Employee wellbeing has been at the top of the HR agenda for some years but the results of recent research by Reward Gateway shows that employees still are not getting what they need from their current wellbeing programmes. This is demonstrated by the disparity of opinion between employee and employer. Over half of employers agree that their company shows they care about employees mental, physical and financial wellbeing, while only 14% of employees say that their company could not do more to show they care about their mental, physical and financial wellbeing.
Employers are correct in caring as more than half of UK employees agree that they would choose a company that cared about their wellbeing over one that pays more. These findings, which demonstrate the demand for wellbeing initiatives in the workplace, place an even higher urgency on closing the gap when you consider that:
What’s more, the initiatives in place could be sitting idle due to communication issues – 48% of employers think their company communicates the wellbeing solution they have well, but almost a third (29%) of employees don’t know what wellbeing programmes their company currently offers.
Lucy Tallick, Head of Wellbeing at Reward Gateway, said:
‘Employee wellbeing is not about crisis management and fixing problems. It’s about helping your people live better and feel better by facilitating sustainable lifestyle changes that really make a difference. Employers should take into consideration that everyone has unique desires and needs, and, in order to gain buy in, it's much better to give the employee solutions that provide choice and flexibility. By creating an inclusive programme, you’ll also hugely increase your engagement.’