, and LiveWell. Here, in my final post, I’ll unpack LiveWell, our holistic health and benefits program, and a core pillar of our People Operating System. With LiveWell, we’re not only supporting our people’s physical, mental, social, and financial wellness, but we’re also investing in the long-term strength and sustainability of our organization.
LiveWell represents our full health and benefits package—it’s where our total rewards strategy meets the needs of our employees. Through LiveWell, we aim to ensure a fulfilling work experience so our employees can achieve their personal and professional goals at work (and at home) with the right resources and support at their fingertips.
For us at Delta Dental, codifying that fulfilling work experience began with our commitment to well-being. Promoting healthy habits and providing access to care through our available benefits were essential ingredients to empowering our employees to prioritize their health and wellness. We ultimately identified four facets, or pillars, of well-being to rally behind: physical, mental, social, and financial. Each year, we host a Wellbeing Week to highlight the four pillars of wellbeing, promote healthy habits, and encourage employees to take full advantage of our benefit offerings.
For example, our LiveWell wellness program is designed to help our benefits-eligible employees take exceptional care of their whole selves. By downloading the app to their smartphone, they can track healthy habits, complete virtual coaching appointments, and set wellness goals to earn up to $800 per year. Their spouses can also participate and earn up to $400 per year in rewards.
We also partnered with Lane Health to introduce the Healthcare Spending Card (HSC) to all benefits-eligible Delta Dental employees. The HSC provides a line of credit to help them pay for qualified health care expenses, including dental, medical, vision, and prescription drugs. If you have a health savings account, you can also link it to your HSC and pay for qualified expenses with pre-tax funds.
In my first blog post, I talked about the key difference between good HR functions and great ones: good HR functions are content to operate as support groups, whereas great HR functions understand the value of comprehensive, innovative programs and translate those insights into strategies that fulfill our organization’s current and future needs. Those great HR teams create exceptional experiences that promote and protect the wellbeing of their company’s greatest asset – its employees.
At Delta Dental, we believe that wellbeing is foundational—not supplemental—to a high-performing culture. LiveWell is more than a collection of benefits; it’s a promise to our employees that we see them as whole people, and that their health, happiness, and growth matter deeply. Together with LeadWell and WorkWell, LiveWell reflects our belief that when people feel supported and empowered, they do their best work. And when that happens, we all win.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on LiveWell and my other blog posts. Follow me on LinkedIn to continue the conversation!
About The Author
Brian Sherman is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for Delta Dental of California and its affiliates. In his role, Brian manages a team of experts across the Talent, People Operations, People Experience, DEI, and Organizational Effectiveness functions. Additionally, Brian oversees enterprise Business Resilience and the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation.
With more than two decades of people operations and strategy experience. Before Delta Dental of California, he served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Healthy Living Network, Vice President of Human Capital at Optum, and Human Resources Director at Dignity Health.
Brian received his B.A. in Human Resource Management from California State University, Chico, and his master’s degree in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco.
Other articles by Brian Sherman:
Stop Calling HR A “Support Function
LeadWell: Transform Leadership Through Engagement and Support
LiveWell: The strategic advantage of employee wellbeing at work
