Well-being was seen as a trendy and special initiative, mostly utilised by big organisations to demonstrate they care about their employees. Sometimes, this meant allocating a big budget and lots of non-work activities. Outside of big organisations, well-being was seen as a nice to have rather than essential. Over the last few years, it has been much higher on the agenda with organisations of all sizes and industries.

The business case for supporting employee well-being is widely accepted on the premise that employees who engage in well-being activities are likely to be more satisfied and stay longer at an organisation.

Research also suggests that there could be financial benefits to reduced employee absences and fewer people leaving the organisation. A commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance is now seen as an expected benefit for future employees who may use it as a distinction criterion when deciding where to apply.

Do you know what is valued by employees? Are there any patterns in groups of employees?

A short survey or focus group could gather some insightful data to help to identify their priorities and see how it aligns with organisational plans and budgets.

For some employees, physical wellbeing is important and therefore providing access to facilities can be well received. For example, gym membership and/or provision of exercise classes in-house. This isn’t suitable for everyone – and that’s fine. Some employees may be unable to participate due to medical conditions or personal issues, which is why a portfolio of flexible options may be the best way forwards.  Organisations could also consider extending some resources to family members as in countries such as UAE where there is a large number of expatriates it may encourage them to stay – a major reason for premature return of expatriates is when family members aren’t happy.

Managers play a big role in the way that employees see the organisation and see their roles. They also have responsibilities in modelling the type of behaviour that is expected of their team members. For example, not continuously working very late or sending emails late at night or early in the morning. This is a powerful message for employees.

For many employees, the opportunity to have some flexibility in their roles enhances their work-life balance, which positively affects both sets of stakeholders. The most commonly used interventions offer a more flexible approach to how and when their work can be carried out. Actively discouraging employees from consistently working long hours can also be fruitful. Managers can also encourage employees to distribute their annual leave across the year rather than at the end to reduce the risk of burnout.

Pilot projects can be very useful to evaluate different options and make a more informed judgment, particularly if initiatives are expensive. This would require the gathering of feedback from employees who have participated in it as well as  representatives from departments such as HR.

Common mistakes in wellbeing programmes

• Having great provision – but no-one knows about it due to poor internal comms
• Designing a programme based on what one department would like to do
• Running the same things every year
• Scheduling all events in the same time period i.e. after 6pm which may preclude some employees who work shifts
• Events and/or timing are not culturally sensitive
• Not providing accessible options for people of determination
• Only focusing on physical wellbeing
• Running a once-a-year event
• Lack of reflection or evaluation

We cannot think about wellbeing and work-life balance without recognising the need to support employees with their mental health and promoting different approaches that can be used. This may involve providing access to specialist resources e.g. to a counselling service. It can also encompass many activities that have low costs such as promoting exercise, providing fruit and water and having specific campaigns throughout the year. Some organisations run things like yoga and meditation for their teams.

Organisations can benefit from supporting employees with their well-being and their work-life balance, but this needs to become part of their infrastructure and be seen as the new normal. In addition to some of the specific initiatives, there must be an ongoing reminder to managers about the impact they can have. For example, they need to create a work environment which encourages open dialogues with their team members and ensuring that they are providing the appropriate tools for the job.