Maximize Employee Engagement by Focusing on Social Drivers of Health

Investing in the health and happiness of employees drives better business outcomes — and the research proves that. HR plays a key role in developing and implementing initiatives that support employee wellness, which can make all the difference in key areas such as retention, productivity, and company loyalty. 

Ashley Miller, SHRM-SCP, SHRM’s director of operations and partnerships, will present on this topic at SHRM25 alongside Sara Rahim, SHRM Foundation program manager, and Charlotte Dales, co-founder and CEO of Inclusively, an HR insights and analytics platform. The session, which is based on a 2025 SHRM Global Worker Project report, From Trust to Transformation: How Workers Are Faring and Who They Trust Most to Make Positive Change, is available to registered in-person and virtual conference attendees.  

SHRM spoke with Miller ahead of her upcoming session to learn about the intersection of employee health and business outcomes.

SHRM: Let’s start with a basic question: What are social drivers of health? 

Miller: They are the factors of life that influence a person’s health but aren’t medical in nature — the conditions in which people are born, work, live, and age, along with other forces and systems that shape their daily life. There are five factors: 

• Access to education and the quality of that education.
• Their neighborhood and the environment surrounding them, which might include transportation, infrastructure, or crime rates.
• Access to health care and the quality of the care.
• The community and social support, both at work and at home. 
• Their level of economic stability, such as employment and debt.

Some people call them “social determinants of health,” but we purposefully call them “drivers” because we don’t believe they’re fixed. We believe that with the right support and resources, people can bolster their health outcomes in these areas.  

Toolkit: Improving Employee Retention and Reducing Turnover

SHRM: How do these factors, which many might consider not to be related to work at all, affect employees? 

Miller: For example, a person’s access to the internet or electricity can impact their ability to find or maintain a good job. Having a strong social community improves an employee’s mental health and well-being because they have support during stressful times. Access to transportation — or lack thereof — can contribute to absenteeism and tardiness issues. 

SHRM: What’s the benefit for employers to truly care about these social drivers of health?

Miller: Companies that implement initiatives to address these social drivers of health usually see healthier, more present workers who take fewer sick days and have higher energy levels. They have more focused employees with greater creativity because they’re not worried about the rest of their life during the workday. Finally, these companies often have greater loyalty and retention among employees because workers feel like their whole lives matter to their employers, not just what they accomplished between 9 to 5.

SHRM: How can HR and other company leaders translate these insights into action in their workplace? 

Miller: There are so many options for companies here, starting with fair compensation and benefits — but they could also provide financial education. Access to health care could include expanded health benefits, including mental health. Upskilling and reskilling, transportation support, remote work flexibility, connectivity stipends — these can all improve an employee’s health outcomes and career success. 

Podcast: Leadership, Mental Health, and Workplace Wellness

SHRM: What’s your advice to an HR professional who fully buys into the importance of this, but doesn’t feel like their leadership feels the same way? 

Miller: My recommendation would be to find a way to do something. I think you have to start with small wins. You don’t need infinite amounts of money to start in the social and community domain to set up some networking opportunities like coffee chats for, say, working moms or other caregivers. Then, get feedback from participants and collect data about what you were about to do with zero resources, and then bring that to leadership.