How to address social determinants of health in your workforce

When employees’ basic needs go unmet, performance, engagement, and health suffer. These unseen social challenges lead to lost productivity, rising healthcare claims, and disengagement.

For HR leaders, identifying and addressing these challenges is crucial. Most low engagement isn’t true disengagement. Sometimes, it comes from outside pressures and unclear support. To drive better health outcomes, start by addressing social determinants of health.

We created a practical toolkit to help you spot and address these hidden barriers. Understanding social determinants of health is essential to support your people and drive better business results.

What are social determinants of health?

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-medical factors that shape health outcomes, where people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Key examples: housing stability, food access, transportation, and healthcare availability.

When employees struggle with housing, food, or transportation, the impact on your organization is immediate. Unmet needs mean higher stress, poor health, and missed workdays, which drive up costs and lower productivity. Addressing SDOH goes beyond community support; it’s a direct path to a healthier workforce and a stronger business.

The hidden barriers affecting your workforce

Social determinants of health often go unrecognized until productivity slips or valuable team members leave. Employees rarely voice struggles around food or housing, which makes it challenging for HR to offer meaningful support.

To address this gap, we developed a free, 5-minute readiness assessment. This quick tool helps you evaluate your current support and uncover hidden social needs in your workforce. Take a few minutes to identify which barriers may be holding your employees back. Take the readiness assessment today to see where your organization stands.

Why understanding SDOH improves wellbeing support

Improvement starts with understanding. HR leaders close the gap between workplace benefits and employees’ real needs by identifying specific SDOH challenges. This clarity leads to targeted, effective support that changes behavior and results.

Meeting your employees’ basic needs drives engagement and retention. Wellbeing initiatives work best when people feel understood and supported. Begin with regular SDOH assessments, clear communication about available resources, and strong community partnerships. Align programs with your team’s realities to ensure meaningful impact.

Navigate's expanded wellbeing platform

Navigate Wellbeing Solutions now offers an expanded SDOH assessment and community support tool. Integrated with our platform, it helps you screen for social determinants of health and quickly connect employees to the resources they need.

Our platform uses readiness-to-change principles to provide clear next steps for each individual. By integrating SDOH support into your broader wellbeing strategy, you eliminate confusion and reduce the administrative burden on your HR team. The result is a unified, effective experience that your people will use, your team will trust, and your leaders can rely on.

Empowering your workforce through targeted support

Addressing social determinants of health is essential for workforce health, stronger engagement, and lower healthcare costs. When you uncover hidden barriers and connect employees to support, you set the stage for their success.

Our SDOH toolkit offers a simple readiness assessment, practical strategies, and community resource guidance. Download it now to take the first step toward a healthier, more resilient workforce.

Take action

Download the SDOH toolkit: Start with the readiness assessment to pinpoint your employees’ top needs
Prioritize wellbeing: Address hidden barriers to boost engagement and productivity
Implement effective strategies: Apply these insights to connect employees with the right support
Start small: Open conversations or partner locally to strengthen your culture and get results

Start building a resilient workforce: Download the toolkit today