How Managers Build a Culture of Well-Being: A Quick Guide
Key Takeaways
- A real culture of well-being is about introducing actual wellbeing benefits for your employees who work all year long.
- Leadership should set examples by showing how they take care of their own health so that the team can follow suit.
- Measure the impact of your activities and find out what’s working and what’s falling flat. Make the right adjustments depending on your findings.
Culture of well-being is all about ensuring that your workplace makes it easier for your employees to take care of themselves. To promote it, you basically create a space where your people feel safe, supported, and energized; not afraid of taking a mental health day off or going for a walk just to clear their head if required.
When done right, it can actually help you improve your employee productivity, decrease absenteeism, and definitely drop the attrition rate. Let’s understand the nitty-gritty of workplace culture of well-being and how to do it right.
Why Wellbeing of Employees Should Be a Priority
Companies that genuinely invest in employee well-being programs often see reduced healthcare costs and less turnover.
People want to work for organizations that take care of them. A lot of industry leaders like Google and Netflix are thriving with such a company culture and values that support employee well-being first. For instance,
- Flexible time off to support personal recharge and reduce burnout
- Mental health support including counseling and mindfulness programs
- Flexible work schedules and remote work options to aid work-life balance
- Comprehensive health coverage (medical, counseling, reproductive support)
How to Make Well-being Programs Work for Real People
January initiatives usually begin with full excitement and motivation, often to just disappear within the next few months. We get it. But if you actually make your culture of well-being useful and adaptable to people’s exact needs, you can avoid this discouragement.
Here are some simple ways to do it:
- Ask before you act: Instead of assuming what will help your employees, ask your team directly what the actual issues they’re going through are. It can be stress, high work-pressure, a static lifestyle, or anything else. Then, design your employee well-being program according to those real needs.
- Practice what you preach: If you’re the manager scarfing down lunch at your laptop or never stepping away from your desk, you’re sending the wrong message. Show your team that it’s okay to take a break. Similarly, when you participate in wellness activities, it shows everyone to follow the suit and sustain your well-being initiatives.
- Match the season: Variety keeps things fresh. So, adjust your focus as the year changes. For instance, promote mental wellness and goal setting in winters; moving outdoors in spring; encouraging people to go on vacations during summers; and focusing on immunity, stress management, and supporting each other during busy autumn.
- Celebrate small wins: It’s not just about posting about your weekend team tennis match on LinkedIn. It’s about highlighting the micro-habits, for instance, a team member taking stairs instead of the elevator or someone logging in and off on time, and not spending late nights in the office.
Measuring the Impact: What’s Working and What’s Falling Flat?
Let’s face it. At the end of the day, no matter which initiative you take in your workplace, you have to show the results. Because there’s always some capital or resources involved. But when it comes to measuring the impact of your culture of well-being, it can be a bit challenging. Here are some of the insights that you can track to show your management:
- A lower rate of absenteeism.
- A higher number of presenteeism.
- Turnover time difference of projects.
- The healthcare cost changes over time.
- The eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score)
However, it’s crucial to understand that these numbers are not just for showing your management. If you find some numbers going down instead of up, for instance, a low participation rate, then you need to act upon it to fix it.
Wrapping Up: Your Role in a Healthier Workplace
Building a genuine culture of well-being is a journey that’s built on real actions, ongoing feedback, and leadership that cares. If you’re a manager or HR lead, you have the right tools to influence your employees and teams. Start by asking how you can actually support them, and then work towards it with consistency.
FAQs: Fostering a Culture of Well-Being
Q: How do I figure out the return on investment (ROI) for health programs?
A: The ROI for health initiatives comes in the form of fewer sick days, better retention rate, and lower attrition.
Q: What if my team isn’t interested in participating?
A: You can avoid this situation by creating your health or well-being programs according to the real needs of your employees.
Q: Can you really have a strong culture of well-being with a fully remote team?
A: Yes, it’s possible to do this. Some initiatives that can help you create a strong culture of well-being in remote teams are setting boundaries, respecting people’s off time, and providing support for their home office setups.