Do you have a wellbeing strategy? It might seem like ‘yet another thing’ on the to-do list, but supporting your employees in their working and home lives can really make a difference to your business. Here’s why.
Why invest in employee wellbeing?
The business case is clear: investing in your team members’ wellbeing can help to attract and retain employees. Properly thought-out wellbeing strategies can have a positive impact on attendance, staff turnover, motivation, engagement, performance and productivity.
For us, looking after employee wellbeing is a no-brainer. But rather than just talking about it, it really helps to have a planned and documented strategy in place. This not only helps your team on a daily basis, but may also help to promote you as a good employer when recruiting.
It’s not just about flexibility
Many employers think they’ve got wellbeing covered if they allow flexible working, or maybe provide more holiday than the statutory minimum. But the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we do business. The world has (finally) realised that for many roles, the individual need not always be sitting at a desk in a company office. Of course, we realise that for certain roles physical presence in the workplace is essential. For others, a new ‘working from home’ era has begun.
For some employees, a more flexible working environment, or work pattern, means a more healthy work-life balance and therefore less stress. However, for others, working from home – or, more specifically, working alone – can bring its challenges.
In order to take all your employees’ needs into account, consider the creation and implementation of a holistic approach and framework. This should support employees’ physical and mental health, occupational health and general wellbeing (including workplace stress), not just their working pattern or location.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) released its latest [ital] Health and Wellbeing at Work [end ital] survey in September 2023. The results identified the top three benefits of focusing on employee wellbeing:
- A healthier and more inclusive culture
- Better work-life balance
- Improved employee morale and engagement.
So what exactly is ‘wellbeing’?
‘Wellbeing’ covers a wide range of topics! There are the obvious elements, such as physical health, mental health and occupational health. But your holistic wellbeing strategy might also address other topics that are relevant to your team. For example, supporting employees experiencing domestic abuse. Or creating a positive atmosphere for neurodivergent members of staff, ensuring you get the best out of them – and they get the best from you. Menopause and perimenopause might be relevant to your staff cohort. You might have identified ongoing learning and development as a need. Maybe workshops about living healthier lifestyles could help your employees.
The list is extensive! It makes sense to concentrate on the needs of your workforce, and what is possible within your budget.
How can I implement a wellbeing strategy?
Introducing a wellbeing strategy may seem like a massive job, but you may have the basis of a plan in place already.
Have a look at your current policies and practices. How do you already support wellbeing, and are there new areas you’d like to address? This is also a great time to talk to your team members. Ask them how they’re doing, and take the time to listen and respond.
Introducing a holistic wellbeing plan needn’t be daunting. We’re always here to help. Give us a call on 01449 708999 or email.