A guide to employee wellbeing
Contents
- What is employee wellbeing?
- What are the benefits of employee wellbeing?
- How can an employee wellbeing programme be successful?
- Strategies to revitalise your company’s wellbeing
The word wellbeing may seem like the buzzword du jour in corporate environments. We’ve had to navigate Brexit, and then the pandemic, and now a cost of living crisis. What some companies once viewed as a box-ticking exercise turned into a lifeline for workers.
The issue is that many employers may still think of wellbeing as a checklist procedure, and they’re not really paying attention to what wellbeing is, or why it’s important for a company.
Wellbeing programmes may have started as perks in large corporations but, in today’s workforce, the concept isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have.
What is employee wellbeing?
Employee wellbeing is the overall health of any and every aspect of an employee’s life, be it mental, physical, financial, or social.
Mental health, physical health, money management, and social engagement are all vital components of the wellbeing of your people. Each of them is different but they’re all equally important, they often overlap, and they all have the potential to impact an employee’s work.
What are the benefits of employee wellbeing?
1. When you look after your people, they look after your organisation.
When your people are feeling good, they’re more likely to have healthy habits, clear minds, and better judgement. This has implications for an employee’s professional development, the health of their team, and your company’s performance.
2. Supporting employee wellbeing reduces absences.
Improving wellbeing impacts an employee’s overall health, reduces absences, and saves money for the company in the process. This kind of preventative healthcare also means there’s less chance of an issue developing into a long term health problem.
3. Employee wellbeing is essential to talent retention.
If you prioritise your employees’ physical, social, mental, and financial needs, they will start to feel more competent and valued, and they’re more likely to stay longer term.
4. Improving employee wellbeing leads to a better brand.
The better your people are doing, the more likely they are to be advocates for your company. It’s a direct shortcut to a cohort of walking billboards for your company. When other workers see them, they’ll want to join. When customers talk to them, that positivity will shine through in every interaction.
5. Looking after your employees is the right thing to do.
Employers have a duty of care to their employees. We believe this, and so does the labour market. By 2025, the youngest generations – Gen Z and Millennials – will be the dominant working group in the world. As generations move on, so do their values, and increasingly both groups expect their employers to share the same values and beliefs as them.
How can an employee wellbeing programme be successful?
Employee wellbeing is a holistic issue
If you’re not considering it exhaustively, you’re missing the point. Employee wellbeing is more than sipping herbal tea and doing yoga in the break room. It’s a multi-faceted concept that covers all aspects of an employee’s life.
There are several potential reasons for employers’ inaction over implementing a robust employee wellbeing plan and this may run the gamut of bad workplace culture to diversity issues to a lack of awareness.
For instance, different workplaces often over-invest in mental wellbeing programmes without contemplating the importance of financial assistance. Some focus on social programmes when what their employees need is help to pay the bills that month. CIPD studies show only 11% of HR teams are focusing on financial wellbeing as part of their strategy, even though it has wider implications for wellbeing and performance.
Let’s face it, implementing a comprehensive employee wellbeing programme isn’t easy. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Employee wellbeing must consider diversity and inclusion
In our flexible benefits article, we talk at length about the importance of having options for every employee’s unique needs.
There have never been more different generations in the workforce at once, and their needs are completely different. A mid-divorce Baby Boomer may be driving into work each day, worried because they don’t yet know which partner keeps the house. Meanwhile, a fresh-faced Gen Z employee may be walking into work each day, worried because they’re never going to own a house. Their priorities aren’t the same.
That’s fine in the case of a benefits system – as long as it’s suitably adaptable, there should be room for employees to make wellbeing benefits work for them. What is often the case, however, is not that employers are ignoring the hundreds of well-studied, in-depth evaluations on the impact of wellbeing programmes. It’s just that they sometimes get it wrong.
Let’s look at diversity more systemically. One of the biggest changes in the UK workforce over the past 20 years has been the shifting acknowledgement of the topic. It’s not that workers from minority groups were absent from the workplace two decades ago but they had less of a voice. Medical insurance schemes, for example, were originally designed for the dominant working demographic at the time: white men.
Women are more likely to be diagnosed with autism and ADHD later in life. People from African and Caribbean backgrounds are much more likely to require treatment for Type II diabetes. Transgender men, on testosterone, are at higher risk of blood clots. Acknowledging employee wellbeing is a good start but if you go with a one-size-fits-all approach based on one data pool, you’ll end up with an outfit that fits no one. Well, almost no one.
Employee wellbeing programmes need the right priorities
A major reason why employees fall short on the wellbeing front is that they signpost all these great initiatives that they want to do but their motives might be skewed and their approach can be even worse.
