Five ways to ignite your commitment to employee wellbeing

Authors: Kim Sandmaier Maggie Fisher

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The 2023 Organizational Wellbeing Poll from Gallagher found employers nationwide are taking a more agile approach to retention by addressing employees' top concerns. The poll found that employee wellbeing has emerged as the primary concern for their organization's leadership,1 surpassing its previous position at number three in last year's survey; closely followed by training and development, and the exodus of top talent (as referenced by the tables below). As we move into the next evolution of the workforce, employers have the opportunity to be even more employee-centric.

Graph summarizes findings provided in text above.

Wellbeing is a group effort

To shift the focus on supporting total employee wellbeing, employers must understand that individual wellbeing cannot be achieved alone. A staggering 83% of employees believe it's the leader's responsibility to develop and shape culture.2 Wellbeing is where the workplace has a unique opportunity to make a difference. Gallup research found that employees who have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs, produce higher quality work and have higher wellbeing.3

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Employers cited that employee wellbeing is the #1 concern for their organization’s leadership in 2023,1 surpassing its previous position at #3 in 2022.

June is National Employee Wellbeing Month. This is a great time to review your overall strategic initiatives to support the whole person who comes to work every day.

Take the opportunity to ignite your commitment to employee wellbeing, and celebrate your supportive and inclusive environment in the following ways:

Ignite your commitment

  1. Start at the top. Wellbeing is personal. It involves all the big and little things employers do to support the health and wellbeing of employees, and it looks different for everyone. A key way to demonstrate your commitment is through senior leadership communication. Work with your teams to prepare a memo or video thanking employees and acknowledging all that they've been through, and rebrand wellbeing as an opportunity to take care of each other.
  2. Integrate wellbeing into ongoing manager conversations. Employees can benefit from managers who work wellbeing into ongoing conversations. Training managers on your organization's wellbeing resources that are available through current benefits and perks is a good place to start. Review performance management practices that equip managers to include wellbeing goals in employee development plans. Having managers who are trained to model positive behaviors, have conversations around health, create an environment of psychological safety and effectively refer employees to resources can be the difference between an effective and ineffective strategy.
  3. Incentivize with recognition. Recognition is a powerful motivator. Employee recognition can go a long way to reinforce positive performance, with 36% using recognition as an incentive.4 The simplicity of praising employees in person or at an all-staff meeting can have a profound impact on their mental health and overall wellbeing.
  4. Adopt new policies for moving more at work — whether in the office or at home. Studies show a strong correlation between long periods of sitting and elevated risk of illness or injury. Help employees reverse a sedentary lifestyle through awareness campaigns focused on the dangers of inactivity. This policy could also include offering employees the opportunity to take a 15-minute walk break for every 90 minutes of sitting. You can further encourage employees to team up with a buddy for accountability. Additionally, consider reviewing employee workloads, as high work demands will reduce efficacy in adopting any healthy habit.
  5. Encourage social connection. Wellbeing challenges are a great way to motivate employees to adopt or reengage in healthy habits. You can also foster a sense of connection through wellbeing support networks. These networks help challenge participants to connect with others who share similar exercise interests, such as a network of Peloton users, yoga enthusiasts or individuals training for community races. As described by Gallup, people with thriving social wellbeing have great relationships, which give them positive energy daily.3

Emerging trends show that 53% of employers plan to add a wellbeing strategy by 2025.4 Never more apparent than now is the link between physical and emotional health, and it's motivating organizations to look for compatible and even integrated options that equip employees to address both.

As you explore ways to celebrate Employee Wellbeing Month, the Physical and Emotional Wellbeing Consulting team at Gallagher can offer ideas that help you with a wellbeing action plan for your organization long-term. Reach out to Gallagher today to get a conversation started.

Author Information

Sources

1Gallagher, "Organizational Wellbeing Poll #1," March 2023. Closed poll.

2"2022 Organizational Culture Research Report," Quantum Workplace, 2022. PDF file.

3Rath, Tom, et al. Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. Simon and Schuster, 2010.

4"Benefits Strategy and Benchmarking Survey," Gallagher, 2023. Proprietary.

Disclaimer

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