Human Resources experts are becoming increasingly aware that the workforce is at the core of every productive company, particularly in challenging environments, whether it is a personal, economical or sanitary crisis.  Employee well-being programs are a great way to provide support to employees in a structured, well-thought out and standard way, that can be improved over time depending on the needs and necessities of the company.

As employees are spending more and more time at work, matters such as work-life balance and health concerns are beginning to grow. Flexible work structures allow the workforce to have more autonomy, empower employees to perform efficiently and to intelligently maintain a work-life equilibrium. Combined with complimentary recreational activities such as office gym, sports memberships, etc., it can do wonders for employee stress. It drives performance and loyalty from employees who want to give back to their company.

Before launching the process, it is important to find what are the current gaps and what exactly employees are lacking and want the company to improve. Additionally, it is important to carry on the appraisal process every step of the way to see which methods have been working. Installing metrics such as performance trackers, employee retention, programme participation, satisfaction, engagement, absence rates and other KPIs can make this process simpler and more accurate. Evaluation is key in every step of the process. However, the company needs to refrain from setting a high improvement target to be reached in the beginning, as employees are still getting used to the programme. Additionally, unfortunately sometimes targets cause evaluators to focus on numerical results and not the integrity of the process.

Appointing an “Employee Wellbeing Leader” who promotes these well-being initiatives will ensure that employees participate in these efforts. Preferably, this individual is an employee who has been a part of the company for a long time or holds a senior position. This will inspire a substantial amount of the staff, and act as a “relay point” for employees to come to in case of questions.

Although this effort will contribute to improving the company well-being programmes, leaving this matter to professional well-being counsellors, or resorting to buy-ins could possibly be the best solution. Businesses can benefit from these professionals’ expertise, networks, tools and focus on the tasks at hand. Additionally, employees will feel more comfortable sharing with these representatives as they are not directly connected to the company.

A successful well-being programme is extremely important as it allows employees to be motivated and reach their personal and professional objectives. Subsequently, it helps companies create commendable reputation, company culture, while achieving higher productivity.

References:

1. Promoting Employee Well-Being, Society for Human Resource Management.
2. How To Build A Culture Of Employee Well-Being, Jul 25, 2019, Forbes.