How to inculcate the “wellness culture”

HBR recently published an intriguing write up. I am including the details here.

Valencia, Carolina. 2021. “How to Get Employees to (Actually) Participate in Well-Being Programs.” Harvard Business Review, October 5, 2021. https://hbr.org/2021/10/how-to-get-employees-to-actually-participate-in-well-being-programs.

New research from Gartner reveals that 87% of employees have access to mental and emotional well-being offerings, only 23% of employees use them
Given the impact the pandemic has had on employees, many organizations were prompted to examine the support they provide to them
According to Gartner’s 2020 Well-Being Benchmarking Survey, over three quarters of the 77 U.S organizations surveyed reported that supporting employee well-being increased in importance in 2020
Despite the fact that most organizations implemented cost-saving measures last year, the same survey revealed that 46% of organizations increased their 2020 well-being budgets relative to 2019, while 64% of organizations introduced a new well-being offering in 2020
Gartner has identified three strategies organizations can implement to maximize the investments made in employee well-being by boosting employee participation in offered programs: Increase employee understanding of well-being needs and offerings
Reduce the time and effort needed to participate in well-being programs
Succeeding in this effort is good for employees and the business: 48% of employees who utilize well-being programs report being highly engaged, compared to 30% of employees who do not
Gartner’s 2020 Well-Being Benchmarking Survey found that almost all organizations (96%) offered mental well-being programs, while Gartner’s 2020 Well-Being Employee Survey revealed that less than half of employees (42%) thought their organizations offered them
Progressive organizations are tapping senior leaders to share their own experiences with personal well-being and how the organization’s offerings have helped them
One successful example is a short video of a senior leader talking candidly about his experience with mental health issues and how he utilized the organization’s resources to address the situation
Leading organizations are personalizing well-being programs to make the relevance of well-being offerings clear to employees
The results inform a personal well-being action plan that employees are asked to hold themselves accountable to by using the organization’s well-being resources. This two-part exercise helps employees understand what support is relevant to their needs and what steps they can take to utilize it to the fullest
Genentech built a network of over 300 mental health champions – employees who are passionate about mental health who volunteer to educate, encourage, and provide assistance to other employees who could benefit from utilizing mental and emotional well-being offerings
HR leaders can make the benefits of seeking support more tangible by encouraging employees to share their well-being success stories
HR leaders must proactively address the challenges preventing participation in well-being programs to realize investments made into well-being programs that support people and make the business thrive