Is Your Business Taking Employee Wellbeing Seriously?
It’s no secret that mental health is an increasingly prominent concern in today’s society, and it’s because of this that conversation about employee wellbeing has grown over the past few years. According to research carried out by REBA (Reward & Employee Benefits Association), in 2016 only one third of their respondents had an employee wellbeing strategy in place. This is in stark contrast to the remarkable 68.4% of respondents who do in 2019. It is projected that more than 80% of companies will adopt a wellbeing strategy next year; will yours be one of them?
What is Employee Wellbeing?
Quite simply, employee wellbeing means taking care of your employees. It pertains to both their physical and mental health.
According to mental health charity MIND, 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a problem with mental health every year. And in America, 19% of people in 2018 had a mental illness of some extent, 1.5 million people up from the previous year. The prevalence of mental health in society has made it one of the biggest concerns in the boardroom today – with 62% of REBA’s respondents reporting that this was their priority when it comes to employee wellbeing. In fact, of these respondents, almost half (45.9%) have a mental health strategy in place. Again, this demonstrates considerable growth, with the figure sitting at just 15.8% in 2018.
How to Implement an Employee Wellbeing Strategy
Getting started with an employee wellbeing strategy can seem like a somewhat daunting at task first glance, simply because there are so many avenues that can be taken. Businesses that are new to this mode of thought are advised to start small, and offer their staff a few options before embarking on a large scale wellbeing campaign. A great way to find out what might work for your company is to conduct an employee survey, and simply ask your staff what they want.
Why Employee Wellbeing is so Important in 2022
The aforementioned statistics reveal that mental health is still a hugely important concern in today’s world. This is unlikely to change, and from an employment perspective many people feel that a company has a duty of care to consider the health and wellbeing of their staff. In 2020, we are likely to see further research and development in the world of wellbeing, and it’s never been so important to pay attention and think about what you can do to address it.