Embracing the dawn of a new year provides a valuable occasion to reflect on lessons learned and accomplishments. For most businesses, this entails setting priorities, fortifying values, crystallizing goals, and fostering the retention of their workforce. A prevailing and integral aspect of employee retention and engagement often revolves around cultivating a culture of wellness.

In a recent article by McLean & Company, 83% of organizations acknowledge the importance of employee wellbeing, but this has not necessarily translated into action. In fact, 66% of organizations report that they do not have a wellbeing strategy in place, and many organizations that do have a formal wellbeing program see limited uptake of wellbeing initiatives among employees. The traditional approaches to overall wellness are not working.

Here are some tips for moving forward with implementing a comprehensive wellness plan:

1. Focus on a Holistic Approach to Wellness
   • Physical Health: Provide access to on-site or virtual wellness consultations and company wellness challenges to encourage physical activity.
   • Mental Health: Offer access to mental health resources, such as employee assistance programs (EAPs) and mindfulness exercises.
   • Emotional Health: Encourage social connections and emotional wellbeing through team-building activities and employee recognition programs.
   • Financial Health: Present options such as financial education workshops, retirement planning resources, and access to financial counseling services.
2. Tailor your Wellness Plan to Employees Needs

• Create wellbeing committees: Establish cross-functional wellbeing committees that involve employees from different departments, roles, and levels within the organization.
• Seek Feedback: Conduct surveys to gather employee input on wellbeing initiatives and identify areas of concern.

3. Address Other Barriers
   • Acknowledge that many sources of stress at work are outside of employees’ control, with workload, time demands, role clarity, etc.
   • Given these broader-level influences, it is critical to consider the organizational culture, role of leadership, and the overall employee experience to embed wellbeing as an organizational value.

Developing a holistic approach to employee wellbeing provides an opportunity to improve the employee experience and can result in long-term benefits that support the bottom line and strategic organizational objectives.

ASE Connect

For additional Wellness Resources, including our partnership with Workplace Wellness, visit ASE’s Workplace Wellness Resources page.

In addition, ASE members with McLean & Company access can utilize an array of information on providing balanced wellbeing programs including guided implementation, onsite workshops, blueprints, and templates.  Access McLean & Company via the ASE Member Dashboard.

Sources: McLean & Company, Corporate Wellness Magazine.com