How to improve employee wellbeing in the workplace

Employee wellbeing is an essential ingredient for any organisation’s long-term success. There is a strong correlation between healthy workplaces with effective wellbeing programmes and productive, engaged employees.

This symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship is why it’s imperative that businesses and other organisations create cultures that promote health and wellbeing – and why not doing so can actually be harmful. In fact, a recent study conducted by Gallup found that unengaged employees are:

• 61% more likely to experience burnout. 
• 48% more likely to report daily stress.
• 66% more likely to experience daily worry.
• Two times more likely to report daily sadness and anger.

“When your employees’ wellbeing is thriving, your organisation directly benefits – they take fewer sick days, deliver higher performance, and have lower rates of burnout and turnover,” Gallup states. “But when your employees’ wellbeing suffers, so does your organisation’s bottom line.”

There are a number of benefits to improving employee wellbeing in the workplace – and a number of ways to make it happen, too.

What are the benefits of improving employee wellbeing at work?

It’s clear that employee wellbeing is crucial, but it’s about more than just productivity.

Investing in employee wellbeing pays dividends in overall organisational performance thanks to a number of key areas:

• Resilience. Employees who are part of a workplace culture that prioritises wellbeing are less likely to suffer from absenteeism, sickness absence, and work-related stress. Instead, they’re better able to manage their workloads and forge positive working relationships with their co-workers, even during challenging times at work.
• Innovation. In working environments that support employees, employees are more likely to have the confidence and capacity to innovate, coming up with creative ways to tackle challenges, solve problems, and explore new ideas. 
• Loyalty. When people feel valued at work, they’re more likely to feel a strong sense of job satisfaction, as well as feelings of belonging and loyalty to their organisation. It’s well established that employee engagement is a key driver of job performance, but there is also evidence to show that a company culture that aims to boost employee wellbeing and create a positive employee experience will also inspire employee loyalty.
• Retention. In the post-pandemic environment, it’s a job-seekers’ market. Turnover at many organisations is high, and employee retention seems more important than ever. Keeping talented staff on board is infinitely easier when organisations create comfortable working environments that emphasise workplace wellbeing and employee health – and in turn, this saves the organisation time and money spent on recruitment and on-boarding activities.

What are the six pillars of employee wellbeing?

There are a number of models used to discuss employee wellbeing.

One that is often cited is Barnett Waddingham’s six pillars of employee wellbeing. These pillars are:

1. Job security.
2. Financial security.
3. Health, including both physical health and mental health.
4. Support, which spans everything from an employee having the necessary training to working with a supportive line manager.
5. Protection, which refers to the protection of an employee’s lifestyle and family if the circumstances in their personal life change.
6. Work-life balance.

Other organisations may cite different pillars for employee wellbeing, though. For example, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has seven domains of employee wellbeing:

1. Health, including everything from appropriate health and safety measures to stress management,
2. Good work, including open and inclusive work environments, autonomy, and so on.
3. Values/principles, which means having values-based leadership and ethical standards at work.
4. Collective/social, which covers positive relationships with managers and team members, and encourages and enables a strong employee voice within the organisation.
5. Personal growth, which emphasises career development.
6. Good lifestyle choices, which promotes a healthy lifestyle through physical activity – such as walking clubs, lunchtime yoga, and so on – and healthy eating, with everything from healthy recipe clubs to offering healthy snacks in the canteen
7. Financial wellbeing, including fair pay and benefits.

Tips for promoting wellbeing at work

Despite the well-documented importance of employee wellbeing, the CIPD reports that “wellbeing initiatives often fall short of their potential because they stand alone, isolated from the everyday business. To gain real benefit, employee wellbeing priorities must be integrated throughout an organisation, embedded in its culture, leadership and people management.”

With this in mind, the CIPD recommends that employers take a holistic approach to wellbeing support. For example, healthcare initiatives should sit alongside support and guidance for line managers to ensure managers can confidently and capably support their teams, and know how to effectively check in with people. 

There are a number of different types of initiatives that can sit within a wellbeing strategy. Some examples include: 

• Mindfulness programmes to support mental wellbeing and help prevent mental health issues from building in the workplace.
• Flexible working policies that enable people to develop work schedules and a workday that fits within their lives. This includes remote working where appropriate.
• Team building initiatives that foster and maintain good teamwork.
• Incentives and perks that encourage health, such as discounted gym memberships.

It’s also crucial that senior managers understand the importance of wellbeing, and prioritise it.

Prioritise employee wellbeing and take your leadership skills to the next level

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• individuals currently in or aspiring to management and leadership roles.
• entrepreneurial individuals looking to develop the skills and competencies to successfully launch a start-up business in the real-world. 

One of the key modules on this MBA is in leading and developing people which focuses on leading and developing individuals and high-performance teams within an organisational culture. Consideration will also be given to workforce planning including talent management, learning organisations, workforce design, succession planning, as well as diversity and inclusion. The module explores leadership theory and practice, communication, and decision making, as well as the impact on strategic workforce planning. There will also be an appraisal of your own role and capacity in these areas.