Employee wellbeing: Ultimate guide for HR leaders

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What is employee wellbeing?

Employee wellbeing refers to the complete state of health, happiness, and satisfaction of employees in the workplace. It goes beyond physical health and encompasses mental, emotional, and social aspects.

Why is employee wellbeing so important?

Employee wellbeing is important for each and every business – because when employees have a positive sense of wellbeing, they are more engaged, motivated, and productive – leading to a more fulfilling work-life experience.

Employers play a vital role in promoting employee wellbeing by providing supportive programs, resources, and nurturing a culture that creates a sense of belonging and care for their workforce. To truly understand the importance and impact on businesses – a study from Deloitte found that for every £1 invested in employee wellbeing, there is a £5 return on investment for your organisation.

What are the 4 pillars of employee wellbeing?

The pillars of employee wellbeing include emotional wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, and physical wellbeing. When focusing on workplace wellbeing holistically, you must consider all pillars and find a balance between them to build a happier and healthier workforce. Each pillar interrelates and can impact one another. For example, an employee experiencing financial stress will likely also be experiencing poor emotional wellbeing – which can then potentially lead to social withdrawal and less physical activity.

The most effective employee wellbeing strategies incorporate programs and resources to address each of the pillars to create a all-inclusive approach.

• Emotional wellbeing
  Emotional wellbeing all about understanding and managing our feelings in a healthy way. It’s about being aware of our emotions, expressing them constructively, and developing resilience to cope with life’s inevitable ups and downs.
• Social wellbeing
  Our social connections are essential for a sense of belonging and support. It’s about nurturing meaningful relationships, connecting with others, and having a positive social network that brings joy and comfort.
• Financial wellbeing
  Money matters can impact employee stress levels and happiness. Financial wellbeing involves managing our finances wisely, planning for the future, and feeling secure about our financial situation.
• Physical wellbeing
  Taking care of our bodies is crucial for overall wellbeing. This pillar includes aspects like staying active, eating nutritious foods, rest and relaxation, getting enough sleep, and addressing any health concerns.

How does wellbeing impact employee engagement?

It’s very simple – employee engagement is a direct result of how employees feel about their work, their level of motivation, and their commitment to your organisation.

When employees are physically and mentally healthy, supported in their emotional needs, and have a positive work culture, they are significantly more likely to be engaged, productive, and actively contribute to the success of your company. And on the other side of the coin, neglecting employee wellbeing can lead to disengagement, reduced productivity, and higher rates of absenteeism, impacting a business’s bottom line.

On the same study mentioned above, Deloitte found that poor employee wellbeing costs UK employers up to £45 billion per year – which just goes to show that people are, and have always been, your most valuable asset.

What is the difference between employee engagement and employee wellbeing?  

Employee wellbeing relates to employees’ holistic state, while employee engagement is a measure of their involvement and passion for their job. In other words, wellbeing refers to the overall state of health and happiness of employees, while engagement focuses on the level of commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication employees have towards their work and the organisation.

While wellbeing and engagement are directly interconnected, they are distinct concepts and it’s important to know the difference so you can develop your people strategies accordingly.

How to improve employee wellbeing (12 strategies and tips)

To improve employee wellbeing you must build a comprehensive wellbeing program encompassing a variety of strategies, initiatives, and benefits – including physical, emotional, financial and social needs.

It is no easy feat, especially when you consider diversity of employees, remote and hybrid working, dispersity, and plenty more of the many challenges of the modern working environment. Here are 12 ideas to get you on your way:

Strategies to improve employees’ physical wellbeing

• Fitness apps and programs: Today there are dozens of fun and engaging apps that promote physical activity for employees’ – they’re easy to implement and are super inclusive, with activities ranging from hiking to gardening.
• Corporate social sport teams: Not only are social sport teams a great way for teams to bond and get in exercise, but charity tournaments can be used to raise money and give back to communities.
• Flexible work arrangements: Flexible work will give your employee’s the support they need to find time for regular exercise and physical activities outside of the office.

