Confero Winter 2015: Issue 9 | Page 13

Wellness Programs Wellness Programs in a Multigenerational Workplace By Michelle Capezza, ESQ. | Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. T he modern workplace continues to evolve and change. One factor greatly influencing workplace dynamics as well as employee benefits needs is the multigenerational composition of the workforce. Studies regarding employee benefits trends show that millennials (a generation that began in the early 1980s), who have entered the workforce, desire a wide array of employee benefits—even more so than Generation X-ers or baby boomers. For millennials who came of age in the time of the “helicopter parents”, the desire for employer support and protection with regard to retirement, health, and welfare security has increased. As compared to the independent-minded Generation X-ers, millenials are less opposed to employers being involved in their health and they prefer a paternalistic approach with re