Supporting employee wellbeing can cost little to nothing. It starts with knowing your business, your employees and their needs. There is no one-size-fits-all and my advice is: get the basics right and keeping listening to your people. Creating great workspaces, a culture of conversation (even about the difficult stuff) and flexible work arrangements are simple, free or low-cost options that make a big impact.
I have collated some of the best low or no-cost initiatives to spark ideas for your company:
Create great workplaces
All the employee benefits in the world will not promote employee wellbeing if the workplace itself is not encouraging a healthy approach to work.
Ensuring workspaces work is the first step. Are employees having to overcome hurdles such as poorly designed workstations, poor lighting, inadequate heating? Do spaces encourage workflow and productivity, support collaboration? Ask for feedback and get the basics right – it will boost morale and productivity and reduce stress.
Help employees find a balance – encourage people to take a lunch break, go for a walk, practice mindfulness during their day, and if you have onsite catering, think about options that support healthy eating. Providing bikes employees can borrow at lunchtime, spaces for fitness classes or organising team-based activities like walking football, all encourage physical fitness and can promote a sense of ‘team’ and inclusion. A range of options that suit all abilities have the most impact.
Consider doing meetings differently. For example walking meetings have obvious physical health benefits but studies, such as one Stanford University study, found that walking boosts creative output by 60 percent.
Promote national health awareness campaigns such as Stoptober (smoking cessation), Go Sober for October or World Mental Health Day. This is a great free way of raising awareness and starting conversations about wellbeing.
Most importantly, create workplaces where people have a voice and are heard. Being able to share ideas, raise issues and have a degree of control over how work is done reduces stress and increases wellbeing.
Develop policies and upskill managers to talk with confidence about issues that will affect many in the workforce over the course of their career, such as menopause, cancer and bereavement. There are plenty of free resources and information available from organisations such as ACAS, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Cruse Bereavement Care
Support Remote and Flexible working
Working from home might not be for everyone, but the option to do so provides employees with a welcome break from the exhaustion of long commutes and provides quiet time that can be the most productive part of the week. It also cuts the carbon footprint of the business, supporting sustainability initiatives and sending positive environmental messages to employees and clients alike.
Flexible working is not just about home working. Allowing employees to choose (if necessary within certain set limits) when to begin and end work allows individuals to manage caring and other responsibilities more effectively. It is regularly demonstrated to result in improved employee job satisfaction and commitment, reduced absence rates and allows employees to better manage disability and long-term health conditions, as well as supporting good mental health.
Think Mental Health
Data published from the Office for National Statistic’s (ONS’s) Labour Force Survey shows that 17.5 million working days were lost last year due to mental health-related sickness absence. In 2018/19, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and 54% of all working days lost due to ill health.
Train managers to understand and support employee mental health at work. A survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) shows that a majority of managers are managing staff with mental health issues, but only half have received any relevant training.
Providing trained colleagues to act as first aiders is common in many organisations. However, more and more organisations are realising the importance of mental health first aid, providing employees with trained colleagues who can provide support and signpost to mental health services.
Mindfulness training – studies have shown that this can help to reduce stress and increase positive emotion.
Promote learning – continuous learning is shown to improve confidence, a sense of achievement and self-esteem, all crucial for good mental health – and of course, increased skills are great for business.
Set up a company volunteering programme. Acts of giving and kindness promotes mental wellbeing, as does connecting with others to achieve shared goals. Allowing employees some paid time to work with team members to give back to the community is a great way to support wellbeing and promote a positive company image.
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are an employer funded benefit, often at low cost per employee, offering confidential counselling and advice on a wide range of issues, both work related and personal. EAPs can provide employees with crucial support at difficult times of their lives.
————————
So, what will you do next to improve wellbeing at work? If you need any help improving employee wellbeing or engagement then give us a call -we would be delighted to help.