For instance, if management wants to sign the whole office up for a Couch to 5k programme, that might be great for the A-type boss who loves running. But it’s not so great for the employees with asthma, it’s not great for the employees who struggle to go outside, and it’s not great for employees who just don’t like running.
Employers need to be a boon to the wellbeing of the workplace. But they also need to accept that their employees are adults who deserve a little autonomy – if they don’t get it from one job, chances are they’ll be willing to look for a different one.
Wellbeing has huge amounts of impact on the workforce. Though we should say that tracking a team’s health and trying to improve it for corporate gain is an overstep. Without the right motives and respect for privacy, employee wellness programmes become cartoonishly misdirected, a scheme worthy of Mr Burns. We’re talking about supporting employees where they’re at, not putting them through a regime so they take fewer sick days.
Employee wellbeing needs the right culture to sustain it
Many employees see that their workplace has changed in the past 20 years, and employers want to make a positive difference in their employees’ lives. The right motives might be there, but the right culture isn’t necessarily.
Let’s look back to mental health. So much work has been done for the de-stigmatisation of certain aspects of mental health but there’s a long way to go. If an employer tells their people that they can approach them about their mental health, an employee still has to believe they will follow through on that promise.
It requires courage for an employee to say, “I have a diagnosed, life-long condition that specifically affects me, and I need you to be cognisant of that.” Especially so when, in cases like anxiety, the condition makes it harder to communicate the problem at all.
For a more physical example, HR Magazine has pointed out that 23% of women have lied about taking sick days off due to period pains, and 26% fear their bosses would not consider period pain a good enough reason to miss work.
As for financial wellbeing, it’s probably worth noting that for all the stigma, British people actually find it more difficult to talk about money than mental health. If an employer doesn’t do anything to reduce this stigma, there will inevitably be problems.
It’s all well and good to say that money isn’t everything but try slashing salaries and seeing who turns up for work the next day. Employers may want to pay lip service to financial wellbeing but they need to be able to back it up. If employees hype up financial literacy without even covering basic living expenses, then it’s not just tone-deaf. It’s heartless.
Strategies to revitalise your company’s wellbeing
How to support employee mental wellbeing
With the right culture behind them, wellbeing programs can do wonders for banishing the blues and boosting life satisfaction. That said, having a toxic work-place culture and fixing it with a wellbeing app is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. We’re not saying the bandaid is a bad thing but we are saying there might be another priority to look at too.
First, we’d suggest you reflect on company values. We’ll explain: Gen Z and Millennials tend to care more about their values and purpose than employees from older generations. They want to be part of a culture that reflects who they are as people, and they want to feel like they’re working towards something for a common good – all so they can be somewhere they feel they belong.
Ask the tough questions about your culture
Between the Great Resignation and the growing anti-work movement, more employees are leaving their roles to find something in sync with their own causes and concerns. The way to anticipate this is to have company values that are already aligned with employees’ causes and concerns – and to have a wellbeing culture that is congruent with those beliefs.
To get there, your leadership team needs to ask some hard questions, such as:
- Is wellbeing at work something your company actively shows it cares about on a day-to-day basis?
- Do you praise overwork?
- Do your employees feel like they’re walking on eggshells when it comes to commenting on company culture?
- Are you fostering an environment where everyone’s voices are heard and valued? Or do they get lost in the drive for efficiency?
Reduce eco-anxiety with sustainable action
A 2021 study published by The Lancet found that 84% of people aged 16 to 25 are at least moderately worried about climate change, and 59% are very or extremely worried. If your corporate culture claims to care about the mental health of your employees, you might want to take a step back for a second to acknowledge that the two are linked.
We won’t hammer this home too much but the average pension puts out 23 tonnes of CO2 per employee. Switching to an ethical provider can be a way of helping employee eco-anxiety while actually being a force for good.
Introduce perks to help mental wellbeing
It’s no replacement for more radical action but there are a number of mental health support options you can make available to employees – from mindfulness meditation to coaching to counselling services – so your people can pick and choose what they need to help with their mental health. To learn more, see how wellbeing platforms can support your organisation.
How to support employee social wellbeing
Improving social wellbeing at work isn’t just about happy hours and office parties (although those don’t hurt). It’s about creating a workplace where they feel they belong, and where work demands don’t damage social or family life beyond the workplace
Create a culture of reward and recognition
Part of this is taking the time to thank your people. The personal touch goes a long way, so don’t be afraid to get creative with this – social media shoutouts, newsletter features, and congratulatory emails are all ways to recognise your team’s achievements. See how our reward and recognition platform can help make the whole thing easier.
But it’s not just about recognition. It’s important for employees to actually like each other. If everyone who works for you is becoming isolated, and drowning in a sea of to-dos, an office buddy might be the lifeline they need to keep going.
