Guessing what employees want, investing in the wrong benefits and failing to regularly review wellbeing support offerings are some of the reasons why organisations are losing money and stellar staff, says the award-winning Teesside firm, Key Wellbeing.
Marie Ranson, Co-founder and Commercial Director at Key Wellbeing said “While it’s great to see employers now recognising that wellbeing in the workplace matters, many are missing the mark and could be throwing their money down the drain – something nobody wants to be doing in this economic climate!
The fact that absence rates, presenteeism and staff resignations are on the rise, highlights that workplaces might not be investing in the most effective wellbeing tools for their workers.”
Melissa Armstrong, Co-Founder and Creative Director added: “One of the main ways where employers are going wrong is by guessing what their staff want and failing to recognise that everyone has different wellbeing needs.
They either guess and see what sticks or see competitors offering wellbeing benefits like Friday yoga classes, walk in the park Wednesdays and random discounts, then automatically assume that they need to provide the same to keep ahead. When in reality, if anything, it sets them back.
The only way to find out exactly what those employee needs are is by actively listening and using the power of data.”
Through their Workplace Wellbeing Audits, Key Wellbeing helps forward-thinking businesses to do exactly that, and in turn, this means that decision-makers can strategically invest in the right support for their workplace.
Marie Ranson, said: “Our audits involve a deep dive into the organisation and current working culture to help employers understand what is and isn’t working at a grassroots level.
We do this in several ways to enable us to build a really comprehensive report with actionable and achievable recommendations on how the organisation can move forward with a healthier, happier workforce.
Our methods include round-table discussions with leadership and HR teams to learn about the current wellbeing practices, policies and support they have in place and how they perform.
Informal listening groups with management and employees to get a general understanding on how the workforce feels about the work culture and support that’s available, along with their goals and challenges when it comes to wellbeing.
And employee wellbeing assessments with questions based around the factors that have been evidently known to impact wellbeing at work including health, relationships, security, environment and purpose.
We think it’s important to really highlight to employees that the assessments are 100% anonymous too, to encourage real, honest answers given the fact that many still aren’t comfortable talking about their mental health at work.
Melissa Armstrong, added: “It’s important for employers to remember that just like everything in life, employee wellbeing needs have and will continue to change constantly which calls for a constant ear to the ground including regular monitoring, assessment and evaluation of the support that’s in place.
It can be an absolute minefield, we get it. But, we’re here to help!”