Are you reviewing your current workplace wellbeing strategy or introducing one for the first time? Stuart Falconer shares his top 10 tips for a positive wellbeing strategy at work that engages your employees in the process and achieves your wellbeing goals.

1. Set an example!

I’ve lost count of the number of business owners and senior managers who’ve asked me to deliver training to their team leaders and middle managers but haven’t attended themselves. How can you hold your managers accountable for doing a job or creating a workplace culture when you don’t understand what they’re being trained to do?

Leadership comes from the top down. If a positive wellbeing strategy isn’t high on the list of priorities of the most important people in the business, how can you expect your team to put it at the top of theirs? EVERYONE needs to buy into the wellbeing agenda.

2. Set clear objectives

Most businesses have a plan in place that states what they want to achieve in the next 3 to 5 years or so. Does your business plan include a goal addressing the positive wellbeing of staff? If not, why not? They are one of your most important resources and are fundamental to the success of your business.

You need to decide: What’s your target? What is it you’re trying to achieve? And, finally, how will you measure that?

3. Pay attention to the data

Statistical evidence helps you identify trends so collect data as a fundamental part of the business. This could include management reports, staff surveys and performance reviews. For example, if a survey identifies that all staff working in a department suffer from stress, that’s a strong indicator of an underlying issue. An above average sickness absence level is also a sign you need to pay attention to. Don’t brush data under the office carpet in an attempt to ignore what it’s telling you about the effectiveness of your positive wellbeing strategy.

4. Staff engagement

Training, objectives, targets . . . None of these work without the support and agreement of your staff. Be open and transparent and keep staff in the loop so that they feel part of the business. Share your business goals! To ensure staff feel invested and engaged, explain how they can help achieve these goals and how it benefits them.

5. Employee benefits

Benefits come in many different forms, some of them are taxable and some aren’t. Work out what benefits will be of genuine value to the team. The key word here is ‘benefit’. If it doesn’t ‘give’ your team something, why would they value it?

Some organisations arrange discounted gym memberships for their staff, others might provide access to counselling services or meditation coaching. As you engage in establishing what it is that staff want and where the problem areas lie, you’ll be able to work out what’s valuable to include as part of your positive wellbeing strategy. Make sure benefits are flexible — what might be ‘hot’ today could well be out of fashion tomorrow. Keep reviewing and you’ll see what’s working and what’s not. If it’s not working, change it!

6. Communication

If you need to be told why communication is important, then we have a problem — and so do your staff! Great communication is vital for a positive workplace, in fact it should be the foundation of everything you do. If you create a brilliant staff initiative or design an incredible new product but don’t tell people about it or sell the benefits in the right way, it won’t be a success. It’s as simple as that.

7. Company values

Do you have company values? What are people’s first impressions of the business? And does it match what you want them to think? Whether it’s existing staff with decades of experience or new staff, it’s important that everyone in the business shares the same company values. You can achieve this through great communication and by having an excellent recruitment strategy and effective appraisal strategy in place, linking all aspects of the business together with a shared commonality. Creating employee pathways is key.

8. WIIFM

More commonly known as What’s In It For Me? Or, quite simply, motivation. There has to be a reason why people do things, especially if it’s in addition to the work they’re already doing. Introducing a wellbeing strategy will require input and commitment from everyone. Explain what the benefit to the business will be, and, more importantly, the benefit to individuals. It’s simple. Perhaps you introduce a reward programme or bonuses, an after work yoga class or you take people out for lunch. Be creative!

9. Monitor progress

How do you know if something is working or not? Make continual review the norm in your business. Monitor and assess what’s working well and, of course, what isn’t.

Get staff involved in the feedback process. If they are engaged (see Tip 4 above), they’ll be keen to see the steps forward too. Distribute staff surveys, conduct exit interviews or ask for volunteers to attend staff forums. A few of my clients even have suggestion boxes.

10. Do it all over again

Remember, nothing changes overnight. It takes persistence, hard work and consistency. Changing workplace culture and introducing a positive wellbeing strategy at work takes time, especially if old, bad habits have become engrained. Repeat new processes until they become new habits, embedded in everyone’s psyche. When they become second nature, positive wellbeing strategies at work are simply part of the business and its values, something employees are proud to be part of.

Morgan Thomson can help you tackle these topics and support your staff, ensuring the overall positive wellbeing of both your employees and your business.

To find out more, contact me on 0345 095 0139 or email [email protected].