Provide opportunities for team members to connect
Authentic friendships among coworkers are a major factor in boosting employee happiness and wellbeing in the workplace. While we can’t advocate delegating one person to choose the role of office matchmaker (The HR work alone…), giving employees the opportunity to attend conferences, networking events, or even just optional (and we can’t stress this enough: optional) out-of-office socials are a good way to boost morale.
Offer flexible
Social wellbeing beyond the workplace is just as important. Flexible vacation, personal days, beyond-the-minimum paid time off, and parental leave schemes can all play a part here. And if you really want to show long standing employees you care, consider offering sabbaticals – extended periods of time off for personal or professional development.
How to support employee financial wellbeing
Financial difficulty in the UK is causing so much stress that businesses are losing 4.2 million workdays a year in absenteeism. That’s £626 million in lost output. We’d still say that wellbeing is mainly a priority because employers have a duty of care but at the same time… that’s a lot of cash.
Listen to your employees
Find out if your employees are worried about money. Because, in a cost of living crisis, who isn’t? We know some employers have the ability to give cash bonuses to their staff to help them out but at best it provides short-term relief. There’s a bigger picture to look at here, and incentives like cash bonuses may be a little too reactive to make enough of a difference.
Bonuses are nice but if employees are facing money issues, debt management and savings programmes might be what they need. That’s not to say you shouldn’t pay them what they’re worth. But we are saying your employees aren’t just working for the love of the job. Not everyone’s an expert in budgeting and investing. Sometimes it’s helpful to know someone who is.
How to support employee physical wellbeing
Physical health is obviously another key indicator of employee wellbeing. We’ve already highlighted how important it is to draw the line between compassionate and intrusive. You don’t want to be the boss who’s constantly peeking over employees’ shoulders and making sure they’re drinking enough water and taking enough steps.
But prioritising physical wellbeing can also be a way of reminding employees of company values. If your company is an ambassador to a local charity, agree to commit to any employee who takes part in a sponsored run for them. Or if environmentalism is a core part of your mission statement, stock the company staff room with healthy food from local sources.
Introduce health-focused employee perks
Some employee wellbeing perks can be useful in all regards: bike racks, exercise balls, and standing desks are all smart ways to get the blood going. Company yoga classes, gym discounts, or take-the-stairs days can be another way, too.
A lot of this passes the buck onto the employee though, and it’s important to realise that company fitness is more than just sending emails and sign-up sheets and hoping for the best. To learn more, see how wellbeing platforms can support your organisation.
Remember: employee wellbeing is intersectional
While there are a lot of different ways to approach wellbeing in the workplace, it’s key to consider that they are often intersectional. According to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, almost one in five people with mental health problems are in problem debt. Social isolation makes mental health worse, and physical problems can be a barrier to spending time with people.
Take action on employee wellbeing anywhere you can
The good news is, if the different forms of employee wellbeing are all intersecting, then working to maintain wellbeing is intersectional, too.
The link between physical health and mental health is well known at this point, and having a flexible benefits system that offers different forms of exercise may be what employees need. Group sports can combat social isolation. And, if finances are a general worry, social activities covered by a company credit card might provide some employees with a long-needed sense of relief.
We’re not here to say a game of footie or a fun run is going to cure an employee of their OCD. And it would be tasteless to imply dress-down Fridays are an antidote to loneliness. But wellbeing programmes can still alleviate distress in a way that is meaningful to employees.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. In one study, having more greenery in the office boosted employee morale and productivity by 15%. It’s simply about finding what your people need and finding ways to offer it.
Get to the core of what your people care about
As we said from the offset: many employees view their employers’ wellbeing programmes as box-ticking exercises. You can show your people otherwise.
If you want the best candidates to work for you, you need them to know that they are valued in the company. And if you want the best work you can get from them, you need to prove that you care about the other issues that matter to them. Wellbeing has never been just a checklist.
Introduce a flexible benefits scheme
Flexible benefits schemes are key to ensuring you’re speaking to your employees’ concerns. If you want a thriving workplace, you’ve got to let your employees be themselves and take care of their minds, body, and soul. But you can’t do this well with a catch-all approach.
The obstacle many employers face to wellbeing is catering to some people but not to everybody. It’s not enough to have a wellbeing package if all it does is tell employees “we’re making a show of how much we care about you by offering these things you didn’t ask for.”
Nobody wants to be forced to attend a pilates class with Susan, the guru from HR. Nobody wants to be forced to water plants if it’s something they never really cared for. Nobody wants to come to a meeting, say they have money concerns, and be forced into a conversation about how the solution to all their problems can be found by laying on a chaise somewhere and telling a shrink about how “it all started in 1999…”
Ask employees what they need. Take it from there.
If you want to see how our values-based perk platform can help with all of the above, book a demo.
