Juno: flexible benefits, limitless possibilities®’s Post

The workplace wellbeing industry is in a tough spot at the moment, and it’s impacting everyone involved… …individuals & employees seeking support or development …companies trying to look after their people …and the actual wellbeing businesses themselves. Wellbeing, learning and development, and HR budgets are being slashed. Where previously companies may have looked to bring in a suite of services to give employees a holistic package of support and growth, this has been replaced with many companies only having one spare line item on their budget for development/growth/mental health/wellbeing. If any lines at all. It means that in many cases all wellbeing companies are competing for the same singular budget line, no matter how indirectly their services might be related. Services that shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same conversation are suddenly finding themselves pitted against each other. The real losers here are the employees. Their individual needs and wants for their support or growth are having to be shoehorned into a benefit that might not be what they need - there are a lot of boxes being ticked and square pegs being rammed into round holes at the moment. It could be having an adverse effect on company culture, work life balance and general engagement too. A lot of the progressive steps taken over the last few years could easily be undone as company focus and priority shifts from people to profit, employees are asked to come back into the office and human support is slashed. It’s going to be a bumpy time for the wellbeing industry and anyone looking for support and as a result, sadly, we’ll see many wellbeing businesses go under over the next 12-18 months. It’s all a bit scrappy at the moment - with many in a race to the bottom, competing on price, and overwhelming HR people with no real point of difference in the market. It’s going to be an interesting time over the coming period, but my hope is that those businesses and individuals that are offering truly meaningful and impactful support will weather the storm and come back stronger when the economic climate has settled down.

In 2022, Google searches for “wellbeing in the workplace” saw an increase of 190% from the previous year. Of course, this huge spike is likely down to the post-pandemic wellness surge. But now the cat’s out of the bag: people know, understand, and care about their wellbeing than ever before. In fact, a study by The Executive Development Network found that 86% of employees are likely to leave a job if it did not support their #wellbeing. As a result, employers in mass are seeking ways of improving their #employee wellbeing offering to protect and support their workforce. The problem? Most of these wellbeing #benefits just don’t work. #Employers are seeing low engagement rates with their current wellbeing benefits which begs the question: How do you support employees who aren’t using the support you’re providing? https://lnkd.in/eTCcPi8B

🤝 National Workplace Wellbeing Day 🤝 A successful workplace well-being program has far-reaching benefits, including improved employee health, heightened engagement, and increased productivity. Today, we’re focussing on the organisational supports that benefit our colleagues' social, mental, and physical well-being. We’re celebrating and showcasing the activities Seetec Ireland puts in place for our employees throughout the year. Senior HR Business Partner, Sophie Finglas fills us in on what we’ve done and what we plan to do over 2024. “Our Employee Champion network has a specific workplace wellbeing focus group in effect since the 2020 Covid-19 public health restrictions. We update, refresh, and introduce new well-being initiatives on a rolling basis based on colleague feedback. In other words, we ask everyone in our business what they want, and we do our best to offer supports that meet their needs. “Over the past year, we’ve prioritised improvements in our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Not only have we expanded our colleagues' access to mental health care, we have opened it up to their family members as well. We recognised the wellbeing of our team doesn’t just depend on their individual needs, it depends on the wellbeing and access to care of their loved ones as well. “Since we prioritised workplace wellbeing during the public health restrictions, we’ve seen lots of positive changes. Resources like our Laya Healthcare-partnered digital gym, have become much more accessible from home. Once again, our colleagues can offer these resources to their family members too. “This year, I’m excited about our monthly information sessions covering all new topics on our Health and Wellbeing agenda. We have doctor-led health seminars on an array of topics such as menopause, men’s cancer prevention and men’s health. As well as expert-led seminars on personal finance and preparing for a mortgage application. We want to support our colleagues in a practical way. In all our busy lives, personal well-being comes in many shapes and sizes. It’s important we have a toolbox full of different resources to suit the entire spectrum of our colleagues’ needs.” #workplacewellbeingday #nationalworkplacewellbeingday

In 2022, Google searches for “wellbeing in the workplace” saw an increase of 190% from the previous year. Of course, this huge spike is likely down to the post-pandemic wellness surge. But now the cat’s out of the bag: people know, understand, and care about their wellbeing than ever before. In fact, a study by The Executive Development Network found that 86% of employees are likely to leave a job if it did not support their #wellbeing. As a result, employers in mass are seeking ways of improving their #employee wellbeing offering to protect and support their workforce. The problem? Most of these wellbeing #benefits just don’t work. #Employers are seeing low engagement rates with their current wellbeing benefits which begs the question: How do you support employees who aren’t using the support you’re providing? https://lnkd.in/eTCcPi8B

