While organisations may engage in activities like posting on social media and hosting health awareness days, they often fail to establish supportive mechanisms to boost workplace wellbeing. This is known as ‘wellbeing washing’. Proactively prioritising employee wellbeing promotes happiness, motivation, and increased productivity, creating a healthy and supportive workplace environment.
Our recent blog ‘What is workplace wellbeing?’ can provide you with greater insight into this topic.
Wellbeing is dynamic and varies dependant on individual experiences, personal circumstances and potential workplace pressures. The biopsychosocial model of health demonstrates the complexity of wellbeing in regard to biological, psychological, and social health. These factors encompass various dimensions of wellbeing such as physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and financial health, which influence our health and wellbeing.
Lifestyle behaviours such as healthy eating and exercise promote wellbeing and reduce disease risk. Given that employees spend a significant portion of their time at work, organisations play an important role in promoting wellbeing. Blurred boundaries between work and home life can compound stressors, including mental health issues and workplace stress.
5 ways to improve workplace wellbeing
Mental health support
Recent data shows that stigma around health and wellbeing still exists in the workplace. Research also shows that 60% of employees are having mild anxiety, 76% are suffering moderate to high levels of stress and 56% are suffering from mild depression. Mental health is now high on the agenda for most organisations, with 70% of organisations visibly participating in mental health awareness days. However, despite this, 60% of employees still feel their organisation doesn’t care about their welfare. 55% feel they need to conceal their mental wellbeing at work and only 10% are actively seeking help with their mental health.
Employees may feel worried or ashamed to ask for help or may be concerned about any potential retribution in reaching out. However, to be able to support employees, employers need to be aware of any mental health challenges. Providing line managers with the confidence and skills, to identify, sensitively approach and confidentially support employees who may be struggling can help to encourage employees to speak up. Normalising conversations will help reduce the stigma surrounding mental ill health and create an environment that promotes an open and supportive culture.
Employee Assistance Programme
An employee assistance programme that offers 24/7 helpline, short term counselling, menopause support, information relating to financial wellbeing and a library of self-guided tools and resources, is an essential alternative for employees who prefer not to share their mental health challenges. These services can be utilised for any work related or personal issues and can provide a helping hand at a time of great need, helping to reduce the risk of an employee spiralling into a potential crisis.
How to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace – Wellbeing People
Employee engagement and communication
Even with the greatest of intentions, without consistent employee engagement, many wellbeing initiatives can quickly fizzle out. Therefore, it is important to engage employees from the get-go with employee engagement surveys and employee forums to really understand what their wellbeing needs are and what support they would like from their employer. This data can be utilised to cascade wellbeing information and an opportunity to signpost employees to initiatives. For optimum reach, utilise various avenues of communications such as email, intranet, 1-1 and team meetings and employee networks and forums.
Commitment from the top and leading by example is imperative to drive change and facilitate the integration of wellbeing across an organisation. In establishing a healthy workplace culture, first and foremost, it is important to ensure that senior leaders are fully dedicated to the organisational wellbeing objectives to driving the initiatives forward. While communication can encourage employee engagement, senior leaders must engage with the initiatives. Leaders who can demonstrate participation in their own wellbeing actively set an example for employees to follow, helping to facilitate change for a healthier, happier workforce.
Collaboration
Providing employees with a seat at the table, giving them a voice and opportunities to contribute to developing systems and processes and share their ideas, enhances a sense of belonging and a happier workforce.
Learning and development
Personal and professional development is an avenue for employees to enhance their talents, skills and career prospects. Learning and development is a continuous process that facilitates self-awareness and individual growth. Consistently providing personal development opportunities such as shadowing different roles, working on new projects, volunteering opportunities, attending workshops, webinars, educational courses and training, enables employees to enrich their knowledge and skills, both for improved wellbeing and to thrive in the workplace.
Ways to improve employee wellbeing
Healthy work/life balance
Research shows that employees who have access to flexibility in where and how they work are 41% more likely to be engaged and 71% likely to stay with their employer.
Organisations also have a ‘duty of care’ to protect employees from risks to their health, safety and wellbeing. For example, long hours and poor work life balance. Flexible working can help to improve employee wellbeing, help to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and increase engagement and loyalty.
Providing opportunities for flexible working, flexi-time, longer days for shorter weeks, job share, and part-time opportunities can help support employee work-life balance. flexible-working-and-work-life-balance-guide.pdf (acas.org.uk)
In the UK there are 1.25 million ‘sandwich carers’ in the UK, who are caring for elderly relatives as well as rearing a family. 78% of these are in paid employment Carers at breaking point: The social care burden on women | Age UK
Research shows that employed carers have a reduced risk of ill health if they have access to supportive workplace policies and managers in balancing their work and caregiving responsibilities. Implementing training to develop leadership skills for supporting employee work– life balance has also been found to increase employee job satisfaction and performance and employee retention.
5 Strategies to Improve Employee Wellbeing at Work (octanner.com)
Developing and implementing family friendly policies, such as carers, shared parental leave, special leave and adoption can support employees to balance their work and home life responsibilities.
Setting boundaries
The establishment of work and home life boundaries is paramount for achieving a healthy work-life balance and preserving overall wellbeing. To effectively define boundaries, individuals should clearly communicate their expectations and limitations regarding working hours, their availability, and personal commitments to colleagues and clients. Setting clear boundaries minimises distractions and allows for focus time. Establishing clear working hours and effective time management helps to safeguard personal time and prevents burnout. Setting technology boundaries and strategically learning to say “no” can help manage workload and preserving wellbeing. By implementing these boundary-setting techniques, individuals can cultivate a healthier balance between work and personal life, leading to improved productivity and overall satisfaction.
