Five Years of Supporting Workers to Thrive Amidst Adversity
Nearly 400,000 workers served over the past five years.
In 2023, Empower Work celebrated five years of radically changing the lives of workers across the United States. We launched in 2018 with a bold vision: build healthy, equitable workplaces where people could thrive.
In the U.S., a good job is hailed as a pathway to opportunity, yet the reality is that tens of millions of people don’t work in good jobs and even when they do, hardship can deeply affect their lives. The promise that if you get a job and work hard enough, all will be ok, is simply not true.
94% report improved mental health
When we started: 90% of workers lacked access to resources or support at critical work moments like job loss, harassment, and bullying. While adversity at work impacts everyone’s mental health and economic security, it compounds challenges for those who already experience systemic barriers including women, people of color, those with disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+. A lack of resources and recourse is particularly stark for those at small employers. Almost half of workers in the U.S. work at businesses with fewer than 500 people.
We have a simple goal: improve workers’ lives. Yet the work is far from simple. In celebrating five years of impact, we reflected on a few key takeaways:
80% report improved financial wellbeing
Accessible and immediate support can shift the trajectory of someone’s career and well-being. In supporting 400,000 workers, we saw that easily available, worker-focused coaching leads to agency and action as evidenced by the fact that over 75% of people reported being prepared to take action immediately after talking with Empower Work peer counselors.
As Empower Work help seekers have shared:
“I honestly believe if I knew of organizations like this ten years ago, my life would be so different now[…]what y’all do is phenomenal and really needed.”
“This was really helpful!! When I contacted this number, I felt really bad and felt that there is no place for me in this world... During and after chatting, I feel so positive and empowered about the next steps I am going to take!! Thank you very much!!”
The majority of workers in the U.S. are struggling in plain sight. While headlines and research tend to focus on mid-to-large sized companies with “white collar” workforces, nearly half of U.S. workers are employed at companies with fewer than 500 people and nearly 80% of workers earn less than $75,000/year. The daily challenges they’re experiencing—from safety concerns to disrespect to lack of job mobility—feel unheard and unseen.
As one Empower Work user shared:
“I feel SO unheard and so unseen. it's absolutely wild how no one sees how problematic this is[....]It basically feels like they're bullying me out of a job.”
People are skeptical of AI. When we noticed a shift in web chat usage in 2023, we explored the reason why, and found that as AI bots have become more pervasive, help seekers were deeply uninterested in an AI bot (or what might seem to be an AI bot). They're also understandably wary of how emerging technologies may impact them. As we dig into our AI roadmap, we’re devoted to maintaining our human-centered approach at the core, while leveraging the power of generative AI to support efficiencies and scale.
Human connection is key. In both workplaces and in support for workers, people want to feel heard and understood by those around them. Social capital, especially for job opportunities and career growth, is paramount.
Our training not only improves coaching skills, but opens up opportunities in volunteers’ and participants’ professional lives. Over 95% of volunteer peer counselors report learning new skills in our training that they use in their workplaces.
Throughout the past five years, we’ve always centered our learnings around workers’ needs. We’re fired up and ready to keep learning and creating workplaces where people feel empowered.
See Five Years of Impact In Action
How We Fuel Change
We’re on a mission to create healthy, equitable workplaces where people are valued, supported, and empowered in ways that support their economic mobility, emotional well-being, and career success.
Our Approach
Direct Service
Our free, confidential text line improves well-being for historically marginalized workers through coaching and resources.
Training and community
We improve workplace skills, practices, and education through our training platform for both volunteers and community partners.
Policy and practice change
We root approaches to systemic workplace change in worker’s experiences through data and stories.
Our Key Outcomes
Economic Security
Fair financial compensation for work and access to supportive pathways that lead to greater career mobility. When dislocated from work, safety net resources that provide a steady and secure source of transitional income and support to pursue next steps in their job search.
Emotional Well-Being
Good mental health that enables people to manage stress amidst challenges, embrace their abilities and agency, and work well. Support for mental well-being individually and systemically as it underpins people’s ability to make decisions, build relationships, and feel secure.
