The importance of wellbeing in the modern workplace cannot be overstated. Physical wellbeing, mental health, positive work environment, financial wellness, family integration, community support and more are all important parts of the workplace wellbeing puzzle.
Many, in fact most, employers have intentional programs aimed at improving the wellbeing of their employees. According to a Washington Post article, 53% of small companies (200 employees or less) and 81% of large companies had wellness programs in 2020.
Wellbeing is a measure of quality of life. Individuals with high wellbeing report high life satisfaction, positive emotions like happiness and contentment, a sense of fulfillment and good health.
In the book Wellbeing at Work, Gallup shares that individuals with high wellbeing report 41% fewer sick days.
However, “wellness” is not just about minimizing physical ailments. It is multifaceted and interrelated.
• Mind: mental health, happiness, contentment, and hopefulness
• Body: healthy nutritional and physical activities, preventative medicine, and access to quality health care
• Finances: financial stability, financial literacy, and informed decision making in regards to money management
• Community: liking where you live, having friendships and meaningful relationships, and contributing to the community around you
• Career: career wellbeing, liking what you do, and developing professionally
Companies have tried out all sorts of interesting and creative wellness programs including:
• free gym memberships
• on-site massages
• rooftop organic fruit at veggie gardens
• guided meditation sessions
• family style catered lunches
• smoking cessation courses
• ergonomics training
• teletherapy subscriptions
• walking desks
• onsite showers
• cooking classes
• bike to work bonuses
• wellness coaches
• paid volunteer hours leave
• financial advisors
• onsite health screening and services
• office plants or jungle room
• kitchens with nutritional snacks
However, the results of these programs have been inconsistent at best. It turns out, employee wellness is messy to study. Ideally, studies of effectiveness would be randomized controlled trials. However, there are ethical concerns and logistical challenges to providing health benefits to randomized portions of a population. Additionally, there are lots of possible confounding variables that muddy the data. This means that because it is possible that other factors are influencing the outcomes, it is harder to be confident that any changes you see between groups are actually due to the wellness intervention.
The answer to the question “Do workplace wellness programs work?” is....maybe and sometimes.
There is some support to suggest that workplace wellness programs may improve health-promoting behaviors like exercise, nutrition, and health metrics like blood pressure. However, there are also studies that did not find significant changes in those areas.
There is still a lot of nuance to navigate in regards to understanding how programs change the decisions and health outcomes of existing employees. However, employee wellness programs can be a highly valuable recruitment tool.
Employees overarching report appreciating and valuing wellness programs. Indeed, two thirds of respondents in a recent Harvard Business Review study say that a workplace that values health and wellbeing impacts their decision to stay with that company or to accept a job with that company. So strong wellness programs are more likely to recruit employees who are already engaging in and prioritizing healthy behaviors, which in turn elevates the health of the organization as a whole.
This is NOT about hiring “physically fit” employees. If it was not immediately clear, that approach would be highly discriminatory, problematic, and perpetuate damaging assumptions about what wellness “looks” like.
This is about being an appealing employer to candidates who value wellness across domains like mind, body, community, career, and finance.
However, above and beyond recruitment perks, there are still ways to create employee wellness programs that genuinely improve lives.
What does that look like? Don’t try to do it all. Try to do it well.
Seek to solve a few common employee wellness barriers effectively, not provide every possible wellness opportunity. Employees are less interested in a flashy “flavor of the month” wellness program and are more interested in getting the basics met.
For example, in a Harvard Business Review article, a study found that their top priorities were: better air quality, access to natural light, and the ability to personalize their workspace.
Water quality, comfortable office temperatures, the ability to control the noise level around them and a connection to nature were also at the top of the list. On site gyms and digital health subscriptions were not.
Some of those are very low cost, easy wins for many workplaces to provide.
Your organizations wellness program offerings should be aligned with their values and their employees needs.
Your perks and benefits are a reflection of the culture you want to create, so invest in it!
On site gyms and massages are not bad. Just be aware that they may not provide a return on investment in terms of health insurance savings or other tangible outcomes.
The best way to figure out what matters to your people is to ask. So, I would encourage employers to check in with their people how their employers could enhance their wellbeing. Listen to their answers, and know that it is ok to keep it simple if simple is what serves your people best!
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