Need to know:
- Christmas can be a busy time for employees, so it is important for employers to acknowledge the mental, physical and financial pressures staff may be dealing with.
- A financial education and wellbeing programme delivered in the months leading up to Christmas may help to relieve financial stress and can build employee engagement as staff look to action new habits and behavioural changes for the New Year.
- Employers should ensure that health and wellbeing messages also refer to an employee’s family, because individuals will be more successful at maintaining healthy behaviours if they are supported by their relatives.
The festive season can be a peak time to address health and wellbeing concerns, with 23% of employees reporting feeling more stressed in the run-up to Christmas, according to research by Sodexo Engage, published in November 2016.
By promoting key messages in the run-up to the festive season, therefore, employers can help to support employees' physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Maintaining physical healthChristmas is often synonymous with overindulgence, with many making unhealthier food choices and, in some cases, drinking alcohol to excess. Although employers cannot dictate what employees consume, they can communicate the potential health issues. Mike Blake, director at Willis Towers Watson, says: “It’s always worthwhile to send reminders out, not just [about] the over-indulgence part of [Christmas], but [employers] can warn of the health dangers.”
Employers can also reinforce NHS health messages that employees may already be aware of, adds Dr Subashini M, associate medical director for UK health and protection at Aviva. This could include reminding employees to consume in moderation. “The message doesn’t have to come from the employer, but the employer can utilise other things that are alongside to target [wellbeing] in a useful and proactive way,” she explains.
Employers can also help staff bolster their physical wellbeing by facilitating time during the working day for employees to exercise, adds Blake. This can help to counter issues such as the reduction in daylight hours over the winter months and individual’s busier social calendars, which may make it more difficult than usual to fit exercise into their routine.
Employers can also implement measures to create a culture of wellbeing, says Tami Simon, managing director, global practice leader of The Knowledge Resource Centre at Conduent Human Resources Services. This could include encouraging employees to share healthy foods rather than bringing in unhealthy treats, such as cake, as well as providing corporate Christmas gifts with a wellbeing focus, for example, water bottles, organisation-branded sportswear or a gym membership. “These don’t need to be expensive; they’re more symbolic of creating [a] healthy workplace,” says Simon.
Tackling financial stressIn the run-up to Christmas, messages around budgeting are vital, says Tim Perkins, co-founder and director at Nudge. This helps to support employees’ financial health and avoid the stress of over-spending on presents and social occasions.
Linked to this, employers could help their staff budget better by maintaining a standard pay day in December, yet paying staff earlier in the month during January, says Perkins. This would replace giving employees an early pay day before Christmas. "December is already the most expensive month, so if that means [employees] have to wait even longer to get paid in January, it's making the problem even worse,” adds Perkins.
A financial education programme delivered in the run-up to Christmas may also prove effective at engaging employees in improving their financial wellbeing come January. Key topics to focus on at this time of year include budgeting, methods of avoiding debt and shopping scams. “January is the time to start a new chapter, whether that's professionally, relationship wise, or financially, so a financial education programme that's promoted in December can easily lay the foundations for some active engagement in January, which is when people most need it,” says Perkins.
Supporting mental healthThe busy festive period can put additional pressure on employees’ mental wellbeing, perhaps caused by family pressures, or missing family members who that are no longer around. This could lead to depression or loneliness, says Blake. One way to combat this is to remind employees of the benefits and support measures that are available, for example, by promoting employee assistance programmes (EAPs), mental health first aiders and counselling services.
Social connections through friends at work can also support employees with their mental wellbeing. “They're not just colleagues, they're also [their] friends eventually, it's that social connection piece really is quite helpful to ensure that the employee is well supported, even if it's not through employer initiatives,” says Aviva’s M. “It is that social capital that [employers] have to support that individual.”
Organising time off between team members can also be a challenge towards the end of the year with many religious holidays to observe. Employers must consider all religious holidays and occasions and discuss with employees when they would like to take time off. “To encourage diversity, [employers need to] be aware that there are lots of different holidays that are coming up, and allow people to co-ordinate time [off] and be sensitive to the times when people want to take off,” explains Simon. “Co-ordinate it effectively so that not everybody is so stressed out leading up to [holiday] time.”
Key communication methodsHealth and wellbeing communications that are targeted at an employee’s family, as well as the employee, may also prove effective effective. “Usually people are more successful at healthy behaviours when their families are also engaged in those healthy behaviours,” says Simon.
In the workplace, posters can be effective at communicating health and wellbeing messages. Carefully considering the placement of these can maximise their impact; hanging posters on the backs of toilet doors, for example, can help to reach all employees.
Social media, meanwhile, is a useful way of sharing shorter messages more informally. “The good thing about social media is it can make things seem more socially acceptable,” says Blake. “It’s maybe an easier message to get out. [Employers] can do it less formally in smaller chunks. [...] [They] can drip feed it in over a period, like some sort of programme of messaging.”
So while the festive season can be rife with potential wellbeing hurdles, carefully considering the health and wellbeing messages messages they promote can help employers to support staff through the stresses and strains of Christmas.
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