At WorkLifeWell, we believe there's incredible value in sharing knowledge and learning from others, so we've compiled some of the most notable trends of the year so far from our clients across a wide range of industries.
Whether you have a fully-fledged wellbeing strategy but aren't resting on your laurels, or are still in the development stages, we hope these ideas will help you on your journey to happier, healthier workplaces for everyone.
The five employee well-being trends of the moment
1. Help with hybrid. Although it's no longer a new work practice, it's easy to fall into bad habits, and for some, it can amplify feelings of isolation and belonging — especially new starters. To address this problem, increased help is being offered in hybrid working on topics such as “Managing in a Hybrid World” and “Energy Management for Productivity” – which covers tools and techniques needed to organize days at home, manage flow, and set up a workstation, so employees can learn about On how and where they work their best. Additionally, introducing new remote starters and considering hybrid from the beginning was also a key part of fostering a sense of belonging – from making sure their first day in the office is when there is a high attendance, to welcoming home-delivered gifts, and A structured schedule that ensures you meet the wider team in the first weeks.
2. DE&I groups combine and represent different groups of employees. Through direct lines to senior leadership and an allied network of employees, they bridge the gap, lead workshops, and create a collaborative effort in various areas of DE&I; From anti-racism to disability, gender, LGBTQ+, parents and carers, neurodiversity and more. When organizations are international, groups and teams have global representation. They discuss emerging trends within their teams or people they have come into contact with which gives the team insight to plan any further learning interventions. In short, these groupings have much more influence and are driving very real change.
3. Increase originality. Senior leaders have become more active in sharing their personal experiences through initiatives such as Lunchtime Life Stories. By giving them insight as a whole person rather than just a business leader, and revealing how they overcame challenging times or difficult life circumstances, they role model openness and set the direction for the rest of the organization – beneath the taboos around mental health.
4. Mental health allies as well as mental health first responders. Organizations are strengthening their in-house mental health provision with trained allies who normalize the conversation around mental health, signals and provide a more consistent presence – beyond mental health department workers in times of crisis.
5. Well-being has become a key component of people strategy and operations. A great example of this is organizations that mandate a wellbeing check as part of their onboarding, assessment and exit processes, and where 'managing your team's wellbeing' is a required form of leadership and line management training – part of eligibility for promotion. It's no longer an extra add-on, it's a staple of people's presentation, with the slogan 'Healthy Teams are Resilient Teams' ringing strong.
In short, more and more organizations are emphasizing “care of the whole self” – and seeing a direct impact on talent attraction and retention, and increased productivity, innovation and business gains as a result.
If you would like further guidance on your employee wellbeing strategy, we would love to hear from you! Contact us to book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our health professionals. Send us an email at [email protected]
Author: Jane Burton | Wellness Specialist | Work life okay
