? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
“
PULLING TOGETHER RANDOM
ACTIVITIES ISN ’ T ENOUGH TO
MAKE A LASTING IMPACT .
E mployee well-being is no longer simply a ‘ nice to have ’. The link between business success and employee well-being means that organisations are starting to take it very seriously . But all those yoga classes and meditation apps don ’ t seem to be working , with the CIPD reporting this year that sickness absence is at its highest level in a decade .
There ’ s a lot of research into the pillars of a good well-being programme , encompassing mental and physical , emotional , financial , social and digital well-being . But if you ’ re starting from scratch , it ’ s hard to know where to focus and what will make a difference in your own organisation .
Here are three tips to kick-off your well-being programme :
1 . Actively listen
What are your people saying about their wellbeing ? If you have a regular staff survey , check the results – what are the common themes ? What informal channels could you use to find out more ? Team meetings , line manager conversations and quick polls can all give you an insight into what ’ s really impacting your colleagues ’ well-being .
And look at what ’ s behind what your staff are telling you . For example , if colleagues are saying they ’ re overloaded with work , why is that ? Is it easy for them to prioritise projects ? Do you have a culture that allows people to say no to low priority work ? Are line managers fully equipped to support their team ’ s mental health ?
Understanding how your staff are feeling gives you a great place to start and means you ’ re already much further ahead than other companies when it comes to improving well-being .
2 . Get strategic
Pulling together random activities isn ’ t enough to make a lasting impact . You ’ re going to be investing time , effort and money , so you want your programme to make a real difference . Take a more strategic approach based on the insight you ’ ve gathered . Decide which areas to prioritise . Establish your starting point and set realistic , meaningful goals that link to your organisation ’ s objectives . Consider how you ’ ll measure your progress and when you might need to adjust your tactics . And build a programme based on the activities that will get you closer to your goals – rather than something that just sounds nice .
3 . Bring your employees with you
No one likes to feel that change is being done to them , involving your colleagues in the development stages gives them ownership and gives your programme a much better chance at success . By collaborating right from the start , you ’ ll have access to wide ranging ideas . Your staff will be able to share what ’ s been tried before , and they ’ ll have insight into what could get in the way of something working . Together you can create a really powerful programme that has the potential to improve your employees ’ well-being and benefit your business .
FIONA HATTON , WELL-BEING COACH , YOCO STUDIO
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