The 6 key pillars of employee wellbeing programs
Want to truly support and engage your workforce? Focus on their holistic wellbeing.
Top employers are making it a priority to provide financial security, opportunities to grow intellectually and socially, and programs to improve overall employee wellbeing.
Here are the 6 key pillars of employee wellbeing, and examples of innovative programs in each to support your holistic strategy:
- Mental wellbeing
- Financial wellbeing
- Social wellbeing
- Physical wellbeing
- Career wellbeing
- Community wellbeing
When employees feel well in key areas of life, they’ll bring their best selves to work each day. Healthy employees are happier, perform better, and are less affected by absenteeism and presenteeism.
Financial wellbeing programs
Employees at all incomes and asset levels face financial challenges. Recent studies show that 78 percent of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, including high earners.
The past few years have continued to challenge our economy, our society, our workplaces, and our finances. Many employees are unprepared, with minimal emergency savings, insufficient health insurance, and no financial plan. As a result, benefits professionals saw stress, anxiety, and financial insecurity in their workforces.
As a result, a record number of benefits professionals are exploring financial wellbeing. They’ve identified a real problem, and they are seeking a solution.
Every employee should have a trusted financial plan. Leading employers offer holistic financial wellbeing programs that blend digital tools and education with on-demand Certified Financial Planner™ professionals.
Modern programs allow employers to provide a financial wellbeing benefit that is accessible, equitable, and meets every employee where they are.
“Employers are realizing that financial wellbeing is directly connected to all the other areas of holistic wellbeing. Employees who lose sleep worrying about debt, don’t have enough savings to handle an unexpected car repair, or put off medical appointments because of the cost can’t bring their best selves to work every day. Offering a financial wellbeing benefit can help improve overall wellbeing and sends a message that you care about your employees’ financial health.” - Debbie Kenny, Director of Customer Success at LearnLux
Mental wellbeing programs
According to data from the American Psychiatric Association, employees with anxiety and depression experience a 35% reduction in productivity.
This contributes to a loss to the U.S. economy of $210 billion a year in absenteeism, reduced productivity, and medical costs.
Leading employers are now offering personalized mental health benefits to provide support to their hard-working teams.
Today, many employers are providing digital mental health solutions as fully paid or subsidized access to a variety of digital mental health applications.
Employee mental health is as important as physical health. The global mental health epidemic has only accelerated over the past 18 months, and the impacts on workplaces range from absenteeism to low morale, all the way to increased health spend and employee turnover. Employee mental health should be a top priority for progressive employers who seek to empower their workforces and support overall wellbeing.” - April Koh, CEO & Co-founder at Spring Health
Download a copy of this guide for safekeeping.
Social wellbeing programs
Employee social engagement is essential to a happy workplace.
According to workplace psychology experts, employee social wellbeing is defined as “the connection employees have to their peers and leaders—their overall sense of belonging with their co-workers and the organization. It is a key indicator of an employee's ability to be productive and satisfied at work.”
Ways to increase social wellbeing in the workforce:
- Create a sense of belonging
- Arrange frequent check-ins.
- Organize social activities
- Encourage peer-to-peer recognition
Social wellbeing requires strong connections to teams, leaders, and organizations to lower stress, reduce burnout, and increase employee engagement. What can organizations and leaders do to cultivate the strong connections needed to promote social wellbeing in the workplace?
Consider team socials, meeting ice-breakers, and establishing employee resource groups (ERGs) around key topics. Examples include areas of interest, diversity dimensions, and shared experiences.
Physical wellbeing programs
When employees feel physically well, they can bring their best selves to work every day.
Positive physical wellbeing habits include adequate sleep and rest, stress management, relaxation, healthy eating, and regular physical activity.
In a recent survey, 96% of professionals reported feeling more motivated and less stressed after working out. An additional 89% shared they are more productive during the work day after exercising.
“Fitness benefits are one affordable resource you can offer your team to manage this stress. Giving your team access to boot camps and midday yoga sessions through a benefit such as ClassPass can help professionals to prioritize their physical health and more importantly log out of email and take breaks that will prevent burnout.” - Nicole Wolfe, former Head of Corporate Programs at ClassPass
Career wellbeing programs
Often overlooked, career opportunity is a key component of employee’s overall wellbeing.
Because many employees today spend so much of their lives working, the jobs they do shape their identity and play a key role in their self-worth and wellbeing. The workforce today is seeking companies and careers that aligns with their values, gives them a sense of purpose, and puts them on track for their future goals.
If a company neglects to check in on their team’s career wellbeing, they fail to realise that some employees are undervalued, under challenged, frustrated or stuck in a low career wellbeing rut.
To address these challenges, top employers are creating a company culture that rewards and recognizes exceptional work. Consider exploring learning management systems to deliver ongoing training and development.
When employees have ample opportunity to use their strengths at work, along with a clear understanding of how their job ties to the company and goals, their wellbeing will thrive.
Community wellbeing programs
More than 77 percent of employees believe that community engagement and volunteer work is essential to their overall wellbeing.
Experts define community wellbeing as: “Belonging. Support and inspiration. Shared investment. Common beliefs. A sense of safety and happiness. Togetherness. Connection. Community may mean something different to each person. But regardless of your definition, community is an essential element of our overall wellbeing.”
Leading employers now offer corporate volunteerism programs that align with broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives for maximum impact.
Participation in volunteer programs can positively impact how workforces view the company and create meaningful connections to their greater community.
Save these suggestions and use them as a guide to make holistic employee wellbeing a priority at your workplace.
For help implementing any of these ideas or to discuss your company’s wellbeing strategy, feel free to reach to our team at LearnLux.
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