Calling Time on the Corporate Wellness Budget
Look, I love a good lunch and learn session.? I used to revel in the knowledge that my metabolic age didn’t match my biological age (I was 21 of course it didn’t), I signed up for all the classes – particularly enjoyed the one where a sadistic fitness instructor came in and reduced a colleague to tears by telling us all to think about our funerals.
I think it is incredible that there are people out there raising awareness and providing tools on many subjects that were considered taboo or just weren’t thought about not so long ago.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the Corporate Wellness Industry was valued at 58.68 billion in 2022 and is set to increase to a staggering 85.02 billion by 2030. Some may be sitting here thinking this is great, more and more businesses should be investing in this.? In some respects I agree, businesses should be investing in their people but free fruit and bean bag areas are frankly no longer cutting it.
?Are businesses investing in the things that really make a difference? We don’t have to look very far to see that work-related stress is higher than ever.?
The way we are living and working is making us sick. Burnout is at an all-time high with 9 in 10 adults in the UK experiencing high or extreme stress, in the past year alone.? According to Mental Health UK 20% of workers in the UK needed to take time off in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress. Some of the workplace stressors affecting people are; high or increased workloads or volume of tasks at work - unpaid (54%), regularly working unpaid overtime beyond contracted hours (45%) and feeling isolated at work (42%).? This is without lifestyle factors being taken into consideration.
So as an employer, if your idea of corporate wellness is solely focussing on the “wellness’ budget this year and making sure there are mental health first aiders on every floor then you are truly missing the mark. Whilst the marketing might look great, your band aid wellness budget won’t keep the real problem from getting worse.
Rather than throwing more money at the budget this year here’s where I suggest we start really investing in corporate wellness:
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1.???? Build your own awareness to the possibilities – Frederic Laloux, Corporate Rebels, Simon Sinek, Gabor Mate are all recommended reading.? There are people out there highlighting different ways of working with real working examples.? There are studies showing the damage that is being done to everyone including the bottom line working in ways that have been considered “normal” for years.? Let’s face it we actively encourage it through our education systems.
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2.???? Take a long hard look in your business mirror.? It’s easy to feel like you’ve got it covered about the efforts being made when there’s a shiny budget “proving” your investment to wellbeing but it’s not enough. You need to get clear on what the reality of your working culture is.? You need to know whether your structures and working practices enable an environment that fosters great wellbeing or not.? Whilst lunch time yoga is nice, it doesn’t help if you’ve got to get back to your desk and work well into the night to get things done.
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3.???? Accept where you are and commit to making change.? There’s no such thing as perfect, it’s yet another unattainable concept.? People are craving authenticity not perfection.? Instead of sticking a band aid on the problem. How about saying “this is where we are, we have identified these problems and this is how we intend to start making things better” How great would it be to know that an employee assistance programme really is just a bonus nice to have rather than a crutch for getting the job done.
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4.???? Build a Coaching Culture into your workplace. There’s a reason why more and more businesses are choosing to build coaching into their cultures with the highest reported benefits of improved bench strength; enhanced team and employee performance; higher retention rates of valued staff and increased productivity and profitability according to the ICF.? One case study highlights a 225% ROI on training dollars invested. Where would your business be if every one of your staff had the potential to do great things?? The chances are they have, so build the skills and culture to unlock it.
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5.???? Once your staff tell you what they need and what could work – believe them. Whether it’s defining new processes, hiring more staff or creating bold new ways of working. I’m tired of hearing about businesses who have staff on leave with work related stress and then being encouraged to come back into the same working environment that got them there in the first place. Throw out the computer that says no and start saying YES!
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6.???? Continue doing the small things alongside the real change. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article the small things are enjoyable and they certainly serve to build a sense of community (which for some no longer exists outside of the workplace).? The knowledge that is now being shared is essential in our growth both inside and outside the workplace. Let’s not pretend that they alone will make the changes required to really enhance wellness at work. Transformational & sustained change for the greater good does require more effort, it requires resources and time BUT wouldn’t you rather a workforce thriving rather than dying for your cause??
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Resources List:
Workplace Wellbeing Strategist & Compassionate Leadership Specialist. Creator of World WellBeing Week. Founder, WellBeing World, WellBeing At Work, Leaders in WellBeing, & WellBeing-Driven Leadership.
5 个月?? yes!
Leadership & Culture ?? Field CTO @ Team Covalence ?? Developing cohesive and effective teams at scale
9 个月100% agree. Paying lipservice to wellbeing is more detrimental than doing nothing. Some excellent suggestions here on how to really support your employees.
I help ambitious B2B businesses increase lead inflow through brand awareness ?? Get the attention you deserve that drives the growth you want ?? DM me 'SPARK' to find out more
9 个月Such a great article, thanks for sharing your thoughts Lesley. For me, psychological safety within teams is well up there for supporting wellness but also creating engaged teams. It breeds an open and transparent culture, where everyone is more attached to the mission and feels part of the organisational growth.
Assistant Manager
9 个月Great article Lesley, the burnout it real. Wellness is such an important part of our daily lives and it’s great to see some companies taking it seriously.