Can wellbeing really improve organisational performance?

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, we look at the connections between wellness and organisational performance.

Of course we know that there are lots and lots of factors that contribute to the sustainable success of an organisation, but perhaps one of the most compelling is that by nurturing a happy, healthy workforce you can increase productivity and become a force for social good. You may be thinking, that’s common sense, ‘be a good employer, have healthy, happy employees and your people will turn into brand advocates’. But your exec team might still be skeptical about investing in employee wellbeing.

Thankfully a growing body of evidence clearly suggests that we should give greater credence to the importance of wellbeing in our employees. Investing in the physical and mental health of your workforce could ultimately improve the wealth of your company.

Not convinced?

Engage for Success champions the need for organisations to support the wellbeing of their people in their ‘Wellbeing and Employee Engagement’ report, showing us the evidence linking employee engagement and wellbeing, and the consequential impact on individual and business performance. Looking at three distinct perspectives: academic research, research by consultancies and organisational case studies, Engage for Success found that engaged employees with high levels of wellbeing were 35% more committed to their company than other with lower levels of wellbeing.

Virtuous circle

Gallup also uncovered a strong correlation between employees engagement levels and their physical health: employees who are engaged in their jobs are generally in better health and have healthier habits than employees who are not engaged or are actively disengaged. It also found that employee engagement can be a powerful force for social good as well as for driving increased economic performance. Better psychological wellbeing leads to better customer service and performance, with increases in productivity of 3-11%

The CIPD reinforces this view, stating engagement is important for performance but that it is unlikely to be sustainable unless it goes hand in hand with wellbeing. Employee wellbeing not only leads to better performance, but can also be a growing source of competitive advantage, innovation and growth as well as playing a crucial factor in attracting and retaining top talent.

“A workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of wellbeing.”

Strive for the best

By providing a framework and support network for employees, we should aim to enhance their experience in the workplace, empower them to feel a greater sense of achievement, knowing this will lead to an enhanced performance. Be mindful of warning signs, such as low productivity and absenteeism, which could indicate lower levels of satisfaction.

What’s the secret to success?

Here at Synergy, we know the key to creating and sustaining a wellbeing programme is all about communication, and it has to be driven from the top. So get your senior management team to act as ambassadors and the positive effects will filter through the ranks. Here are our tips to take your company to the top!

• Variety – Give people options to pick and choose from
• Time – Set yourself a realistic timeframe to deliver, track, measure and improve
• Budget – If the money doesn’t stretch very far, try trialling a wellbeing programme with a pilot group first
• Scope – Cover all the elements of wellbeing, e.g. mental, emotional, physical, social, and environmental
• Get creative – Create a strong aesthetic to bring the campaign to life
• Communicate – Raise awareness and get staff at every level involved, perhaps kickstart it with an awareness week / month
• Discovery – Take people on a learning journey that enables them to engage as little or as much as they want
• Visibility – Deliver key programmes in areas where staff gather to maximise impact
• Leadership – Make sure you have a health and wellbeing coordinator to deliver and drive the programme
• Partnerships – Work with other relevant departments, such as HR, occupational health etc, to share expertise
• Training – Try to encourage mandatory training or at the very least get everyone to complete an online training module
• Involvement – Get a team of staff to help shape the programme of events. They will act as champions to push it forward
• Challenges – Create a series of physical challenges like ‘Couch to 5k’ – this will help encourage the more competitive members of staff!
• Reward – Give people incentives to encourage participation
• Monitor & evaluate – Use feedback and your dashboard to check progress
• Celebrate – Get senior members of staff to reward involvement and achievement, and encourage teams to recognise their own achievements

If you would like to know more about how we’ve helped other brands define, deliver and embed their wellbeing programme, get in touch: hello@mccannsynergy.com.uk