Wellbeing has been a hot topic in the workplace for a while now. At the height of the pandemic, when we were helping clients navigate working from home and keeping people connected, I’d say I wrote the word ‘wellbeing’ about 50 times a day. But writing is literally my job, so I might skew the average.
2020 wasn’t the start of the conversation about wellbeing at work, but it certainly got a makeover. Businesses were forced to look at it through a different lens in a hybrid working world – keeping colleagues safe and connected – and improving workplace wellbeing has been on the agenda ever since.
Data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD, 2022) shows that over half of UK employers have some form of ‘formal wellbeing strategy’, with another third providing at least ad hoc support. So, it’s a thing.
And this refreshed focus can only be a good thing… right?
Well, yes and no.
Workplace wellbeing might be well-intentioned – but if it’s not properly planned and communicated, it can quickly become performative rather than practical. Here are a few ways to avoid that and stay active with wellbeing.
1. Listen to your people
Since when has working off assumptions ever been a good idea? Let people tell you what impacts their wellbeing – it sets the scene for more open and honest internal comms.
Whether you do surveys, focus groups, or gather anecdotal feedback – people need to have their say. You can’t fix it all, but it will let you prioritise and spot quick wins, whether it’s adding mandatory ‘no meeting zones’ into the day, mixing up the food options in the canteen, or doing a refresher campaign on your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to boost awareness.
2. Give people choice
One size never fits all. Your wellbeing approach should reflect, or at least acknowledge, your people’s diversity. Adding a ‘self-serve’ element, like flexible wellbeing benefits, or not having a fixed ‘window’ to choose the support you need is an option. Another is giving everyone a wellbeing allowance to spend how they choose (we do this at Definition, and it’s amazing how differently people spend it).
From an internal communications perspective, more choice gives you the opportunity to create lots of great content and tell more stories that will keep people interested and invested in wellbeing.
3. Keep talking
And on that note… people need to hear about wellbeing regularly to really help it take hold. The best way to keep the conversation going is storytelling, so share stories of colleagues who are making the most of your wellbeing resources, or who are passionate about it, to encourage others to do the same.
Make wellbeing a regular slot in any regular communications you have – weekly emails, monthly magazines, town halls, etc. – but also think about creating a new channel or a place for colleague wellbeing to live, so people have access to a whole load of examples. It takes a while to build up, but it shows your wellbeing approach is authentic.
4. Manage managers
If managers don’t understand your approach to wellbeing, how can they lead it?
They need to be familiar with the support you offer – but more importantly, they need to set the tone in their teams. If you say you’re all about work/life balance and flexible working to boost productivity and wellbeing – your managers need to live this and feel confident talking about it.
Educate your managers on the support available and share tips on how to talk about it. Use manager guides, lunch and learns, events… the list goes on. It will help them lead by example and become better communicators in the process.
5. Take ownership
And finally – time for a bit of self-reflection.
Yes, people need to look after their own wellbeing – but it’s not all up to them. If processes, equipment, resources or any other business issues are causing headaches, no amount of stress management webinars will fix it.
Toni Thompson, Etsy’s Chief Human Resources Officer, gave a great example of this at Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report Launch Event back in June. It’s not enough for people to know they can take time off. There needs to be a clear process for people to follow, like who’s going to cover their work? Otherwise, it could lead to more stress.
So what can you do?
- Review and rewrite your processes and policies to be more human
- Tell and share success stories – it really does work
- Create manager communication tools, they’ll thank you for it
- Set up events to ask for feedback or to launch your wellbeing approach
- Research, look for pain points – and take action!
Oh, and if you want any help, we know a thing or two about internal comms and employee experience.
Give us a shout