Barclays, British Land Company, BT, GlaxoSmithKline and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group have been identified as the leading FTSE 100 organisations that publicly report on employee wellbeing and engagement, according to research by Business in the Community (BITC).

Its second Workwell FTSE 100 benchmark, which analyses information made available by FTSE 100 organisations, aims to help employers create healthy, engaged and flexible workforces.

It found that the five organisations publicly report most effectively across the five areas of BITC’s Workwell model, which includes: better work, better relationships, better specialist support, better physical and psychological health, and working well.

The report found that reporting in these areas has increased from 53 points in 2013 to 63 points in 2014.

In addition, 86% of FTSE 100 organisations reported on either four or five of the themes.

The BITC also found that organisations have improved their public reporting on employee engagement and wellbeing since its first report in 2013, with the average score increasing from 21% to 25%.

Despite this increase, the research found that there is almost no reporting of the measurement or management of psychological health, with mental health continuing to be a low scoring area, at 11%.

The highest scoring areas reported by FTSE 100 organisations were diversity and inclusion, which increased from 25% in 2013 to 45% in 2014, and health and safety, which increased from 29% to 60%.

Other findings include:

  • The overall highest score achieved increased from 64 to 69, out of a possible 96 points
  • 39 FTSE 100 organisations report comprehensively on employee feedback, compared to 27 organisations in 2013.
  • Support service organisations scored the lowest, at 16 points.
  • Telecommunication and financial organisations scored the highest, at 41 points.

Stephen Howard, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: “We are encouraged that the broad picture on public reporting around employee engagement and wellbeing is one of improvement.

“The findings have shown that what gets measured gets managed, with clear examples of leadership highlighted through this process.

“However, the lack of reporting on mental health emphasises the culture of silence around this issue.

“When one in four adults will experience a mental health condition in any given year, there is much to be gained by employers in publicly disclosing the specialist support services they do have in place.

“Through the Workwell benchmark we remain committed to helping organisations use data effectively to demonstrate responsible people management and drive improvements in business performance.”

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