5 Wellbeing Metrics to Drive Positive Change

Creating a wellbeing programme for your company is a great step towards improving employee morale, retention, and overall productivity. However, the journey doesn't end with simply implementing the programme. Without measuring your wellbeing efforts' effectiveness, it will be hard to know it is having the desired impact on your employees. On that note here, here are five useful measurements that can help steer future wellbeing interventions.

Psychological Safety Assessments

Psychological safety is the belief that taking risks and being vulnerable within a team or organisation is safe. It is essential to employee wellbeing, as it can impact engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. Conducting psychological safety assessments can help you gauge the level of safety in your company's culture. Research clearly demonstrates that teams with high levels of psychological safety are more likely to take risks, be creative, and solve problems effectively. Examples of such questions are below:

1. If you make a mistake on this team, it is often held against you.
2. It is safe to take a risk on this team.
3. When someone on this team asks for help, it is usually accepted and supported.
4. On this team, it is easy to ask other members for information, help, or advice.
5. People on this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues.
6. It is safe to express opinions on this team, even if they are contrary to the majority view.
7. When someone makes a mistake on this team, it is often used as a learning opportunity.
8. People on this team are able to admit their mistakes without fear of retribution.
9. Members of this team are able to discuss sensitive issues without fear of being humiliated or punished.
10. People on this team are able to disagree without feeling rejected or isolated.

Health Risk Appraisals

Health risk appraisals (HRAs) are assessments that help identify an individual's risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. These assessments can be conducted by healthcare professionals or through self-report questionnaires. HRAs can help employers identify areas of risk for their employees and offer appropriate resources and support to promote healthy behaviours.

Pulse Surveys

Pulse surveys are short, frequent surveys that help organizations gauge employee satisfaction and engagement. These surveys can be conducted weekly or monthly, and they provide real time feedback on employee morale, workload, and job satisfaction. By conducting pulse surveys regularly, organizations can identify trends in employee satisfaction and make necessary changes to improve wellbeing.

Qualitative Interviews

Qualitative interviews are in-depth, open-ended interviews with employees. These interviews can help organizations understand the lived experiences of their employees, including their thoughts and feelings about wellbeing in the workplace. Qualitative interviews can provide valuable insights into how to improve employee wellbeing by identifying issues that quantitative assessments may miss. Examples below:

1. What are some factors that contribute to your overall sense of wellbeing in the workplace?
2. Can you describe a time when you felt particularly stressed or overwhelmed at work? How did you cope with these feelings?
3. How do you feel your work-life balance is at the moment? Is there anything you'd like to see change about this?
4. Are there any particular work-related challenges or obstacles you have struggled with lately?
5. Can you describe a time when you felt particularly fulfilled or satisfied in your work? What factors contributed to this sense of satisfaction?

Workplace Wellbeing Charter

I'm biased, of course, seen, as I work for Health at Work, which delivers the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, a framework that helps organisations improve employee wellbeing. It is designed to assess and address various aspects of wellbeing, including physical health, mental health, and workplace culture.

The charter includes several categories that organisations can use to assess their wellbeing efforts, including leadership, health and safety, and organizational culture. By using the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, organisations can identify areas for improvement and set measurable goals to achieve them.

Summary

In conclusion, if you're not measuring, you are going in blind and inevitably end up playing a guessing game when it comes to understanding the effectiveness of your wellbeing interventions. The above examples give you a good place to start understanding your employee's needs and wants. Remember, it's what you do with the data that matters most in the long run.

Helpful Resources

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About the Author

Declan is a leading health and wellbeing consultant working for?Health at Work?(Part of the?Medicash?Group). He prides himself on being able to combine the evidence base with the practical “know how” to solve real world problems for people and organisations. When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him reading the latest research study, competing in duathlons or cleaning up the mess his youngest daughter leaves daily!