There’s a good reason why Google is rated as one of the best companies worldwide. The company provides a wide range of wellness benefits to its employees, including massage therapy during work hours. Asana offers specialized nap rooms for employees who want to catch a midday rest. Zappos frequently organized wellness adventures to get employees away from the office once in a while.
As the world of work progresses, so does a company’s benefits package. Today, 9 in 10 companies around the world offer at least one type of wellness benefit. Additionally, more than three companies in 5 have dedicated wellness budgets that are expected to grow by 7.8% in the upcoming years.
But how effective these wellness programs really are? Does it lead to greater job satisfaction? Do employers see a return of investment, such as improved productivity or reduced absenteeism?
Let’s look at the research.
What do workplace wellness programs do?
In the U.S., 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness each year. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34. Each year, mental health issues cost companies 200 million lost workdays and $200 billion.
Recent research found that workplace culture is the leading factor that’s preventing employees from feeling happier and healthier. For that reason, more and more companies have set on a path to improve employees’ well-being by introducing a set of wellness programs.
In addition to health insurance and vacation time, American companies are now coming up with innovative ways to build a positive and supportive working environment. This positive working environment is supposed to optimize employees’ well-being and support good mental health.
Do employee wellness programs work?
One study looked at how well these wellness programs work with employees. They examined more than 30,000 employees at a U.S. warehouse and discovered no significant differences between people who attended a wellness program and those who didn’t. Those who were exposed to a program showed no notable differences in absenteeism or job performance than those who weren’t. They only showed higher rates of positive health behaviors like regular exercise.
Additionally, the Illinois Workplace Wellness Study also tried to investigate the effects of workplace wellness programs on employee medical spending, productivity, and well-being. They found that corporate wellness programs are more successful with those employees who are already healthy but turn away those who are struggling with mental or physical health issues.
According to a recent Chestnut Global Partners (CGP) Trends Report, the primary reason for employees accessing employee assistance programs is stress. However, even though work stress is an increasing issue for American workers, only 6.9% of them actually took advantage of wellness programs in 2015.
How can employee wellness programs be improved?
The results of the studies mentioned above shouldn’t suggest that companies must toss these wellness programs out the window. They should inform companies that wellness programs are a relatively new field with a lot of room for growth and improvement.
There might not be a single solution to the problem. Companies can take several different steps to make sure these wellness programs yield positive results and are widely accepted by employees who need help.
Here are a few ways:
Educate your employees about mental health
The lack of success of the wellness programs might be due to the lack of education about the importance of mental health.
Your employees must be educated on who they can talk to in case they require help. They should also be informed of how they can ask for help and what resources are disposable to them. At the same time, leaders should also be educated on how to identify emotional distress and how to talk to an employee who decides to confide in them.
Introduce flexible work policies
Flexible work policies can bring many benefits. They give employees the freedom to plan their schedules, work from any location, and maintain work/life balance. Instead of stressing out for missing out on quality family time, they can spend more time with their closest ones and work when they feel the most productive.
In fact, one study by Owl Labs discovered that full-time remote workers are feeling happier in their jobs 22% more than workers who don’t work remotely. Remote workers said they’re having better work-life balance (91%), increased productivity/better focus (79%), and less stress (78%). What’s more, employers that offer more flexibility to their employees were more likely to retain them.
Cultivate compassion at work
One research published in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies called Servant Leadership, Hope, and Organizational Virtuousness found that when leaders support vulnerability and cultivate compassion at the workplace, employees have more trust in them. This boost in trust leads to improved worker performance, but it also encourages employees to feel safe opening up to their managers.
Leaders can express compassion by:
- exposing their own vulnerability on occasion
- actively listening to their employees without judgment
- noticing when employees are in pain and trying to make them feel more secure at the workplace
- carefully stating their opinions to an employee about their underperformance without hurting their feelings
When leaders focus on compassion at work they promote healthy interpersonal relationships. And employees who work in compassionate environments are more innovative, adaptable, and productive. In the long run, compassion at work can help companies attract and retain the best talent. It’s a win-win situation in terms of company success and employees’ mental health.
Final Word
One study by the World Health Organization (WHO) discovered that nearly 300 million people worldwide struggle with depression, and 260 million suffer from anxiety. Employee burnout is so serious that they included it in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Such mental health disorders are costing the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity.
Considering employees spend most of their time at work, their experience at the workplace is one of the most influential factors to their mental health.
Although recent research places doubt on the effectiveness of employee wellness programs, it doesn’t mean that companies should stop investing in their employees’ well-being. It means that employers should take a different approach.
This different approach should include learning how to communicate and accommodate employees who are struggling with mental health issues. These challenges are often invisible and employees find it very difficult to talk about with a manager.
Apart from offering a deal of flexibility and mental health education, leaders must, primarily, show to their employees that they care and are trying to understand their struggles.
Improving employees’ well-being will ultimately lead to their self-development, both on a professional and personal level.
