Recognising the need for and developing a health and wellbeing strategy can create a happier, healthier and more secure workforce. And while many employers understand the importance of mental, physical and financial wellbeing, these elements are often looked at individually, at different times throughout the year. So, how do you draw these elements together to create a single, rounded wellbeing experience? How do you let your employees know about your strategy? And what difference could this make to your bottom line?
According to the government’s Health and Safety Executive, 26.8 million days were lost to work-related ill health in the 2017/18 financial year.1
57% of this absence was caused by stress, depression or anxiety. Employers recognise helping to improve this situation is a part of their duty of care towards their employees... and also makes sound business sense.
There is a large annual cost to employers of between £33 billion and £42 billion. Over half of this comes from presenteeism, where individuals are less productive due to poor mental health in work. On top of this, there are extra costs from sickness absence and staff turnover.
The effects of absenteeism and presenteeism tend to be felt more keenly by SMEs, who are less able to absorb their impact. Ten people off sick in a company of 100 employees is 10% of the workforce!
1 http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm ‘Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence’. 2 Thriving at Work - Stevenson/Farmer report
Not everyone has a clear idea of what the term ‘wellbeing’ actually means. Some people park wellbeing with physical health – which is certainly a contributing factor – or even dismiss it as a passing fad.
There are different ways that wellbeing can be split, here we have split it into three dimensions:
The chances are, you already have some important elements of a wellbeing strategy in place. An employee rewards scheme… workplace benefits such as discounts on financial products or with retailers… maybe links with the local community. Even making improvements to the working environment – removing clutter, improving décor – is contributing to wellbeing in the workplace.
If you’re doing things like these, you’re already practising a wellbeing strategy. But your business and your employees could benefit from co-ordinating, enhancing and communicating these positive factors. Make your employees aware that what you’re offering is part of a wellbeing programme, and you’ll all be better off…
Imagine you hide some cupcakes in a room within your office, shut the door and don’t tell anyone they are there. There’s a note next to the cupcakes which says “Please help yourself” – but how many people will open the door of the room to see the note?
The next day, you put the same cupcakes, in the same room, shut the door – and there’s the same note next to the cupcakes. But this time, you also send an email out and put posters up in the kitchen.
The cupcakes are gone immediately.
The point is that we need to produce relevant and timely communications across different channels – not relying on the intranet alone – to nudge employees towards wellbeing.
Rigorous interpretation of data underpins every successful wellbeing strategy. Although it could take at least two years before wellbeing can have a direct impact on key metrics, it’s crucial to gather accurate data from the start.
The more detailed the data, the more value it has in preventing future problems. For instance, a peak in absence within a certain department or building might correlate with a shortage of space – too many people sitting close together may spread colds and other infectious illnesses. Interpretation is crucial. You need to look beyond obvious conclusions – such as loss of morale in a certain area of the business – to uncover underlying reasons for statistical stand-outs.
You should look to accumulate evidence on:
