Written by Anna Park
Employee wellbeing has taken center stage in the post-pandemic world, as we witnessed a significant surge in workplace stress and burnout, and it won’t be going away any time soon. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to employee wellbeing, and what works for you might not be what works best for your organization’s biggest resource: your employees. Wellable shared that a comprehensive wellbeing program impacts the physical health of your team but can also boost morale, increase productivity and loyalty, improve resilience, and reduce employee absenteeism. Those improvements look like great HR goals, but how do you get there?
Assess the needs of your organization
To create a program that employees will actively participate in, ask your team what they need! On my past HR team, we found great success by creating team challenges that had some sort of competition factor, but your organization might prefer one-off activities or workshops. Once you have that data, use it as a jumping off point for programming ideas and thank your team for their contributions. A short survey asking for feedback and ideas from your employees will give you good insight into planning out or revamping your program.
Develop a team or committee of wellbeing champions
To meet your team’s needs, gather leaders with diverse experiences and perspectives to support this initiative. In your initial survey, include a call for wellbeing champions to join your committee or task force. This is a fantastic opportunity for emerging leaders to shine and gain valuable experience with HR support. Identifying and empowering wellbeing leaders with the right data and resources is crucial for building a successful program.
Find your wellbeing resources
Creating a new program from the ground up might feel intimidating, but you do not have to reinvent the wheel! Your team of wellbeing leaders will likely have ideas of some initial programming or initiatives they would like to create, but having trusted resources in your back pocket will help drive those early efforts. Use sources like SHRM and Gallup as a guide for launching your program. Indiana also has a great resource, the Wellness Council of Indiana and their Achieve Well program serving as a partner for sustaining and celebrating your program’s successes. Your employee benefits provider might also have resources or programs like wellness coaching; check in with your benefits broker to learn about any wellbeing perks they could implement for you. If your budget permits, there are wellbeing apps and programs like Thrive Global that could be a great addition for your team. With the right tools in place, you can devote your energy to launching your program and continued partnership with your team!
Measure success
So, you’ve launched your program, your committee is up and running, and your team members are engaged and participating; what next? It’s time to measure the success of the program and set goals for sustainability!
You can start with the basics:
- Did employees participate and how many?
- Were they all from one department or did they represent the breakdown of your organization?
- Did participants tend to favor one type of program over another?
- Did key metrics like absenteeism drop?
This recap and data will be helpful to ensure continued buy in from your organization and to help you find areas of opportunity for future programming.
Launching a successful employee wellbeing program requires a thoughtful approach. By assessing your organization’s unique needs, empowering a diverse team of wellbeing champions, leveraging available resources, and continuously measuring success, you can create a program that not only enhances physical health but also boosts morale, productivity, and overall employee satisfaction. The journey to a healthier, happier workplace is ongoing, and with the right strategies in place, your organization can thrive in the years to come.
Purple Ink is always here to help with your company’s programming and culture.
Reach out to our team to get started!