Working out where to start with workplace Wellbeing can be a challenge but it is crucial to today’s people agenda. So, where do you start and how do you ensure you build the best possible Wellbeing offering for your business, all aligned to your organisational objectives?
At Next Steps we use the CIPD Wellbeing at Work Model to look at the key components for developing a successful Wellbeing Strategy.
We have then developed 5 top areas to review in order to develop the right Wellbeing strategy for your organisation:
1. Vision - At a senior level you need to consider; what is the organisational drive for delivering a Wellbeing offer and what is the vision? Why do you want to invest in employee Wellbeing and how will this support your overall organisational strategy?
2. Existing Benefits- What current initiatives does your organisation already deliver? These may include health insurance, employee assistance programmes or policies relating to mental health. Do you have any data to show how successful these benefits are, usage or take up stats?
3. Employee Feedback & Engagement - Talk to your employees about how they feel the organisation supports their Wellbeing. What initiatives and benefits would they like to see? Getting buy in from your teams is essential and understanding what they really need will help to ensure services and programmes match employee requirements and are used.
4. Competitors & Best Practise - There are many organisations who have excellent Wellbeing programmes and initiatives for their employees. Look at those who do this well and also what your competitors are doing. Whilst your programme should be tailored to your organisation it’s important to understand competitor approaches to support your employee recruitment and retention strategy.
5. Understand your Drivers & Demographics - An effective Wellbeing strategy can reduce absenteeism, enhance employee engagement, reduce staff turnover and support recruitment. Consider what data you have in these areas and what it tells you. Are there key themes to pull out which can help shape a strategy, for example if a high percentage of absence is related to mental health, this should be core to your strategy. Also consider the demographics of your employees, consider the male and female split, average age, BAME and LGBT+ employees all of which will have very differing needs and therefore a one size fits all approach may not work.
Employee Wellbeing is broader than just delivering one off initiatives, it should be an organisational wide approach to culture, leadership, relationships and management with a focus on individual’s needs. Using our techniques you will be able to start to build a Wellbeing strategy that works for your organisation, built on data and insight. Want to know more about how we can support? Get in touch!
Gemma Carter-Morris, Director of Wellbeing, Next Steps Consulting