RALEIGH, N.C., March 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Workplace Options (WPO), the world's leading employee health and wellbeing support company, opened its first South American office in Uruguay. The country’s stable political and economic environment, combined with its highly educated and multilingual workforce, strongly influenced WPO’s location decision. WPO plans to expand its global footprint across Latin America to provide companies there with emotional, physical, and practical care for their employees. Practical care includes helping employees with financial, legal, childcare, and eldercare concerns. In addition to opening the Uruguay office, WPO launched a recruitment strategy for attracting Uruguayan professionals who specialize in psychology to join its international workforce. Currently, the team in Uruguay consists of 30 professionals (including 20 clinical psychologists).

“WPO helps organizations become more resilient and supports people to make a transformative difference in their lives,” said Alan King, President, and CEO of WPO. “We are building a global workforce as diverse as the people we serve. Opening the Uruguay service center is an essential step on our journey to stop mental health stigma and improve access to holistic health care across South America.”

The country’s new Minister of Public Health Karina Rando recently announced she will focus on serving the holistic health – physical, mental, and social – needs of Uruguayans. According to a report utilizing data from the Uruguayan Medical Union, Social Security Bank (BPS), and Medicine University, medical leaves related to mental and behavioral disorders such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, depressive episodes, stress, among others, range from 60 to 120 days for Uruguayan workers. Furthermore, the country’s suicide statistics point to an urgency for expanding access to proactive mental health care. Uruguay holds the highest crude suicide rate in Latin America: 21.24 per 100.000 population according to the latest WHO report (2019). Last year, Uruguay's Health Ministry authorities developed a suicide attempt registry to record, monitor, and prevent a patient’s future self-harm.

“From COVID-19 pandemics to political unrest and financial stress due to rising global inflation rates, the events of the past three years have shed light on the need for organizations to prioritize the mental health of their workforce and build resilient teams,” said WPO Director of Service Delivery South America Maria V. Doria, PhD, CPsychol. “Creating a culture of wellbeing starts with investing in comprehensive wellness support and resources for employees.”

Workplace Options is committed to supporting people in their local language and providing them with counsellors and work-life coaches who understand their unique culture and community. The company started helping people more than 40 years ago by assisting working women with their childcare and other work-life needs. WPO now serves more than 75 million people from 116,000+ organizations in more than 200 countries and territories. WPO’s wellbeing services achieve positive outcomes because, when a person connects to support, they immediately talk to a qualified, empathetic professional, who speaks the same language and takes as much time as needed to get to the heart of the problem.

“At Workplace Options, we are dedicated to helping Latin American companies prioritize employee wellbeing,” said WPO Director of Business Solutions Felipe Patrón. “Our tailored solutions include a range of resources designed to support the emotional, practical, and physical health of their employees – helping them build a healthier and more productive workforce.”

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About Workplace Options (WPO)

Founded in 1982, Workplace Options (WPO) is the largest independent provider of holistic wellbeing solutions. Through customized programs, and a comprehensive global network of credentialed providers and professionals, WPO supports individuals to become healthier, happier, and more productive both personally and professionally. Trusted by 51 percent of Fortune 500 companies, WPO delivers high-quality care digitally and in-person to more than 75 million people across 116,000 organizations in more than 200 countries and territories.

Contact:
Jennifer Dart, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Jennifer.Dart@workplaceoptions.com