Employee wellbeing is a term that describes how your employees’ work affects their overall health and happiness. When you prioritise employee wellbeing, you create a positive working environment where your employees and your organisation can thrive. Wellbeing programmes can also help you attract and retain top talent, improve productivity and performance, and reduce absenteeism and presenteeism.
However, wellbeing is not something that you can achieve overnight. It requires a strategic and holistic approach that involves offering various initiatives that suit your employees’ needs and preferences. Employee wellbeing initiatives are programmes or activities that aim to improve different aspects of wellbeing, such as physical, emotional, financial, psychological, and social.
But how can you ensure that your employees are engaged with your wellbeing initiatives? Engagement means that your employees are aware of, interested in, and participate in the programmes that you offer. Engagement also means that your employees feel supported by you and their colleagues in their wellbeing journey.
In this article, we will share some tips on how to increase engagement with your employee wellbeing initiatives. These tips are based on our experience as ToHealth LTD, a leading provider of corporate wellbeing solutions for organisations of all sizes and sectors. We have helped organisations of all size design and deliver bespoke employee wellbeing programmes that suit their needs and budget.
1. Align your initiatives with your organisational values and goals
Your employee wellbeing initiatives should reflect your organisational culture and values. They should also support your strategic goals and objectives. For example, if you want to promote innovation and creativity in your organisation, you could offer solutions that encourage learning new skills or hobbies, such as art classes or language courses.
If you want to foster collaboration and teamwork, you could offer options that involve group activities or challenges, such as sports tournaments or volunteering days.
Aligning your wellbeing initiatives with your organisational values and goals will help you communicate the purpose and benefits of them to your employees. It will also help you create a sense of shared vision and commitment among your employees.
2. Involve your employees in designing and implementing your employee wellbeing initiatives
Your employees are the best source of information and feedback on what kind of employee wellbeing initiatives they need and want. You can involve them in various ways, such as:
- Conducting surveys or focus groups to assess their current wellness levels and needs
- Asking for their suggestions or ideas on what kind of employee wellbeing initiatives they would like to see or participate in
- Creating a wellness committee or champions network to represent different groups or departments in your organisation
- Encouraging them to co-create or co-deliver some of the initiatives with you or external providers
Involving your employees in designing and implementing your wellbeing initiatives will help you tailor them to their preferences and interests. It will also help you increase their ownership and accountability for their own health and wellbeing.
3. Offer a variety of wellbeing programmes that cater to different needs and preferences
Your employees are diverse and have different needs and preferences when it comes to their employee wellbeing. You should offer a variety of solutions that cater to different aspects of employee wellbeing, such as physical, emotional, financial, psychological, and social. You should also offer a variety of formats and delivery methods for your employee wellbeing initiatives, such as online or offline, individual or group, formal or informal, structured or flexible.
Offering a variety of options that cater to different needs and preferences will help you reach more employees and increase their participation rates. It will also help you create a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment.
4. Promote your employee wellbeing initiatives effectively and regularly
Your employees need to know what kind of employee wellbeing initiatives you offer, how they can access them, and what benefits they can expect from them. You should promote your employee wellbeing initiatives effectively and regularly through various channels, such as:
- Your intranet or internal communication platforms
- Your newsletters or emails
- Your posters or flyers
- Your events or workshops
- Your managers or leaders
Promoting your employee wellbeing initiatives effectively and regularly will help you raise awareness and interest among your employees. It will also help you remind them of the value and importance of their wellbeing.
5. Recognise and reward your employees for their engagement with your employee wellbeing initiatives
Your employees need to feel appreciated and valued for their engagement with your employee wellbeing initiatives. You should recognise and reward them for their participation, achievements, or improvements in their health and wellbeing. You can do this in various ways, such as:
- Giving them verbal or written feedback or praise
- Sharing their success stories or testimonials with others
- Offering them incentives or prizes for reaching certain milestones or goals
- Celebrating their achievements or improvements with others
Recognising and rewarding your employees for their engagement with your offerings will help you boost their morale and motivation. It will also help you create a positive feedback loop that encourages them to continue engaging with your wellbeing initiatives.
Employee wellbeing is a key factor for the success of your organisation. However, this is not something that you can achieve by yourself. You need to involve your employees and offer them various options and alternatives that suit their needs and preferences. You also need to promote, recognise, and reward your employees for their engagement with your programmes.
By following these tips, you can create a workplace culture that supports and enhances your employees’ wellbeing. This will not only benefit your employees, but also your organisation as a whole.
Looking for more from ToHealth?
If you want to learn more about how to implement employee wellbeing initiatives in your organisation, contact us today. We are ToHealth LTD, a leading provider of employee wellbeing solutions for organisations of all sizes and sectors. We can help you design and deliver bespoke employee wellbeing programmes that suit your needs and budget. Whether you need online or onsite employee wellbeing services, such as fitness or nutrition classes, occupational health support, or company health insurance policy, we have you covered.
Looking to find out more about how we can support your workforce to be more neuroinclusive? Or interested in our huge variety of webinars and workshops on offer? ToHealth can support you with all of this and more.
