When it comes to the work-life balance debate, perception is everything. If your employees perceive themselves to be cared for in a workplace culture that encourages wellness, you might be able to boast a more committed and happy workforce in the new world of work which is arguably hi-tech, global and 24/7. According to a new survey by Virgin HealthMiles Inc. and Workforce Management Magazine, 77% of employees felt that ‘health and wellness programmes positively impact the culture at work.’
Judy Martin, of WorkLifeNation.com, details, ‘HealthMiles, a workplace health engagement company and part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, surveyed about 1,300 businesses and 10,000 employees for its annual survey kicking off National Employee Wellness Month in June. The study found a strong link between the wellness and vitality of an organistion, and the wellness of employees. The result of which was increased job morale, satisfaction, commitment and performance…But measuring a culture of wellness in terms of spreadsheets still evades the bean counters to a degree. And while quantifying the bottom-line impact of such programmes is challenging…the trends in the survey are key to the bigger picture.’
Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin HealthMiles, comments, ‘Creating a culture-first mentality is a critical step for employers when it comes to building a highly engaged workforce. Employees become much more motivated and productive when they know that their employer cares about their total quality of life, which goes beyond traditional wellness and includes physical, emotional, financial and social health.’ David Ballard PsyD, MBA, director of the Centre for Organisational Excellence of the American Psychological Association, adds, ‘The impact of wellbeing on the bottom line can be difficult to tease out, since human behaviour is complex and determined by multiple factors. Even hard data like health care claims can be affected by plan design and other changes.’
The results of the survey also revealed that just 31% of organisations were ‘satisfied with their health and wellness metrics.’ However, ‘Quantifying such efforts also requires a change in perspective,’ says Martin. She notes, there are employers ‘who understand that wellbeing and performance are inextricably linked, although a return-on-investment might not be directly revealed on the spreadsheets. Every year the APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award highlights organisations that are putting more emphasis on the bigger picture of employee wellbeing. According to statistics from the APA, companies that meet the criterion of a “psychologically healthy workplace” benefit from improved work quality and productivity, lower absenteeism, presenteeism, less turnover, and better customer service ratings.’
Ballard points out, ‘Forward-thinking organisations are re-evaluating work practices and providing employees with resources that support wellbeing and performance. They are creating psychologically healthy workplaces that are diverse and productive, resilient and successful.’ However, Martin warns, ‘Alas, communicating those workplace initiatives to employees has been challenging. The Virgin HealthMiles/Workforce survey found that only 51% of employees surveyed said they have a good understanding of how to participate in health and wellness programmes being offered by their employers.’
That said, Fran Melmed, Founder of Context Communication Consulting (a communication and change management firm specialising in workplace wellness), argues that while the wellness argument can sometimes be a hard sell and tricky fodder for those in HR who have to communicate the benefits of such programmes, it doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable. ‘I’ve seen health and wellness programmes keep morale up and people on track during seismic change like downsizing, off–shoring, downturns in economy and business slowdowns – and those things can’t be discounted,’ she says. Martin concludes, ‘Perhaps [perception is] a harbinger of things to come in a competitive global marketplace where attracting and retaining skilled talent is crucial for the bottom-line.’
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