✨ Wellbeing ✨ is a word we hear and read all the time. But there is confusion about what it actually means and why, exactly, it’s important. This is because commercialisation of the term has muddied the waters. So, let’s recalibrate. 🔹 Workplace wellbeing is continually evolving but it’s always been driven by employees and always will be. 🔹 It’s about ensuring our workplaces don’t harm people and that employees are better off because of who they chose to work with. 🔹 As it continues to evolve, let’s make sure we are making workplace wellbeing decisions based on evidence and on fact. Gethin Nadin delves into how, in the wild west of workplace wellbeing, we can ensure we are bringing better balance to people’s lives. ❔ ❓ What does wellbeing mean to you? Comment below: ❓ ❔ https://lnkd.in/dSiTqtvA #wellbeing #workplacewellbeing #mentalhealth #HR #learning #development #workplace #diversity #equity #inclusion #DEI

Employees who are made to work outside of their preferred work environment are TWICE as likely to be struggling with their #Wellbeing. So if you're considering a mandate to force your colleagues back to the office - or thinking of closing your office - you might want to think again. That's just one finding from Gympass's latest Work-Life Wellness report. Others include: 💡#Wellbeing is equally important to salary for 88% of UK employees, up by 10 percent YOY 💡 90% of UK respondents report that their emotional wellness directly impacts their productivity, and 67% report loneliness as a major factor in their productivity 💡 86% of UK workers say they would consider leaving a company that does not focus on employee wellbeing. Read more in Benefits Expert: https://lnkd.in/eNcQfgx7.

Leadership in Workplace Wellbeing Congratulations to the staff at #Marlboroughlines (and especially #RebecaClifton and #RebeccaWheeler) for winning the Gold in the Southern Cross Wayfinder Awards for leadership in workplace wellbeing, in the Medium Business Category. https://lnkd.in/gkPpNsF3 #Marlboroughlines is on a mission to keep employee voices front and centre, evolving a strategy through consultation and input from the people who matter most. Recognising the need for change, Marlborough Lines created a unique programme tailored to the needs of their predominantly male workforce. Staff are encouraged to seek help when they need it, made easier by bringing healthcare providers onsite. Marlborough Lines have built trust by helping employees recognise that the initiatives aren’t a passing fad, but a long-term and sustainable programme that can offer them real and tangible benefits. The business measures new initiatives not by cost to implement, but by uptake and value to employees. The results speak for themselves – low staff turnover and wider community impact as staff take these initiatives back to their friends and whānau. Mental Health Foundation CEO Shaun Robinson said, “Their wellbeing programme scored top in their engagement survey. They asked specific questions about feeling comfortable about asking for help, being themselves at work and whether employees feel they can balance their work and private life. They observed more openness and conversations happening in the workplace.” “Their $500 wellbeing benefit – it would be really easy to make that a gym membership, but they’ve acknowledged that doesn't work for all their people. That’s what I like – recognising that what genuinely will work for people is different.” said Dr Denise Quinlan.

Is your employee wellness program working for you? Mainstream workplace health initiatives do not just have barriers to access - they don’t always have the intended effect! My services perfectly complement an existing workplace wellness program OR stand alone, making it both accessible and effective. Together, we will review YOUR costs and challenges to create a perfectly bespoke, lowest-hanging-fruit approach to see results fast. No cookie cutter solutions in sight. This is perfect for businesses who are dealing with too-high costs related to their team’s health and performance. This can look like: - Chronically absent employees - Costs associated with temporary leave from work - Temporary workers covering absent employees - Mental health impacting job roles & performance - Uncertainty in how to support returning employees - Employees oscillating between returning to work and short term leave/disability - High claims rates and workers compensation costs Wondering if I can help? Let's discuss your current concerns with no-obligation! Send me a message directly on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]

Wow. This is an eye watering statistic and I’d like to be able to say that I’m surprised, but sadly I am not. And what I see is that often when people leave roles (or even just take time off) due to stress or resulting poor health they are perceived to simply have not coped or been resilient enough, and that it must be their fault. Of course, they’re usually not the only one in the team in this situation either. I’d like to see more organisations turn around and take a look at themselves. And do quality, genuine exit interviews! Peter Drucker said ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’. To me culture includes how well/healthy people are, how they’re treated physically, mentally and emotionally, and how much their wellbeing is considered in business decisions. Wellness should be part of ‘how we do things around here’. This is for many reasons, and not the least because when people are well they can perform better. And in my experience that’s what people want - to be able to do a great job AND be well too. I define this as genuine sustainable performance. All the business strategy, processes, systems and KPIs in the world can only get an organisation so far. It’s people make the difference. What do you think? Thanks Chris for sharing these important insights. Great mahi.