An investment in workplace wellbeing is an investment in the business.
When a HR Manager approaches the board to propose an employee health and wellbeing initiative, they may be met with certain challenges or questions. One such question might be: “Why should we invest in the wellness of our employees?” A fair question, given that, ultimately we are, as individuals, responsible for our own health. That being said, as we spend a third of waking hours working for our employers’, it’s important that we feel valued, safe and that our physical and mental wellbeing are regarded as important. Should you be faced the question of “why” when next proposing the workplace wellbeing, these reasons should help you to highlight the value.
It’s an investment in reputation.
With many indexes, league tables and articles citing the best places to work, neglecting to concentrate on employee wellbeing could put the organisations reputation at stake, not just among potential employees, but with in their industries, with suppliers, with potential customers, the list goes on. Companies that are known to treat employees well tend to have better overall reputations, proving that workplace wellbeing is a worthwhile investment.
It’s an investment in recruitment and retention.
A lot of well-known names in tech, finance and beyond have both impressive employee wellbeing programmes and excellent employee retention rates; it’s no coincidence. When faced with options in choosing an employer, it often comes down to how well looked after employees appear to be: healthy food options, good work-life balance, family oriented, positive environment, mental health friendly, health insurance. It all matters, and it all comes back to a strong employee wellbeing strategy. With 70% of employees saying they are more likely to remain with a company if they feel their health and wellbeing are considered, there is no reason why a company shouldn’t have an effective programme in place.
It’s an investment in productivity.
Aside from reducing presenteeism and absenteeism, investing in employee wellness is an investment in productivity. 29% of employees say that they are tired all the time, while 17% say that they can’t keep things straight in their head; there is no doubt that this is impacting productivity in the workplace. Happy employees want to do good work; a company is likely to see a 12% higher productivity rate in employees who are happy. Investing in an accessible workplace wellbeing programme is an excellent way to ensure employees are educated on sleep health, nutrition and other aspects of wellbeing and actively encourage employees to concentrate on their health. Happy and healthy employees are said to note a 12% increase in productivity after improving upon their own wellbeing; imagine that 12% being applied to everyone in the organisation.
Where to start?
There is no doubt that Workplace Wellbeing is a sound investment for any organisation, but if you feel you need more information to convince your stakeholders of the value of wellbeing, read a case study of one of our customers.