While created with good intentions, employee wellbeing strategies often fail to achieve the desired outcome. Emily Pearson highlights three common problem areas and how to address them.
Despite significant progress, critical gaps remain in employers’ wellbeing strategies. As a health and social care professional, latterly working in the workplace wellbeing sector, I have seen the evolution of workplace wellbeing initiatives first hand – including the areas where they are not having the desired effect.
Here are the three main areas where many wellbeing strategies fall short and how HR and occupational health professionals should address them.
1. Insufficient work-related stress prevention
According to our Wellbeing Strategy Maturity Quiz, 53% of respondents reported not having a psychological risk prevention and management programme embedded in their mental health and wellbeing strategy. This statistic is concerning, especially when work-related stress is at an all-time high – the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 875,000 cases of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2022/23, with self-reported cases higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Effective wellbeing strategies
A significant 63% of wellbeing leads said their strategy lacked mandatory management training on fostering mentally-healthy cultures, which can be crucial in maintaining low-stress work environments. Recent research by Calm and the Chartered Management Institute found 62% of employees believe their employers are not doing enough to address workplace stress, contributing to a climate where one in three employees consider leaving their jobs due to ineffective management.
These statistics highlight a crucial opportunity for HR and wellbeing leads to improve employee satisfaction and retention through strategic wellbeing.
Stress prevention is not just best practice but a legal requirement. Without the right knowledge, skills, tools, and confidence to prevent work-related stress, managers are ill-equipped to recognise and mitigate stressors, leading to a workforce more susceptible to burnout, disengagement, and poor retention.
To address this, we need to integrate comprehensive stress prevention risk assessments, regular auditing, and mandatory manager training into wellbeing strategies.
2. Poor engagement in wellbeing initiatives
As the importance of mental health and wellbeing gains recognition, employers face the challenge of implementing effective strategies to support staff. One of the top challenges identified in our quiz was poor employee engagement in wellbeing activities. This often stems from initiatives not being relevant to a diverse workforce or aligned with where employees are in the cycle of change.
Understanding the audience, their personas, and the barriers they face can significantly improve engagement. A strong communication plan with strategic touchpoints can move employees from being unaware of initiatives to actively participating in them.
Once employees engage, the quality of their experience determines whether they will continue to use and benefit from the initiatives. A positive experience fosters trust and encourages future participation, while a poor experience can harm reputation. Collecting employee feedback for continuous improvement is essential for maintaining trust and credibility in wellbeing programmes.
3. Gap in addiction recovery support
There is a significant gap in support for addiction recovery. Addiction is one of the last taboos in the workplace, with only 6% of our quiz respondents reporting recovery-friendly practices in addition to their wellbeing strategy.
Collecting employee feedback for continuous improvement is essential for maintaining trust and credibility in wellbeing programmes.”
In the UK, 70% of people with substance use problems are employed, with alcohol alone costing over £7 billion in lost productivity annually. Workplace stress increases alcohol use for 27% of employees, and many workplace cultures promote drinking. The CIPD’s drug and alcohol misuse survey found that 77% of organisations have drug and alcohol policies, but only 33% provide information on support resources, 30% offer guidelines for managers on handling disclosures, and only 27% provide information to employees about disclosing substance-related problems, despite the common link to poor mental health. These findings indicate that problematic drug and alcohol use is more prevalent than believed and inadequately addressed in workplace wellbeing agendas.
A recovery friendly workplace provides compassion, resources, training, policies, and practices that treat employees struggling with addiction with dignity and respect. This can include access to treatment programmes and recovery coaching, creating a stigma-free and psychologically safe culture, implementing supportive policies and practices, and fostering a philosophy of acceptance and support.
We must advocate for recovery friendly workplace cultures, especially given the link between poor mental health and problematic drug and alcohol use.
HR and occupational health professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the wellbeing strategies of their organisations. By addressing these three critical areas, they can help create healthier, more supportive workplaces. The benefits of these efforts extend beyond compliance and engagement; contributing to a culture where every employee feels valued and supported, ultimately driving organisational success.
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Incorporating these insights into your wellbeing strategies will not only bridge existing gaps, they will mature your current wellbeing strategy and position your organisation as a leader in employee health and wellbeing, helping you to attract and retain talent.
