Well-Being – not another HR initiative!
Cassandra Andrews
Therapeutic coach for high achieving men 40+ | Motivational Map Trainer | Master Practitioner NLP & Timeline Therapy | Working in UK & US
“We put apples in the staff room, engaged in a yearly well-being week, displayed some posters about stop smoking and got people to go for a walk…..so we are engaging in well-being…right?”
Whilst this is obviously more than some workplaces have achieved and well done if you have taken some of these steps, there is more to well-being than a simple plan focusing on employee’s physical health.
One definition of well-being by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is “Creating an environment to promote a state of contentment which allows an employee to flourish and achieve their full potential for the benefit of themselves and their organisation.”
The CIPD believes “that employee well-being at work initiatives need to balance the needs of the employee with those of the organisation.”
It is clear from numerous reports that have been produced over the past few years, that any approach to well-being should be holistic and integrate both the employees work and personal life; including physical, mental and financial health. For example, if an employee is worried about their increasing debt it is unlikely they are going to be a high performing member of your team.
You do not need to spend a lot of money or spend time writing long and complex well-being strategies. Why not start by looking at how well-being activities could be integrated with your business objectives or priorities.
Perhaps you could look at how well-being influences your current procedures and adjust accordingly. Look at the way you communicate, offering flexible working and ensuring your managers have the soft skills to support their teams.
Below are some ideas to support a culture of positive well-being:
- Gain buy in from your Senior Management Team – If the top team are not engaged it is unlikely any initiative will be successful in moving forward, the leaders of the business should embed a culture of well-being at every opportunity.
- Setup well-being champions or a forum/committee – Engage passionate and pro-active employees at all levels of the business, with the energy to promote and devise activities and encourage employee involvement.
- Communicate – Encourage face to face communication, get your employees off their email and engaging with their colleagues face to face.
For more ideas on well-being or to discuss how I could support you with the introduction of a well-being or employee engagement programme contact me [email protected]
Global HR Operations Specialist
7 年Katy Whiffin
Transformative Coach | Leadership Consultant | Business Owner | Helping individuals and businesses achieve peak performance in challenging times with less stress and greater clarity
7 年Great article and for me the most important point bar none is the buy in of the senior management team. Without this, any attempts of creating wellbeing in the workplace will be ineffective. It needs to be at the very core of a business and not just a necessary bolt on or an initiative that is the responsibility of HR.
Therapeutic coach for high achieving men 40+ | Motivational Map Trainer | Master Practitioner NLP & Timeline Therapy | Working in UK & US
7 年Hi Paul Ward pleased you liked the article but as a HR professional I obviously see the importance and value of handbooks and policies! Where businesses can improve is by integrating simple well-being strategies in to their procedures and policies!
Achieve Clarity and Action: I work with Business owners, entrepreneurs and Senior Managers to Clarify Your Vision and Drive Your Success | Coaching for Personal transformation | NLP and Motivational Map Trainer |
7 年Yet again such simple thoughts and ideas can drive massive change in teams and organisations if we lose the obsession with writing the handbook and policy manual John Burroughes Oliver Hill Gary Burton and focus on employee well being.