Why employee wellbeing should be the focus of all companies

The importance of employee wellbeing has been greatly understated in the past. That being said, companies are now starting to recognise the importance and the benefits of investing in employee wellbeing. It used to be a case where employee wellbeing programmes were confined to bigger organisations with a big budget and the luxury of a big HR department.

The fact is that companies are not just investing in employee wellbeing to be nice, there are tangible benefits of having access to wellbeing professionals and should be a consideration for all companies. This post is going to dive into some of the benefits of investing in an employee wellbeing scheme.

Balancing life and work

It is important for employees to have a healthy work and life balance. In reality, people get ill or have babies or get married or have mental health problems or move house. It is important for them to know that their work will not hinder what they have planned for their lives outside of work.

Wellbeing programmes encourage healthy living and reduce risk factors while at the same time increases health behaviours.

Improve productivity  

The main aim of employee wellbeing programmes is to improve productivity across an organisation. Wellbeing programmes contribute to improving job satisfaction which in turn increases the quality of work, productivity rates and financial performances.

As an employer, if your employees feel that you care about their wellbeing they would be willing to go the extra mile to make sure that tasks are carried out to the best of their ability.

Recruitment and retention

In terms of recruitment, having an employee wellbeing programme in place can help to attract a wide variety of applicants. Companies that have a reputation for prioritising their employees’ wellbeing will appear more attractive to potential applicants than companies that do not.

In terms of retention, employees are more likely to come into work every day and engage with their employers when they know that you care about their wellbeing. Not only does this improve retention, it also reduces recruitment costs as you are hiring fewer new employees.

Reduced absences

If your organisation is well invested in their employee wellbeing, then you should notice a reduction in the number of sick leave and lateness. Employees are likely to feel more engaged with their employer and enjoy coming to work where they know that their employer is focused on wellbeing.

Employee engagement

You are also able to build a community within your organisation. Promoting health related group activities will connect the employees not only to your company but also to each other. This provides them with an opportunity to form new relationships and engage with other members of the company the they wouldn’t normally engage with.

Work-related stress

One of the contributing factors to employee wellbeing is learning to reduce or manage stress. For those working in high demand jobs, it is important to know how to manage stress at work to avoid reduced productivity or work-related illnesses.

By David Price

David Price is group director for Health Assured: a provider of innovative health & wellbeing solutions. He advises employers daily on how to encourage and develop a healthy workplace, whilst outlining best practice guidance on how to combat and control workplace stress.