5 benefits of a consistent, structured, wellbeing strategy for you and your organisation

Or Why your corporate wellbeing is more than just a simple tick-box exercise!

You know that staff wellbeing is important. In fact, according to a UK workplace wellbeing index, produced by Barnett Waddingham, 87% of organisations would agree. But only 50% actually have a wellbeing strategy in place. In this blog post, you’ll discover why it’s worth implementing and you’ll also be left with a few ideas on how to get started.

In the dictionary, a strategy is described as a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. You’ll likely have a marketing strategy for your business but what about a wellbeing strategy to ensure your staff members are feeling good and functioning well?

You’ll already be doing lots of great things for your employee's health and wellbeing but perhaps your approach isn’t yet consistent, joined up or as holistic as you’d like it to be.

Based on six years of experience working with over 60 organisations in Leeds and across Yorkshire together with proven academic research, we know a wellbeing strategy is essential to a thriving business, and is worth investing in. Here are five benefits you’ll be interested to read.

A consistent, structured wellbeing strategy...

1. Demonstrates a commitment to your employees and shows you care.

If your employees know you’re serious about their wellbeing, they will feel valued. They will appreciate the effort you’re putting in to create an organisational culture of health through a variety of consistent support, events and activities.

A survey from the American Psychological Association found that feeling valued at work was linked to better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation.

This is exactly what staff from the Adult Critical Care team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust experienced following their Reset Days with us. They were given the time to relax, reset and re-energise by enjoying a bespoke programme of wellbeing workshops held at a beautiful venue. Our feedback survey concluded that 8.9/10 respondents felt valued and wellness scores increased for all events.

For a more detailed overview of this example, you can download the complete case study here.

2. Can help increase the productivity of your staff.

Why? Because a happier brain is 35% more productive (Study by Shawn Achor with fortune 500 companies and Harvard students / Aviva UK Health and Wellbeing 2017 Study.) When wellbeing is at the heart of an organisation, staff become less stressed and more focused on their job. This leads to increased motivation and engagement, so productivity rises.

A happier brain is 35% more productive!

3. Reduces sickness, absence, and presenteeism

By supporting your employees in getting a better work-life balance you can potentially avoid problems like burnout, stress and illness. Educating your workforce through a consistent wellbeing programme on such topics can often prevent absenteeism and reduce the number of sick days employees are taking.

This year there have already been some staggering statistics on mental health being the biggest reason for long-term absences.

If you implement something now, you will already be taking the first step in reducing this issue in your own organisation.

4. Attracts new talents and increases retention rates

With a happy, healthy, contented workforce who loves working for you comes a great reputation! Not only will your existing staff want to continue working for you, but they will also be great ambassadors for encouraging others to join.

It’s a known fact that hiring new staff is much more expensive than retaining current employees. From a survey of around 4,000 professionals, LinkedIn's Workforce Learning Report revealed that 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in them!

5. Saves money

Looking at all the benefits above, you will notice each of them has a cost-saving element attached to it. With budgets tightening by the day, you will certainly want to consider how this approach might work for your organisation, won’t you?

There have been some interesting studies on this topic that prove the above point. Here are a couple of articles you might like to check out if you’d like to delve a little deeper:

• Happy Workplaces have Lower Costs by Happy.co.uk

• Happy Employees are Healthier and Cheaper by the Guardian

The HR team at Burberry Business Services in Leeds enlisted our help to run a series of wellbeing workshops and have been delighted with the impact it’s had on their employees. Following 4 x 60-minute sessions on stress management, work life balance, building healthy habits and digital wellbeing one attendee commented that the training had “literally changed my life”!

By adopting a wellness strategy those who’ve brought us on board have seen tangible results. You can also employ us to track your progress to make sure your strategies are having the best possible impact.

And now, what?

Now you understand some of the advantages of adopting a consistent wellbeing strategy for your workplace but what’s the next step? Here are five things you can do right now to get started.

1. Look at your current wellbeing practices.

Are they simply one-off things you just tick off a few times a year? Do they have measurable outcomes? What could you do to create more of a consistent approach to achieve long-term corporate wellness within your workforce?

2. Get to know your workforce

Are they happy? How valued do they feel? What wellbeing topics are they interested in and would like more information on? Do you have a wellbeing section as part of your yearly Staff survey?

3. Delve deeper into what your existing staff turnover looks like.

Ask your staff what they like about working for your organisation. Would they recommend it? Question why have staff left and whether any elements of wellbeing played a part in their decision to move on.

4. Recognise your own knowledge gaps around wellbeing as an organisation.

Your staff does understand you won’t be able to advise on every topic that’s important to them. Check out our physical, mental and team wellbeing services to get an idea of what is out there and be reassured by the options available to you. You will also be able to access lots more information on wellbeing via our website and social media channels.

5. Talk to us

If you are in charge of your workforce you’ve got a lot on your plate, and it can be difficult to know where to start or where the priorities lie. The above suggestions demonstrate there is a lot to think about! That’s why Mind It was set up. To support organisations like yours in identifying, designing and implementing wellbeing strategies. If this has got you thinking and you’re interested in finding out more, please get in touch. It would be a pleasure to discuss your individual situation and share our take on where you go next. Drop us an email at info@mind-it co.uk, or fill out the contact us form to book an informal chat with one of our wellbeing experts.

You CAN have a happy, healthy, productive workforce and be that organisation that truly values its staff and does everything it can to ensure they stay well!