Why taking care of employee wellbeing is essential to your business in 2020 | 4 min read
A highly engaged and motivated workforce is an outcome that every organisation across industry, size and location endeavours to achieve. There has been considerable research around the benefits of achieving this, and the positive impact it has on business performance. The nurturing of employee wellbeing is now central to achieving positive business outcomes.
In the current landscape, organisations aspiring to stay ahead of the curve should be offering a wellbeing strategy which encompasses much more than physical health.
Forward thinking organisations, therefore, have now introduced independent wellbeing strategies which include the strands of physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Becoming much clearer on the business benefits of wellbeing strategies and also seeing the value it can add from a competition point of view, organisations are now more willing than ever to make investments in this space.
We’re also seeing the Millennial generation now dominating the workforce, expecting to work in environments that provide much more holistic wellbeing programmes. Wellbeing is no longer considered a nice-to-have employee benefit, it is now at the heart of the employer offering and will enable organisations to recruit, and importantly retain, their top talent.
The extent to which organisations can offer these all-encompassing wellbeing programmes will of course depend on the organisations size. There are, however, small things all organisations should consider when thinking about wellbeing - costly programmes are not always necessary.
Here are a few considerations:
1. Introduce a working party to focus on wellbeing...
...and think carefully about what you already offer. Often organisations already have benefits in place which could point positively towards supporting wellbeing at work. Identify these and spend time promoting them internally, perhaps capturing them on a wellbeing page on the company intranet.
2. Ask employees what they would like to see within the organisation to support their health and wellbeing...
...and get them involved in making it happen. Increased employee empowerment has direct links to improved productivity so the benefits will be two-fold, not only will employees feel more empowered you will have a team who are motivated and committed to improving wellbeing at work.
3. Use the absence management data you hold to drive what you deliver
Alongside the input of employees, use the absence management data you hold to drive what you deliver in this space. For example, if there is a particular issue around musculoskeletal conditions, are there improvements that could be made to the workspace to encourage teams to move away from their desks more frequently? Could you encourage teams to step outside in the fresh air for informal meetings? Perhaps introducing some fun competitions might also help to drive healthier habits. A budget is non-essential, it may simply require some willing volunteers to coordinate.
There is no doubt the importance of employee wellbeing is well documented and there is resounding evidence to support this. If you don’t already have a wellbeing strategy in place, now is a great time to consider introducing one and making it a core part of your broader business strategy.
