As our Employee Wellbeing Week, in association with Axa PPP Healthcare, draws to a close, it is time to reflect on some of the trends and issues currently shaping this area of the benefits market.
The past few years have seen some employers make major strides forward in moving to a holistic approach to employee wellbeing, focusing on physical, mental, emotional and financial wellness. This reflects growing recognition of the interdependence of these strands, with emotional and mental wellbeing issues often manifesting themselves in physical symptoms, for example.
This approach has led many organisations to broaden what is covered under their wellbeing strategy. Facilitating a good work-life balance, for example, is now often a key agenda item, with broader debates currently taking place within both the media and society around whether businesses should move to a four-day working week as standard.
With technological advances leading to an ‘always-on’ culture that risks extending the working day, albeit often unofficially, it makes sense that employers take steps to support work-life balance in order to avoid issues such as burnout and demotivation.
The same technology means it is now possible for traditionally office-based staff to work from almost any location, making it easier than ever for employees to combine their work and home lives if desired. So with traditional working patterns theoretically obsolete, are non-traditional arrangements the key to good employee wellbeing?
Recognising employees’ commitments outside of work can also go a long way towards fostering staff loyalty and boosting factors such as motivation and productivity.
Employees that feel unsupported by their organisations are more likely to report increased levels of stress and reduced mental wellbeing, particularly if they have to juggle demanding work and home commitments, such as caring responsibilities.
Whatever your workforce’s financial needs, Employee Wellbeing Week was designed to help you take this to the next level through exclusive insights and opinions uncovering best practice in this area. These included:
- Top tips for creating an effective wellbeing week
- Syngenta showcases employees’ passions through wellbeing week
- Are non-traditional working patterns the key to wellbeing?
- Faye Whitmarsh: Family-friendly policies create a culture of care that benefits everyone
- Radioactive PR boosted work-life balance with four-day working week
- Proctor and Stevenson uses flexible working plan to improve wellbeing
- Prof Stephen Wood: Flexible working awards autonomy to improve employee wellbeing
- How can employers create a culture of care for working parents?
- The Audit Lab creates culture of flexibility for working parents
- Louise Newham: How to prevent employee burnout
- Nicola Mohns: No one size fits all – wellbeing needs to get personal
- Support strategies: Employee wellbeing in numbers
Employee wellbeing is just one of the topics that will be covered at Employee Benefits Live on 1 and 2 October at ExCel, London. Delegates will be able to hear industry experts discussing some of the latest trends and best practice around employee wellbeing.
Debbie Lovewell-TuckEditorTweet: @DebbieLovewell