Equitable Workplaces
Workplaces that recognize the intentional and unintentional barriers that prevent people from thriving and embrace ongoing work to create practices and structures that ensure economic and emotional well-being where workers can reach their full potential.
Who We Support
We help workers across every part of the U.S. — in rural areas and major cities. Those we support often feel isolated or vulnerable. The majority work in businesses or organizations with fewer than 50 employees. We ask for demographic information in post-use surveys to make sure the people we’re reaching match the communities that need the most help, and that our staff, board, advisors, and volunteers reflect those we serve.
75% identify as a woman
15% identify as LGBTQ
42% are under 28
51% identify as a person of color
43% earn less than $25,000 and 83% earn less than $75,000
*7% prefer not to say
Health & Human Services, Retail, Service, Tech (IT), and Education are top industries
Hear from Empower Work Help Seekers
Three Empower Work help seekers share their experiences on getting support from Empower Work peer counselors.
How We Helped Workers Thrive in 2023
“SO helpful. I am literally a mental health therapist, but I still need support myself. my peer counselor helped me come up with concrete steps to tackle what I felt was impossible and also provided the emotional support I needed.”
- Empower Work help seeker
Each of the three parts of our model—direct service through our text line, skill-building and community development through volunteering and training, and policy and practice change leveraging data and worker voice—reshapes the workplace and ensures that people are thriving at work.
Impacting Mental Health Through Our Text Line
In 2023, we had a record year for improvements in mental health. Our first year of service, we were proud that 85% of people reported better mental health after getting support. In our fifth year of service, that had skyrocketed to over 94%.
Research shows over and over again the negative impact that work can have on our emotional well-being. Through our text line, we meet people where they are and create a supportive space to address challenges in ways that build confidence, resilience, and agency. By combining emotional support with tactical approaches to what’s happening at work, people walk away from conversations prepared on multiple fronts.
As one Empower Work help seeker shared:
“Thank you Laurie [peer counselor]! You honestly brought tears to my eyes (in a good way), and I think I needed the confidence to speak up to my boss and share how I feel as I leave the workplace. Laurie is very empathetic and I would definitely come back to talk to her if I ever had problems at work again (hopefully not though!).”
Launching Connection Protection to Support More People
In 2023, we launched the Connection Protection program— a partnership between Visible and Empower Work that supports people who are experiencing a job loss, had their hours cut, or are between jobs. Through the program, we help people stay connected to resources and employment. Visible provides three months of cell phone service to those experiencing a work setback and Empower Work provides support via our worker text line for people to process their job loss, think through their job search, and work on a plan to land their next job.
“...It took the stress I had away over my phone bill and I didn't have to choose gas/food or my p]hone.”
- Connection Protection user
We supported 3,000 people through Connection Protection. Over 84% reported that the program helped them, 31% received job offers, and 19% accepted a new job since participating in the program.
Partnering with Visible to launch Connection Protection has helped us deepen insights and positive outcomes. The impact of the program has been recognized by several awards including a Fast Company World Changing Ideas Honoree, the Drum Awards for Social Purpose, and a finalist for Engage for Good’s HALO Awards.
Expanding Workforce Partnerships
Over the past five years, we’ve partnered with a range of community and workforce organizations to support their communities. From YUPRO to CodePath, Right to Be to Crisis Text Line, Mental Health America to WorkMoney, we’re thrilled to be a key resource in people’s journeys to thrive at work.
We were particularly honored to be featured as an Innovator to Watch by Jobs for the Future (JFF) in a recent market scan, Innovative Wraparound Support Solutions That Help Workers Succeed.
The report explores innovative technologies and solutions that help expand workers’ opportunities and support, particularly those who lack access to basic and essential services that people rely on in their daily lives.
Deepening Follow Up
In 2023, with support from funders including Twilio’s Impact Fund, we launched work to expand and conditionalize follow ups with help seekers. Through worker feedback, we’ve heard the value people have around the deep connections they build with their peer counselors, and how meaningful it can feel to get caring follow ups.
