Once upon a time, in a pre-pandemic land, it was not uncommon for corporate wellbeing to be limited to an EAP and an annual away day.
But with 55% of employees struggling to complete work within their usual working hours, and 31% reporting a direct impact on their health from working from home, there is an increased responsibility on companies to support employee wellbeing.
This, however, is no bad thing for business; an employer who proactively encourages healthy habits and a culture of wellbeing will see a 6:1 return on their investment (vs 3:1 on reactive support like therapy and counseling).
At Feedr, we take wellbeing seriously so we decided to partner with health and wellbeing engagement specialists, Wellbetter, to share some tips on how to build happy, healthy, and motivated teams post lockdown.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a commission for any sign-ups made through these links.
Invest in a proactive approach
You wouldn’t go to the gym once and call yourself ‘fit’, although it doesn’t stop us trying (hello fellow January gym-goers)! Equally, it’s much easier to keep yourself fit than start from scratch each time.
Mental health and wellbeing are no different, and the needs of employees are ever-changing and vary dramatically from day to day.
Putting in place a culture where wellbeing fits into the day to day is critical to the success of a wellbeing programme. Whether you give employees an hour of working time for their own wellbeing, schedule group wellbeing activities on zoom, or provide on-demand content for a ‘pod and plod’ at lunch; make it easy to be well.
Tailor solutions to your demographic
Workplace wellbeing shouldn’t feel or sound like work. Whatever sessions you put on, make it appealing!
To do this, Wellbetter recommends taking the time to really understand the different demographics within your organisation. The needs of your recent graduates will be totally different to your long-standing logistics team, so tailoring the right format and style to suit your employees is key.
Make it accessible
Everyone is on a different wellbeing journey, and often, this can mean a huge disparity in their tolerance of overly spiritual, or overly scientific, wellbeing content.
It’s not all gongs and omms! Be choiceful with the language you use. Wellbetter work with a huge database of wellbeing experts, and take a lot of care in matching the right supplier to the demographic.
Often, Wellbetter uses epic adventurers, or inspiring but relatable individuals, to talk about their experiences with mental health, but through story-telling. Story-telling enhances the brain’s ability to both connect with and remember what we learn. Mental health training, without you knowing it!
Wellbetter also recommends adapting content like this into different formats to suit the lifestyles of your employees. Whether these talks are delivered virtually, for those at their desks, or in podcast form for those on the road, they will be far more effective than a PowerPoint presentation on anxiety!
Create those ‘water-cooler moments’
With workforces being forced to deliver services remotely and the return to work as before seeming unlikely, the great challenge for employers is how to create team connections and maintain a psychologically safe team culture. This is crucial for successful teams.
Too often, attempts at virtual socialising fall flat with just the confident few leading the conversation, and topics limited to what people are doing at the weekend.
Wellbetter recommend choosing an activity to help teams to have a laugh and relax into the social. For the younger demographics, virtual games and scavenger hunts can work wonders in getting teams communicating. For older individuals, shared bonding experiences such as cooking or creating cocktails are very popular.
Most sought-after, though, is Wellbetter’s resident magician who does an excellent job of helping colleagues get to know each other by bringing up members of the audience on screen, and giving them some mind-boggling magic to bond over afterwards.
Once the ice has been broken, food or drinks delivered to homes can help incentivise individuals to stick around beyond the activity and talk.
About Wellbetter
Wellbetter specialise in helping companies create a culture of wellbeing. Their wellbeing programmes are bespoke and personalised to the needs of your business and your employees. Most importantly, they are fun, experiential and appealing!
If you are looking for a better way for employees to be well at work, then reach out to Wellbetter to find out how their programmes – backed by research, consultations and data – can make a positive difference to your workforce with a measurable ROI.
Enquire here and receive £100 free credit off your wellbeing programme as a Feedr customer.
