Kin : Movers and Shakers

As the digital age continues to push the realms of communication capabilities, it is little wonder this phenomenon is starting to take a stronger hold in the health and wellbeing industry.

Heightened public awareness around society health and welfare in general, the rise in non communicable diseases and the ever increasing attention now on the stress levels and mental welfare of our nations, has blurred across the lines of home and work. Business leaders are now very much playing a strong role in how to support employee wellbeing and we are seeing a substantial increase in lengthy discussions across business forums, media agents and social platforms. This has encouraged businesses globally to take more accountability for the cultures they create and to mandate wider considerations and programmes to support the health and wellbeing of their staff. Makes sense right?

The average Australian full time employee works approximately 40 hours a week. This means for most, more time at work, less time at home.

So, it wouldn't be a big assumption to make that for professionals that this is a minimum and technology efficiencies means we are connected up to 7 days per week and that the hours we allocate to work is very blurred with our personal lives. Could we then assume that the 'working environment' could account for a bigger impact on ones wellbeing than ever before?

However, minus the hype, and park the responsibility piece, for most businesses the challenge starts with answering the following questions:

• What does Wellbeing mean to our employees?
• What is employee wellbeing and who in the organisation is responsible for 'owning' it?
• How does this effect engagement?
• What will this cost to the business if I execute a programme, or more so, what will it cost me if I don't?
• Are there tangible commercial outcomes if we invest in this space?
• How do we report on these outcomes?
• Are there cross business efficiencies we can create?

Below are 5 big opportunities that I often see business overlook when it comes to not only answering but accelerating, the understanding of their our people and delivering on a sound wellbeing framework;

1. Embrace technology: Nearly everyone owns a smartphone and many have some wearable device. At a guess are likely to be far more responsive to communications and programmes that are delivered and managed direct to their pocket.
2. Data is king: Understanding employee data and data trends will create relevance and allow businesses to build effective programmes to improve employee wellbeing.
3. Measure success: Businesses can not continue to throw mud against the wall and hope it sticks. Gone are the days of discounted gym memberships that only 5% of people use - what about the other 95% of your organisation? If its not scalable it's not likely to solve employee wellbeing needs.
4. Integrate: Aggregation of different data and information can create a more holistic view of an organisations 'health score'. Advancement in technology has allowed for integration an automation; reduce the internal workload on wellbeing champions and increase their ability to report on success/failures and manage up the organisation.
5. Individualisation: Like most things in life, if it isn't relevant, it's unlikely to engage. Personalised goal setting and visible wellbeing pathways will ensure longevity and increase the likely hood of an employee achieving their own health goals.

With changing workforce dynamics more consideration is being given to internal diversity, stages of personal and career goals, the wider stresses outside the workplace and how a programme can accommodate the variations whilst achieving a common outcome - a healthy life work balance.

Every organisation is at a different stage in their wellbeing journey, and to that end, it is a journey! Only a long-term commitment to improvement will recognise desired results. We have worked with diverse organisations across the globe that have gained incredible results. Are you willing and prepared to make the leap?