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Employee Wellbeing: The impact of a targeted and measurable program on your people and your business

Investing in the health & wellbeing of your workforce is directly related to the successful performance of your business and people. Learn how a targeted employee wellbeing program can benefit your business.
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By Beth Hill , 

Wellbeing Program Manager, Recovre

06/07/2022

With the ever-evolving workplace environment due to the pandemic, organisations are seeking more than ever to truly understand their organisations wellbeing position from both an internal perspective, and an understanding of where they sit alongside Australian norms.

Investing in the health and wellbeing of your workforce is directly related to the successful performance of your business and your people. This direct correlation places greater importance on knowing where investment of time and money is going to have the greatest impact on employee health and wellbeing.

At a time where employee retention is more important than ever, accurate identification of what is and is not working is a key consideration for many organisations.

Organisational Wellbeing

The World Health Organisation has identified the workplace as a key area for targeting health promotion and disease prevention, and, with the average Australian spending one third of their day at work, it makes sense to use this environment to reinforce healthy attitudes and behaviours at the individual, organisational and community level.

There is a significant opportunity to make an impact on employee health, with an estimated 38% of diseases and injuries are preventable through modifiable risk factors such as smoking, diet and blood pressure. Furthermore, with 1 in 5 Australians having had a mental health condition, 10% of the population having experienced depression, and over 3 million having experienced anxiety, now more than ever, organisations must commit to creating a psychologically safe environment for their people[1].

Organisational wellbeing is surging to the forefront and while wellbeing programs have the best intentions, an ill-informed wellbeing intervention or strategy will often only impede organisation wellbeing aspirations, whether it is in their formative stages or at evaluation[2].

A robust wellbeing strategy should include a data-informed review of your organisation’s holistic health, safety and wellbeing. Assessing at the biopsychosocial level gives businesses the confidence to proceed with targeted wellbeing interventions that go beyond standard pulse survey feedback and results, ultimately leading to improved return on investment of these interventions.

 

Benefits of a healthy workplace

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  • Improved work performance and productivity
  • Reduced absenteeism and sick leave
  • Decreased incidence of attending work when sick (presenteeism)
  • Decreased frequency and cost of workers’ compensation
  • Improved staff morale, satisfaction and motivation
  • Improved corporate image and attraction/retention of employees
  • Increased return on training and development investment
  • Improved employee engagement and employee relationships
  • Increase in health awareness and knowledge
  • Increase in physical health and mental and social wellbeing
  • Improved morale, job satisfaction and motivation
  • Improved opportunities for a healthier lifestyle
  • Greater capacity to enjoy life both in and outside the workplace

Wellbeing Assessment

A sound wellbeing program requires the identification of the unique challenges of an organisation and their workforce, using a data driven process to assess biopsychosocial risks facing the organisation. This might include identifying individual departmental, site or office health risks, as well as broader organisational health risks. Other relevant information such as known industry risks, can also be taken into account.

  1. Data Gathering: This stage includes gathering baseline data, reviewing claims data, understanding existing policy and programs and initiating key stakeholder discussions.
  2. Development: Develop customised Psychological Health and Safety Management framework in consultation with key stakeholders.
  3. Implementation: This stage includes the delivery and roll out of framework to key organisational sponsors and thecompletion of leadership specific education and coaching.
  4. Review: Review and analysis of initiatives to ensure organisational needs are being met.
  5. Presentation: Consolidation of key concerns, recommendations for future improvements to organisational programs and initiatives.

 

Mercer Marsh Benefit’s Workforce Wellbeing Assessments integrate globally recognised occupational biopsychosocial and wellbeing assessments, ensuring best practice identification and measurement of health risks. The outcome of a wellbeing assessment should include evidence based actionable insights and recommendations on health, safety and wellbeing improvements, including the organisation of work and workplace culture.

With the support of senior leadership, successful wellbeing programs are driven by thoughtful policies and processes, and involve workers and managers in a continuous improvement process to promote cultural shifts for the benefit of the health, safety and wellbeing of staff. 

Case study: Delivering on improved mental health and wellbeing

A national retailer was struggling with employee mental health, the impact of a stand-down of its workforce resulting from the pandemic, and increased customer work-related violence incidents. After assessment, high-risk sites and issues were identified and an intervention program was developed. Employee wellbeing was measured using the World Health Organisation- Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), a short self-reported measure of current mental wellbeing. Measure was taken before and after the intervention program.

The intervention program included manager workshops, a positive wellbeing program and wellbeing champions.

The results demonstrated statistically significant improvement in mental health and wellbeing for the intervention sites, reducing the risk rating by an astounding 40%.

At the control sites where no intervention was undertaken, there was a deterioration in employee mental health and wellbeing, with a 6% increase in their risk rating. 

Business Benefits

Return on investment in organisational health and wellbeing has been demonstrated in numerous studies including a US study which found that every $1 spent on corporate health returns over $5 in absenteeism savings[3]

It is estimated that absenteeism is costing the Australian economy $7 billion a year[4]. Increasingly, companies are taking steps to improve this situation, by implementing workplace initiatives to support their people to make lifestyle changes that will improve their overall health. When the biopsychosocial health of the workforce is improved, everybody benefits. Workers benefit from longer, healthier, happier lives and greater work satisfaction, but workplaces benefit too.

Summary

Investing in your employee’s wellbeing is a direct benefit to the financial performance of your organisation. However, a holistic wellbeing assessment is required to ensure you address the key issues, with the benefits of informed health & wellbeing strategies result in:

  • Improved staff attendance
  • Improved productivity
  • Improved risk management
  • Reduction in personal leave
  • Reduced staff turnover 

Find Out More

If you are interested in learning more on where your organisation stands with an evidence-based wellbeing assessment, please reach out to Beth Hill, Wellbeing Program Manager. 

Our Expert

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Beth Hill

Wellbeing Program Manager, Recovre

Sources

[1] Australian Burden of Disease Study Impact and causes of illness and death in Australia 2015 Summary report (full publication; 24May2019 Edition) (AIHW)

[2] People at Work

[3] American College of Occupational and Environmental medicine, Vol. 47 no.8 August 2005.

[4] Price Waterhouse Coopers Report

This document is not intended to be taken as advice regarding any individual situation and should not be relied upon as such. The information contained herein is based on sources we believe reliable, but we make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy. Marsh shall have no obligation to update this publication and shall have no liability to you or any other party arising out of this publication or any matter contained herein. LCPA 22/263

 

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