Strategies to improve employees’ emotional wellbeing

• Regular meetings with managers: Ensure regular meetings with managers are in employee diaries so they have ongoing opportunities to voice their feelings, raise any concerns, offers ideas and provide feedback.
• Wellness workshops: Schedule workshops that cover building emotional intelligence, resilience, and coping skills. Workshops like these show you care – and can provide practical techniques for managing stress and improving communication. By equipping employees with emotional self-awareness and effective emotional regulation strategies, you will create a more emotionally supportive environment.
• Cost-free Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Offer confidential counselling services to employees, either through in-house counsellors or external EAP providers, to support them in managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

Strategies to improve employees’ financial wellbeing

• Financial education: Offer financial literacy workshops and seminars to help employees understand budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management. Providing resources and tools for financial planning can empower employees to make informed decisions about their finances.
• Retirement and future planning assistance: Offer retirement and future planning support, such as access to advisors or tools to help employees estimate their needs and set financial goals.
• Insurances and benefits: Incorporating a range of financial benefits including health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, employee discounts programs, bonus schemes, and increased paid time off will contribute hugely to your employees’ overall financial wellbeing.

 Strategies to improve employees’ social wellbeing

• Employee social events and activities: Organise regular team-building activities, social events, and group outings to encourage colleagues to connect on a more personal level and build a sense of camaraderie.
• Charity and social groups: Create social groups that cater to various interests, backgrounds, or hobbies of employees. These groups create safe spaces for employees to come together based on shared identities or interests, allowing them to form meaningful connections and support each other in the workplace.
• Peer-to-peer recognition: Recognition programs and tools where employees are encouraged to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts and achievements of their colleagues are a great way to build social wellbeing. Stribe’s Shout-Outs feature was built for exactly this reason!

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How to create an employee wellbeing strategy

To create an impactful employee wellbeing strategy, you must first start by measuring employee needs and challenges through surveys and assessments. Once needs have been established, work alongside your employees to create wellbeing goals and enable them to contribute diverse wellbeing ideas. By combining data-driven assessments and employee input, your wellbeing strategy will be tailored to address specific challenges and needs within your organisation.

• Conduct a thorough assessment
  Gather data on your employees’ needs, concerns, and challenges through surveys and interviews to identify specific areas of focus.
• Set clear objectives
  Define measurable and achievable goals for your wellbeing strategy, aligning them with the organisation’s values and mission.
• Encourage employee involvement
  Encourage a culture that values employee input by actively seeking and building in their wellbeing ideas and suggestions. Creating opportunities for employees to participate in shaping the wellbeing strategy will nurture ownership and engagement, leading to more relevant and impactful initiatives that resonate with the workforce.
• Implement diverse initiatives
  Offer a range of wellbeing programs, such as mental health support, fitness activities, flexible work options, and stress management workshops.
• Evaluate and adjust
  Continuously monitor the effectiveness of your wellbeing strategy, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments to improve its impact over time.

There are plenty of highs and lows of creating a wellbeing strategy. In this webinar you will learn more about the fundamentals of a wellbeing strategy that can be applied to different industries. Joined by the brilliant Ellen Lapworth-Maisey – Wellbeing Coordinator at DPD – this webinar takes a practical approach to workplace wellbeing, giving inspiration and ideas to further develop your own wellbeing strategy.

How to get the most out of employee wellbeing surveys

Wellbeing surveys help organisations work towards creating an ideal environment for employee wellbeing and engagement. When you truly understand how your employees are, both physically and mentally, and how supported they feel, you can make the change to benefit everyone in the workplace. And while running an employee wellbeing survey may sound like a simple task, to really uncover insightful and meaningful feedback they need to be used correctly; such as the right questions to ask, when to ask them, and enabling employees to speak (just to name a few).

In this webinar we uncover survey writing hints and tips, the challenges of managing wellbeing in today’s modern world and the business case for having a great employee wellbeing strategy.

The best wellbeing survey questions to ask employees

The best wellbeing survey questions cover all pillars of wellbeing, including physical, mental, emotional, and social. The questions are crafted to be clear and simple to be easily understood and avoid jargon and ambiguity. The most effective survey questions include measurable indicators too, allowing for straightforward data analysis, progress monitoring and action planning. When employees see their responses to survey questions being translated into tangible improvements and initiatives, it reinforces the message that their opinions are valued. Read here for Stribe’s 22 of the best wellbeing survey questions to ask your team!

How to create an employee wellbeing survey with Stribe 

You can use Stribe’s pulse surveys as a powerful tool to enhance their employee wellbeing strategy. By regularly checking in and communicating with employees using our suite of clever features, you can assess the overall wellbeing of your workforce and identify specific areas that require attention. Stribe surveys will help you gauge the effectiveness of existing wellbeing initiatives and detect emerging issues promptly so you can work towards implementing targeted solutions for a healthier and more supportive work environment.

To find out more, simply book an obligation-free call with our friendly people science team.

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