Why the numbers matter: using data, to underpin your health, mental health and wellbeing strategy.

A long-term, sustainable strategy needs to be based on more than gut feel

As I have said before most of the health, mental health and wellbeing strategies that I see aren’t really strategies. They are cobbled together collections of activities around wellbeing that have grown organically over time. Well-meaning organisations have pulled together a variety of things to do around health, mental health or wellbeing based on fashion, what’s in the news, what other organisations are doing, because they believe the hype of a sales pitch or because they have a gut feel that this particular intervention will work. 

What I don’t often see (in fact I never have to date) is a health, mental health or wellbeing strategy based on or driven by data and numbers. Using quantifiable measures to check that interventions work. Being able to establish clear ROI. Using health provider data to drive promotion and prevention activity based on need; what illnesses and conditions your employees actually have. Procuring health providers based on use and need, not what a provider wants to sell you. 

Taking action on health, mental health and wellbeing requires money. It is an investment of budget, time and energy. An opportunity cost on doing other things. Businesses run on numbers, measurements, figures. Investments require detailed business cases. Outcomes are measured. Yet when it comes to health, mental health and wellbeing organisations are often prepared to overlook the scrutiny they would require for other business decisions and investments and make decisions using without any quantifiable data. Relying on the ethical and moral case alone. 

I’m all for doing the right thing. But I think there is a real danger with not insisting on the same level of numerical scrutiny or outcome for health or mental health. It means that organisations can heavily invest in interventions or providers that don’t work, or that aren’t what their specific populations need most (because they haven’t looked into what these would be). It also shows a lack of value in health, mental health or wellbeing in comparison to other investments an organisation makes. You wouldn’t buy a new factory or building or recruit a new team member without a clear business and financial case. Why be prepared to spend it on health or wellbeing?

The biggest problem though is that if you can’t show that the money and time you are spending is having a positive impact, when business performance drops and the red pens are out to cost cut, unproven spend will be the first to go. Your flashy health, mental health and wellbeing strategy will be quietly dropped in favour of other initiatives that can quantify their worth and ROI. 

Before I get on to how to use data to underpin your strategy I am going to share the 2 biggest misconceptions I think there are about money, numbers and health and mental health. I have had these conversations in organisations of all sizes from FTSE 100s and the big 4, to places employing less than 10 people. 

1.    We don’t have any data

Literally every organisation I have ever spoken to has told me they have no data. That they can’t measure things. That they don’t measure absence. I get it. But there is always somewhere you can start. Every organisation has something no matter how patchy or bad. Start there. Look at absence numbers, turn over, cost of hire. Ask any health providers you have for reports on usage. Look at the numbers of people using any apps or EAPS you may provide. Look at and pull together whatever you can. Manual or automated, it doesn’t matter. No organisation has nothing. Organisations run on numbers after all! It’s a question of cobbling together everything you can find. Baseline it and include in your strategy what you are going to measure and how, over time, you are going to measure more and quantify outcomes. 

2.     We have to find new budget to invest in health and wellbeing

Every organisation everywhere is already spending money on health, mental health and wellbeing. The trouble is that they often don’t realise this or can’t quantify what this is. Every time an employee takes a sick day or an illness related absence is a cost. Every time someone leaves due to a health condition and a post needs replacing is a cost. Every health provider offered, app or EAP, mindfulness session or webinar is a cost. 

As these costs are scattered across the organisation in terms of absence from specific teams, team training budgets, varying wellbeing budgets or employee resource groups, it can be hard to get a grip on exactly how much an organisation is spending on health, mental health and wellbeing. It can be eye watering. Spending time going through the data and understanding where spend is allows budgets to be reallocated, cost to be redistributed and sometimes released. It’s a much easier conversation about new investment when you can show you are reallocating hidden costs or making savings, not just demanding more investment on something new. 

I’m now going to give you my top tips on how to use your data:

1)    Baseline: Pull together whatever data or numbers you can find from across the organisation and baseline as to where things stand now. 

2)   Use of health providers: Look at who is using any health providers or benefits you have in place. Are they being utilised effectively? Are people going with specific issues or needing specific care? Design promotion and prevention activities based on what you need. 

3)    Demographics: Look at the demographics of your workforce. Do specific groups need tailored intervention or support? Do your current providers offer relevant care e.g. addressing women’s health or mental health needs. Tailor and target approaches in your strategy to this  

4)    Define strategy and build in KPI dashboard: In your strategy make it clear what you are going to measure and how. Define your baseline and what KPIs you are going to be looking at to measure impact and outcome.

5)    Reshape based on results: As your strategy progresses measure what is working and what isn’t. Tweak based on what you find. Design new promotion and prevention activities based on need. Reprocure and change providers. Calculate ROI. Use the numbers to make your strategy more effective in the long term. Build based on fact.  

So, in summary, before you design a health, mental health or wellbeing strategy or approach, spend some time looking at the numbers underpinning it. Make an effective pitch for investment based on data, need and cost. Understanding and using the numbers up front will pay dividends later in terms of justifying what you have done, showing it is working or asking for more investment. It shows you are deadly serious about building a long term, sustainable, strategic approach to health and mental health. And that you haven’t had your head turned by the latest fad or gimmick. 

I spend a lot of time helping organisations get this right. If you think I could help you, or you want to comment, debate or disagree with me I would love to hear from you below or at www.amymckeown.com.