Getting workplace wellbeing strategy right
It’s taken a while but workplace wellbeing initiatives are beginning to gather muster and are finding themselves on the boardroom agenda. And for all the right reasons; the benefits of investing in employee mental health and wellbeing are not only well documented but are proven to be financially rewarding:
The Department of health states that:Promoting wellbeing at work through personalised information and advice, workshops and app-based materials will cost approximately £80 per employee per year.For a company with 500 employees, where all employees undergo the programme, it is estimated that an initial investment of £40,000 will result in a net return of £347,722 in savings, mainly due to reduced presenteeism and absenteeism.
A whole host of initiatives are at the disposal of the senior management team from break-out areas to wellbeing education, flexible working hours and stress relieving activities.
However, there’s one very important member of the workplace wellbeing revolution that is being overlooked and while we all strive to create a working environment that’s relaxed, inclusive and rewarding, spare a thought for the business itself.
As marketeers we carefully develop the persona of the company, we attach values that speak directly to our consumers, we carefully craft our brand proposition and mission statements, our product positioning and our communication strategies. We define our company goals and breathe life into the processes that will take us towards achieving them. BUT we neglect to include any of this essential planning when we consider our workplace wellbeing strategies.
Only when we align the goals and aspirations of individuals, and the teams that they sit within, with those of the business can we truly begin to paint a picture of a culture where everything feels as one, where all arrows point in the same direction.
Taking a step back and planning a workplace wellbeing programme in its entirety by considering all aspects of the culture is essential. Without this consideration and planning, we risk going off half-cocked and implementing initiatives that are viewed as skeptical, aren’t sustainable, and don’t sit right within the existing brand culture. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither can a culture change overnight.
Change in a business needs careful consideration and while many senior leaders understand the benefits of investing time and resources into their mental health and wellbeing programmes, we must also consider the bigger picture. When we do, then the culture we are able to create has one over-riding attractive trait that will resonate with everyone and make the changes sustainable – authenticity.
At the heart of the Calmer Workplace strategic plan is a unique 12-step change process that creates a blueprint for a wellbeing implementation plan by aligning the values, goals, and culture of the business with those of the life-blood of that business – the individuals.
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