Through listening to those we support, we kick-started new approaches to check-ins both to understand what additional coaching or resources people may need as well as measure impact. An important finding: people often want to have a follow up conversation but are sometimes worried or uncertain about whether that’s ok. Learning from that feedback, we adjusted how we share our service and structure follow up. It’s making a difference! With those changes, we’ve seen mental health and economic impacts both go up.
2023 Text Line Trends
Every year we look at trends in our data. In 2023, a notable data point was the significant increase of people reaching out about a job search—40% of people reached out with this issue, an increase from 4% when we launched in 2018. More than half of those who reached out were looking for a new job while being unemployed.
One Empower Work help seeker shared:
“I'm feeling a little nervous and discouraged with how tough the job market looks right now [...] I'm also worried that there aren't going to be any job openings that match my ideal role or that I'll just end up in another toxic job.”
While overall economic indicators are strong with low unemployment and positive wage gains, workers searching for jobs don’t feel like it’s a favorable market and it’s impacting their mental health and economic security.
Another noticeable trend was an increase in outreach from those in Health and Human Services. Health and Human Services continue to experience burnout and unprecedented levels of stress. The pressures of COVID led to a loss of 100,000 nurses in 2021 and many were still feeling the pressure and stress of being understaffed in 2023.
As one Empower Work help seeker shared:
"I'm a psychiatric RN. I work in a place that is constantly understaffed and I'm scared. I am constantly being told to do more and more work with less staff and less support. I am scared I will be attacked again and scared I will lose my job because I get anxiety."
Other notable trends include:
Text line volume increased 40% from 2022 to 2023
From 2022 to 2023, mental health improvement climbed three percentage points from 91% to 94%
Through the text line, 25% of people reported an issue with conflict or communication at work, 12% reported workload or accommodations issues, 9% reported harassment at work, and 7% reported discrimination.
The average length of a conversation with a peer counselor was 51 minutes and 40 seconds.
20% of people reaching out for support were returned or repeated help seekers
64% of text line users took action after talking with Empower Work.
82% of people reported our digital content being helpful.
We hit a milestone of supporting 400,000 workers in the last five years.
Thank You for Your Support
The past five years have had significant gains as well as unprecedented challenges for workers. We’re so grateful for your support along the way.
The challenges of this year have shown the importance of spaces like Empower Work—places where individuals can find support and actionable next steps during times of uncertainty.
To each and every volunteer, donor, champion, advisor, board, and team member—and all those who text our line—your contributions have created a community where people feel heard, understood, and supported during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Thanks to you—volunteers, donors, champions, team, and board—over the past five years, we’ve supported nearly 400,000 people across the U.S, improving mental health and economic security, and building healthier and more equitable workplaces.
* See our pro-bono and in-kind supporters here.
A special thank you to our 2023 institutional supporters:
How We Use Our Funds
Empower Work’s model centers workers, as does our funding. 90% of our funds go directly to support workers. We also invest in our organizational health—including fundraising and administrative work—in order to have a sustainable, thriving organization that continues to help workers thrive.
Five years of financial history: Empower Work is a gold-level organization on GuideStar , demonstrating our commitment to transparency. Check out our financial history here.
Where we’re headed in 2024-2025: Changing the lives of 3 million workers
Where we’re headed:
As we look onward, we’re focused on expanding workforce partnerships, our policy and data work, and investing in an AI technology roadmap to increase impact and scale while maintaining a human-centered approach.
How you can help:
As we continue paving the path for better workplaces - ensuring people don't just make it to a good job opportunity but are thriving in their working journey, you can help. Here's how:
Donate to make a difference in the lives of workers. Your donation goes to work right away. We live our values inside and outside of the organization—everything we do is focused on helping workers, including our funding. Empower Work also accepts stock donations via Every.org at no cost to the organization. Donate stock today.
Partner with us. Bring Empower Work’s unique text line support to your organization, affinity group, or local community and help your people navigate difficult work moments. We offer extended support, scalable resources, and insights for your community.
Volunteer with us. Interested in developing your professional skills while making a difference? Sign up to become a volunteer peer counselor at Empower Work.
Curious to learn more or get involved in other ways? Email us: team@empowerwork.org.