Although discussing wellness in the workplace has become less of a taboo over recent years, work-related mental health issues are costing the UK economy over £57 billion each year – a figure that has nearly doubled in recent years.
Businesses failing to acknowledge employee wellbeing is no longer feasible, resulting in a decline in productivity and a higher staff turnover. The graph below shows just how much impact a business taking care of employees can have on their intention to stay.
(Image source: Great Place To Work)
Although the evidence is clear, only 55% of workers in the UK report a high state of wellbeing at work. This has got us asking ourselves whether businesses are still failing to acknowledge the flaws in their approach.
In this article, we discuss why employee wellness is so important in businesses. We’ll then explore some strategies that can be implemented to create an improved workplace culture and how these can make a big difference in the long term.
The Importance of Having a Support Network at Work
A staggering 63% of UK employees are displaying signs of burnout at work, struggling with symptoms such as exhaustion and disengagement. When an employee is feeling overwhelmed with their workload or is getting distracted from work by personal issues, it can have a big impact on both productivity and their health.
Creating a happy and healthy workforce can go a long way within a business, not only making the work environment more positive and supportive, but helping drive the business forward. By creating a working environment that supports employees and introduces initiatives that focus on wellness, employees will feel more comfortable opening up if they need additional support.
The best UK startups are known for their approach to employee wellness. Being able to prioritise wellbeing within a business is not just an incentive for employees, but a business decision that can increase productivity and reduce staff turnover, creating a more stable workforce.
How to Implement an Employee Wellbeing Strategy
For businesses looking to improve their commitment to employee wellness, implementing a formal wellbeing strategy will ensure long-term solutions are in place. This plays an important role in managing employee absenteeism, minimising the amount of time employees are likely to need to take off work due to stress-related illness.
Let’s discuss a few ideas that can be incorporated into an employee wellbeing strategy.
Mental wellness
Talking about mental health has become much more normalised over recent years, with people understanding the importance of looking after mental health as much as we look after our physical health.
Here are some strategies that businesses can incorporate into the workplace:
Counselling: Being able to access counselling services through workplace health insurance cover means employees can talk to professionals if they need further support or advice on their mental wellness.
Hybrid working: Where possible, splitting working days between the workplace and home can have a huge impact on stress levels. This helps employees achieve a better work-life balance by allowing them to cut out their commute and be able to accommodate personal commitments.
Creating a values-based culture: It can be easy for employees to lose sight of your company’s core values, especially in a remote environment. This can lead to them feeling disconnected from the company. Instill a values-based culture to boost morale, enhance collaboration, and drive overall performance.
Performance reviews: Regular performance review meetings should be scheduled. This gives employees the chance to sit down with their manager to discuss their progress, any concerns, and their goals. Having this opportunity for a one-on-one discussion can make employees feel more supported in their roles.
Mental health awareness courses: There are a range of mental health awareness courses, both in-person and online, which should be attended by managers within a business. This will equip them with the knowledge they need to recognise any issues and know how to respond to them.
Physical wellness
Physical health refers to more than just broken bones and illnesses. Physical and mental wellbeing come hand in hand and having good physical health has a positive impact on how we feel mentally.
Here are some strategies that businesses can incorporate into the workplace:
Gym memberships: Providing employees with a free or discounted gym membership is a good way to encourage them to work on their fitness. Exercising before or after a working day can have a great impact on mental wellbeing.
Healthy workplace snacks: Providing healthy snacks in the workplace is a great way to help boost employees’ energy levels. Whether this be a fruit bowl, healthy snack bars, or even nutritious lunch options, fuelling a healthy workforce is bound to reflect on overall productivity.
Cycle to Work scheme: The Cycle to Work scheme is a government-supported initiative that allows employees to hire a bike and equipment through their employer. This is paid for through a deduction from the employee’s monthly pre-tax salary, leading to savings on tax and National Insurance contributions.
Health insurance: Offering an employee health insurance plan entitles staff to free or reduced private health care, including dental and optical appointments. This is a great incentive that helps employees access the medical support they need.
The Long-Term Impact of Employee Wellness
Investing in the wellbeing of a workforce offers a range of benefits from both a business and employee perspective.
If an employee feels more supported within their job, this will result in improved engagement and motivation. A healthy team that has access to various wellness incentives is more likely to be happier in their role, creating a higher retention rate for a business. An improved staff turnover not only looks great, but also helps save on the cost of recruitment and training.
In addition to this, making changes to improve the wellness of employees will subsequently reduce absences. If employees are able to access better healthcare, and potentially even work from home if needed, they are less likely to require time off work. This will have a noticeable impact on the efficiency of daily operations, causing fewer delays and stresses.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the statistics we see show that UK employers are generally not doing enough to support their employees’ wellness. Although there has definitely been progress over recent years due to the normalisation of mental health struggles and the addition of wellness-based incentives in the workplace, there is still a long way to go.
Businesses nowadays have much more access to tools and resources that can be implemented in the workplace to provide employees with additional support. By acknowledging the issues and putting procedures in place to improve workplace wellness, employees will have more options when it comes to managing their stress and seeking help when needed.