Having worked with a large number of organisations from different sectors I have been given a great insight into what works well and what completely misses the mark when it comes to running an employee Wellbeing Programme.  In this blog I have compiled my top three tips for planning a successful Programme.

The Rationale
First off you need to decide what is the rational for investing in employee wellbeing?  Are you wanting to tick the box to say “Yes we’ve done it” or do you have an area of the business that need addressing?  Many organisations invest for the following reasons:

To…
Reduce Absenteeism
Improve Productivity
Provide Extra Staff Benefits
Attract Quality Staff
Support Employee Workloads
Improve Intra-Department Relations
Increase Annual Engagement Scores

The Demographics
Understanding the interests and needs of your people is crucial to maximising engagement at all levels.  Usually a mixture of services will catch the interest of everybody.  This could be a combination of onsite workshops and online literature or one to one health checks and targeted seminars.

You might want to consider the physical and psychological needs of certain departments.  For example desk based staff may benefit from posture care training and manual workers could benefit from podiatry foot care advice.  Are their departments within the business that could be affected more by stress, miscommunication or inconsistencies.  They may benefit more from tailored manager training programmes.

Communication
The success of any Wellbeing Programme is largely down to the communication between the provider, the HR team, the chain of command and the employees.  All too often organisations rush a Wellbeing Programme and much of the message gets lost in translation resulting in employees getting left out.

My advice is to ask around for recommendations within the HR network, twitter seems to be a great place for sharing advice and best practice.  Consult with your provider on your requirements, their recommendations and ensure you maximise your budget for the whole year.

Engage, Inspire & Create Positive Change
UK Wellbeing Coach