Wellbeing In The Workplace - Part Two

Posted by ESGmark on 31st July 2020 -

In this second of a two-part blog series about Wellbeing in the Workplace, we share suggestions about investing in your employees and creating a supportive culture for mental health. Please click here for part one, which explored the importance of giving your employees a voice and encouraging healthy habits here.

Mental health

• A report from the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) found 60% of organisations have seen an increase in employee mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression within the last year. As mental health remains the most common cause of long-term absence, it seems essential that some managers are properly trained to recognise employees who need help and provide support at an early stage.

• Even if they haven’t been trained, it is vital there is recognition from managers about the importance of workplace health and wellbeing by encouraging an ‘open-door policy’, whereby employees can freely discuss issues such as stress with workload or targets.

• Technology often becomes a double-edged sword, as efficient technology is an essential enabler for flexible working and more effective communication. However, as many have experienced during lockdown, it can also prohibit an employee’s ability to switch off out of hours or cause excess stress when technology fails. It is important to explicitly encourage employees to step away from their screens and take time off.

• There are excellent external resources and tools available dedicated to promoting positive mental health in the workplace such as www.mind.org.uk and www.headstogether.co.uk. Opportunity for increased awareness could be achieved through introducing your own ‘Wellbeing Week’ to shed light on its significance and the actions taken by your business to ensure employee happiness is at the forefront.

Investing in your talent

• Investing in employee training, perhaps through offering grants for continuing professional development, however small, can be an important investment to help employees to feel more engaged in their role. Research shows feeling motivated is a reoccurring factor thought to be key in creating workplace wellbeing and improving productivity.

• Research also shows there is a gradual increase in the number of organisations including financial education in their wellbeing programmes, as a 2017 FCA report said 90% of employers believed financial concerns impacted employees’ performance.

• A further financial step may be investing in private healthcare cover for employees to foster extra security.

Employees are a business’s greatest asset in many cases and therefore implementing a successful wellbeing strategy by making subtle changes can create a thriving atmosphere that benefits all stakeholders. Executing a plan should not be supplementary or end when a goal has been reached - there needs to be continuous ingrained transformation as a business evolves in a way that makes proactive changes, not just reactive ones. In this climate we find culture is shifting and all businesses need to be part of the new wave, ensuring the wellbeing of colleagues is a priority.