Self-care practices
Encouraging employees to incorporate daily self-care, even for 5 minutes during the working day, can help improve wellbeing. Self-care is individual, and can include anything that brings relaxation, happiness and joy. For example, exercise, walking, music, meditation, journaling, doodling and box breathing can help improve physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It is equally important to encourage employees to eat healthily, exercise and adopt a healthy bedtime routine. Prioritising self-care can help increase, energy levels, concentration and motivation.
Wellbeing interventions
It is important to recognise that wellbeing extends beyond just mental health. Just as we all have mental health, we also have physical health including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, musculoskeletal health, and financial wellbeing.
Therefore, when implementing workplace wellbeing interventions, it’s important to address all dimensions of wellbeing, not just mental health. Implementing workshops that promote healthy eating, exercise, ergonomic assessments, promote good sleep and support employees to manage their finances will ensure that that dynamic workplace health issues can be effectively addressed.
Developing a healthy work environment is increasingly challenging in a hybrid working world. Working from home can result in sedentary behaviour due to a reduction in daily commuting and therefore, less opportunities for walking or cycling. In addition, less access to social lunchtime walks, workplace fitness initiatives and onsite gyms can also reduce participation in activity.
Introducing Wellbeing at Work: 7 Expert Tips | Champion Health
It is important to encourage employees to move regularly, whether they are office-based or at home. Even short walks every hour can improve mood and productivity. Simple initiatives like scheduling breaks during video calls and encourage stretching and movement can help increase participation in activity, improved wellbeing, improved focus and concentration and increased productivity. Research Proves Your Brain Needs Breaks (microsoft.com)
Social interactions
Social interactions are fundamental to fulfilment, wellbeing and life satisfaction. Providing social opportunities for example, coffee breaks, comfortable breakout rooms, social activities. Socially connected employees have lower stress levels, increased resilience, increased confidence, and are more productive and happier. 9 Simple Ways to Improve Employee Wellbeing (totalwellnesshealth.com)
How can Health@Work help you to proactively promote workplace wellbeing?
Health@Work, sister company of Medicash Health and Wellbeing Group, have a team of wellbeing experts who provide a range of evidenced-based services which allow companies to demonstrate their commitment to employees.
Workplace Wellbeing Charter Accreditation:
The Workplace Wellbeing Charter provides a national accreditation for organisations who are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of their workforce. Initially developed in collaboration with Health@Work and Public Health England in 2014, Health@Work have updated the framework utilising evidenced-based research, to stay ahead of the changing workplace wellbeing landscape and employee expectations. The Charter is built on a solid framework which encompasses 8 key areas of workplace wellbeing. This framework supports employers to measure their current wellbeing offering and exposes opportunities for improvement. As part of the Charter process, organisations are assigned a supportive wellbeing consultant and a post-assessment outcome report which can be utilised to develop or enhance an existing workplace wellbeing strategy. The Workplace Wellbeing Charter has supported thousands of large and small organisations across the UK, helping them to demonstrate their commitment to employee wellbeing for over a decade.
Wellbeing training:
With research, we have updated and expanded our training library to reflect the dynamic field of workplace health and wellbeing. Our training packages aim to provide current research, information, strategies, tools and resources to help leaders and employees manage both workplace and personal challenges they face. These include Mental Wellbeing for Leaders and Managers and Mental Wellbeing for Employees, Psychological Safety for Driving Team Performance, Stress Management for Positive Change, Money Matters Financial Wellbeing, Inclusion and Diversity for Leaders and Managers, Menopause Champion Training, Men’s Health Awareness and Building Healthy Habits to name but a few. Our wellbeing consultants can also tailor bespoke programmes that align with your workplace wellbeing objectives.
Additional benefits:
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Best Doctors
- Employee Health screenings
- mProve Yourself App
- Discounted gym memberships
Head to our website for further information Health@Work – Workplace Wellbeing Experts (healthatworkcentre.org.uk)
Benefits of boosting workplace wellbeing
The current cost of living crisis, financial worries and poor work-life balance can take its toll on employee wellbeing. As the average employee spends approximately 50% of waking hours at work, employers must prioritise workplace health and wellbeing.
When employees perceive that their wellbeing is being prioritised, they are more likely to be happier, healthier and more engaged.
Engaged employees are motivated, creative, enthusiastic and productive and less likely to take sick leave as they are less likely to experience stress and burnout. Establishing and exhibiting workplace wellbeing helps attract and retain talent. It sends a clear message to jobseekers that the organisation values their wellbeing and drives a sense of belonging and loyalty for existing employees.
Therefore, they are more likely to deliver quality customer service, uphold customer satisfaction, drive increased sales, and enhance the organisation’s reputation and sustainability.
Conclusion
Utilising the wellbeing strategies above can help develop a supportive workplace environment, can drive successful wellbeing initiatives and create a workplace culture where employees feel comfortable reaching out for help. Leaders who are consistently engaged in driving cultural change, encouraging organisational collaboration top down and bottom up, and empowering employees to reach their personal growth, highest potential and professional fulfilment helps promote a sense of ownership and belonging.
Successful holistic interventions encompass physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions and recognise the interactions of these factors. By prioritising employee wellbeing through these approaches, organisations can cultivate a healthier, happier, and more productive workforce.
If you would like some further information regarding the Workplace Wellbeing Charter or our training packages, please call Health@Work on 0151 236 6608 or visit our website Health@Work – Workplace Wellbeing Experts (healthatworkcentre.org.uk)
