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Cost effective ways to improve employee wellbeing

Dr Robert Kerr

Managing Wellbeing

University of Ulster

Some customers…

The managing wellbeing network

• Partner with Grafton

• Link consumers with wellbeing

advice and resources

• Lots of free guides

• Go to

www.managingwellbeing.com

What is employee well-being?

The CIPD defines employee well-being as:

“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”

(CIPD, 2007, p. 4).

CIPD, (2007). “What’s happening with well‐‐‐‐being at work?”

CIPD, (2007). “What’s happening with well‐‐‐‐being at work?”

Well-being at work

Key areas

Working environment

Employee development and

engagement

Work-life balance

Relationships

Values

Organisational leadership

Physical health

Mental health

Wellbeing: State of the nation

• Mental illness costs UK businesses over £3 billion annually (DWP, 2005)

• Sickness absence alone cost the NICS £22.9 million in 2010

• 1 in 4 will be affected by mental illness (WHO, 2001)

• Approx 20% working age men/women affected by

depression or anxiety (Gov report, 2010)

• People are living and working longer

• By 2024, nearly 50% of the working population will be

aged over 50 (DWP, 2007)

Wellbeing: State of the nation

• Adult obesity rates have quadrupled over the last 25 years (NHS)

• Two thirds of UK adults are now considered overweight or obese (NHS)

• Approx 18% of the N Ireland working population smoke

• 72% of smokers want to quit

• Productivity loss of 33 hours per year per smoker (NICE)

• Irish adults have the highest consumption of alcohol and

highest degree of binge drinking in Europe

• Just under 60% of Irish workers experience muscular

pain in their neck, shoulders and upper limbs

Wellbeing: State of the nation

• NICS - 1 in 5 reported that they suffered from an illness, disability, or a physical or mental problem either caused

or made worse by their job (2005)

• Presenteeism costs £605 per employee per year / £15.1 billion at the national level (Centre for Mental

Health 2007)

Conclusion

• Employee wellbeing is still a real concernand has a real business cost

Benefits of promoting healthy lifestyles

Improving employee physical well-being can:

• Increase productivity

• Improve absenteeism rates

• Help retain staff

• Reduce workplace injuries

• Improve the morale of the workplace

• Create a positive corporate image

PWC: Building the case for wellness (2008)

PWC: Building the case for wellness

• Found financial benefits either through cost

savings or additional revenue generation.

• Benefit-cost ratios (BCRs), which measure the

financial return for every unit of cost expenditure,

ranged from 2.3 to 10.1.

Good health = Good business

So… going forward

• How good are we at improving employee wellbeing?

• Could we do better?

Traditional Model – Health and Safety

• Which is more important, employee health or employee safety?

• What do you spend most of your time on?

• Traditional model of Health and Safety is:

–Reactive

–Compliance focused

Traditional Model – Health Promotion

• A risk-driven model that screens populations

and then focuses on high risk employees

• An authoritative approach that tells employees

what to do or not do

• The guiding presence of a coach or other

medical professional

• Can be viewed as finger wagging and badgering

Traditional Model – Occupational health

• Too much focus on primary interventions (e.g. HSE Management Standards)

• Would any organisation actually want to run a primary intervention to improve employee wellbeing?

Going forward

Blurring of line between:

• Occupational Health

• HR

• Health and Safety

• Health and wellbeing becoming more and more part of the strategic agenda

Quick wins

• Look for quick wins and simple things to start improving employee wellbeing

• Quick wins can get the ball rolling

Five quick wins

Quick win 1

• Link all of your wellbeing resources together for

greater impact

• Employee cannot benefit if they are not aware

• Stamp your unifying wellbeing brand on each

resource

Examples of wellbeing related initiatives

HR Policy• Health and safety• Career development and talent management• Career breaks• Special leave• Work life balance and home-working• Flexible working• Child care vouchers• Display screen equipment / eye-care scheme• Disability• Diversity and Equal Opportunity• Alcohol, dugs and substance abuse• Smoking• Managing attendance• Early retirement on medical grounds• Performance management• Staff attitude survey• Stress survey• Bullying and harassment• Occupational health Service• Welfare Support Service• Employee Assistance Programme

Examples of wellbeing related initiatives

Training

• First Aid

• Time management

• Stress awareness/management

• Assertiveness

• People management

• Leadership development

• Managing attendance

• Coaching and Mentoring

• Change management

• Conflict management

• Team building

Examples of wellbeing related initiatives

Corporate Social Responsibility

• Community outreach

• Prince’s Trust

• Blood donation

• Charitable fundraising

• Re-cycling

• Family days

• Sporting events

Health Promotion

• Health awareness roadshows / events

• Health promotion news

• Action cancer big bus

• Health seminars

Examples of wellbeing related initiatives

Facilities

• Safe workplaces

• Showers / changing rooms

• Exercise / gym space

• Bicycle racks

Quick win 2

• Look for win-win partnerships with external

resources and organisations

• They want to support your wellbeing activities

• Businesses with health-related products and

services are often an untapped goldmine of

resources

Quick win 3

• Link your wellbeing activities to national and international health awareness days

• Great way of raising awareness without seeming overbearing or interfering to your employees

• Often supported by organisations willing to help you raise awareness (marketing packs, posters, handouts)

• marketing packs will contain up-to-date information designed by experts in engaging people

• Provide ideas on how to raise a serious subject in a more accessible or fun way

Some key awareness dates

• Global Family Day (1 Jan)• World Cancer Day (4 Feb)

• International Women’s Day ( 8 Mar)

• World Health Day (7 Apr)• World No Tobacco Day (31 May)

• World Blood Donor Day ( 14 Jun)• World Population Day (11 July)

• World Humanitarian Day ( 19 Aug)

• World Heart Day (25 Sep)• World Mental Health Day (10 Oct)

• World Diabetes Day (14 Nov)• International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 Dec)

Some more help…

Managing wellbeing resources guide

www.managingwellbeing.com

Quick win 4

• In order to improve employee well-being, you need to assess the current level of well-being in your organisation, decide where you want to be and then work out how you are going to get there (your well-being strategy).

• A well-being survey can help

• When surveying your employees to determine

what they need provide some immediate

feedback so they can start improving straight

away

We provide wellbeing surveys...

• That provide immediate feedback

• Ask employees what sort of support they feel

they need

…and a free guide

Managing wellbeing survey guide

www.managingwellbeing.com

Quick win 5

• Harness your workforce - engage and empower your employees to become wellbeing champions

• ‘Freedom within a framework’

• Freedom to choose activity

• Framework of support and guidance

A useful resource

Managing wellbeing toolkit

www.managingwellbeing.com

Other little tips

• Plan for people coming and going• Consider incentives to increase participation

• Encourage employees to get involved and recognise them when they do

• Use a multi-channel communication approach

• Avoid finger-wagging• Keep it fun and think creatively - a dry topic never draws

a big crowd

• Celebrate your successes - nothing generates momentum like success

• Make your communications human

• Use success stories and positive aspirations to pull people towards

Thank you - any questions?

www.managingwellbeing.com