The True Damage of Wellbeing Washing in the Workplace

In recent months, workplace reports on social media and in health magazines have been discussing a newly trending terminology, ‘wellbeing washing’. But what is it and why should you care?

Wellbeing washing is the false promise of extra staff support or health benefits offered by the employer that the employee has no real way of utilising. It’s the instance of making promising statements, but not really follow-up on those with tangible incentives that make a difference.

For example, some companies may say they offer quiet rooms where employees can take a moment, but set such a busy work schedule that no one is able to make use of those spaces. Another example is preaching work-life balance but setting higher than necessary targets and KPIs. It could also be advertising progressive time management systems, burnout prevention and stress reduction programs but only promoting, rewarding, and recognising those who do the extra hours or take on the excessive workload.

Ultimately, wellbeing washing is a half-hearted attempt to address wellbeing issues that employees face. It’s false promises and toxic management.

Signs of wellbeing washing in your team

Let’s look at a few of the signs of wellbeing washing. By recognising these, you can quash issues before they get out of hand.

No tangible programme or wellbeing outline

Some companies will promise the world and simply underdeliver. They will have no real outline of wellbeing support, no policies, no programmes and no employee wellbeing platform — nothing.

Its just words and lip service.

The only way to action any effort is with a solid strategy. That way, everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and knows what’s required to succeed. With workplace wellbeing, no formal plan means no support.

Neglecting the real issues at play

One sign of wellbeing washing is a company that ignores growing issues within its workforce. The kind of issues that can be detrimental to employee wellbeing. For instance, if employees have too much work, they may be overly stresses or burning out.

And despite this being a clear sign of overworking, some leaders may treat it as a sign of “hard work”. Management practices like this are associated with wellbeing washing because they neglect problems that are evident within the company.

Instead, leaders must understand and recognise the issues their employees are dealing with. Ignoring them allows them to grow worse. It may appear to employees that their managers and ?leaders simply don’t care.

Relying on superficial benefits

Finally, some leaders choose to shout about all the wrong perks. Although ping-pong and pool tables and free pizza Fridays are fun, they don’t add any real value to the employee experience, nor do they increase the health and wellbeing of staff.

If employers are more interested in the superficial benefits available, instead of meaningful and practical perks, there’s a very obvious issue of wellbeing washing. Benefits must support the immediate needs of employees.

How does wellbeing washing impact your business?

It’s extremely important the wellbeing of employees is taken seriously. Failure to provide real tangible wellbeing programs can result in the following company issues.

Poor brand reputation

One of the consequences of wellbeing washing is developing a poor brand reputation. As employees begin to see the cracks in your company’s wellbeing strategy, it will become apparent that leadership doesn’t genuinely care.

With platforms like Glassdoor, it doesn’t take long before disgruntled employees are expressing how they really feel about your company’s culture. And things like wellbeing washing will pop up in these reviews.

This not only impacts your brand reputation generally, but it can hinder your recruitment efforts, as your business builds a poor reputation for looking after employees. Wellbeing washing can hurt your employee acquisition and retention rates.

Lack of trust in senior management

Extending my last point, a poor brand reputation also turns into a lack of trust in senior management. When more is said than done, we as people generally lose trust. When we’re promised this and that and little to nothing is delivered, we eventually give up and stop believing.

When we decide that it’s all deceit, lack of trust settles in, doubts turn to thoughts, Perhaps the employer doesn’t have any intention to provide wellness days, perhaps they’re just looking to keep me here as long as possible milking my good nature and talent until I burnout, maybe they don’t care at all.

And if the company doesn’t care about the employee, why should the employee care about the company.

Without real action, employees lose faith in their line managers and the wider leadership team.

Unhappy employees ready to leave

Finally, unhappy employees appear to be everywhere these days. And that’s because the needs of people in the workplace are often pushed aside. As a leader, you must constantly refresh your benefits package and review your wellbeing strategy.

If your company is wellbeing washing, intentionally or otherwise, the chances are your employees are going to remain (and possibly grow even more) unhappy. Always keep your benefits and wellbeing initiatives genuine and meaningful.?

Conclusion on wellbeing washing

Conclusively, wellbeing washing is very concerning. In a time of uncertainty and a mental health crisis, employers should do all they can to create healthier, happier employees. This lack of care paints employers in a bad light.

Since the global pandemic, people have had to deal with lots of challenges. Perks around mental health and wellbeing have only grown in demand. Now, employers must take concrete action to support the health and wellbeing of their team.

Things like wellbeing policies and platforms can support a robust wellbeing plan. Leaders should also invest in one-on-one meetings to ensure they’re doing everything they can for employees.

To Summarise

When supporting your employees' mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, it must be genuine. It cannot be half-hearted, meaningless or generic.

Wellbeing washing is a major red flag and will only see existing employees leave, whilst candidates turn down opportunities. After all, it doesn’t just impact employee wellbeing, it deteriorates the overall success of a business

Del Page 23/05/2023