Noridian Achieves 90% Retention Through Comprehensive Approach to Well-Being
- Increased well-being satisfaction by 9% to 81.8%
- Invested 7,259 employee hours in a new initiative, Well-being Wednesday: one paid hour; no meetings, no interruptions
- Re-visited and expanded bereavement policy based on employee feedback
The Opportunity
Noridian's 2023 Insight Pulse Survey highlighted an opportunity to strengthen its employee well-being initiatives. With employee perception of the company's commitment to health and well-being at 72.9% favorable, leadership saw a clear path to enhance support for their team members. As an organization responsible for facilitating care for nearly seven million Medicare beneficiaries, they recognized the importance of ensuring their own employees felt fully supported in their well-being journey.
The opportunity extended beyond metrics — it was about enriching how employees experienced support for their physical, mental, and social well-being. For an organization dedicated to enabling healthcare access nationwide, aligning its internal support systems with its external mission became a key priority.
The Solution
Swift action and bold investment characterized Noridian's response to elevate their well-being initiatives. The most innovative aspect of their strategy, "Well-Being Wednesday," broke new ground by carving out dedicated paid time for wellness activities each month.10am on the first Wednesday of every month is set aside across the organization, for individuals to focus on wellness. No meetings. No interruptions. This innovative program quickly caught on, growing from 737 participants in its September 2023 launch to nearly 1,000 employees in recent sessions. This was the most innovative initiative.
A less innovative, though profoundly impactful, tactic for supporting well-being, was the direct result of listening to employee feedback regarding the bereavement policy. The reimagined bereavement policy increased bereavement leave available and acknowledged that profound loss can extend to, for example, a beloved Aunt, or cherished neighbor.
Finally Physical wellness initiatives expanded to offer personalized health management via the Omada virtual care platform.
The Impact
Within twelve months, Noridian's investment in employee well-being yielded returns. The proportion of employees affirming that "Noridian cares about my health and well-being" reached 81.8% — setting a new high-water mark for the organization. This enhanced connection between employees and organizational support helped drive retention above 90% in 2024.
Engagement metrics told an equally compelling story. The 2,000 employees of Noridian charged 7,259 hours to Well-being Wednesday activities. These are company-paid hours that enable focus time for employees to attend well-being webinars, review available company resources, or coordinate appointments. The main rule is to respect colleagues’ well-being by not scheduling meetings or interrupting this set-aside time for non-critical matters.
This represents a significant corporate investment in employee well-being, and employees noticed. Noridian didn’t stop with just setting aside focus time for Well-being, they listened to direct employee feedback and increased the amount of bereavement time available. Both of these key initiatives led to the increased employee understanding that ‘Noridian cares about my well-being’ and helped drive retention to an extraordinary 90% in 2024.
Employee voices best captured the cultural advancement. "Having flexibility and a good work-life balance has improved my overall well-being and keeps me motivated to do a great job," shared one team member. These sentiments appeared repeatedly in Glassdoor reviews, confirming that Noridian's commitment to employee well-being had become a defining feature of their workplace culture.