Pippa Andrews: 'The world is moving fast... organisations also need to'
Against a backdrop of immense change in the UK, a more considered approached to employee wellbeing interventions is what’s needed, writes Pippa Andrews Director of Corporate Business for Vitality.
The Covid pandemic was a watershed moment for working practices, leading to a rapid rise in flexible working in many industries, a trend that looks here to stay.
Shifting attitudes from a new generation of employees entering the workforce are also forcing businesses to give much more meaningful consideration to environmental, social and governance (ESG), as well as diversity and inclusion initiatives. It’s no longer enough to simply treat these measures as a ‘tick box’ exercise.
Employers and employees alike have also been buffeted by the economic headwinds of recent years and the cost-of-living crisis has taken its toll on workers.
Rising productivity loses
Alongside this, we’ve seen a tightening of the UK labour market and rising productivity losses, driven in part by poor employee health.
According to the latest findings from our Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey, over a third of employees are physically active, more than half eat an unhealthy diet and around two-thirds are overweight or obese.
With poor mental health in the UK steadily rising in recent years, it might not come as a surprise that 10% of workers are at risk of suffering from depression1.
All of this has meant that the average number of lost productive days has more than doubled in the past 10 years, to an average loss of almost 50 days per employee2.
The estimated annual cost of lost productive time to the UK economy now stands at a staggering £138bn3.
Less can be more
Of the workplace productivity losses we’re seeing, 90% of it can be attributed to presenteeism (the rest absenteeism)4, suggesting employees are at work but not performing effectively due to a broad range of factors - physical and mental.
Concerningly, more than 80% of employees are suffering from at least one lifestyle risk5, such as an unhealthy diet or a lack of physical activity, all of which can negatively impact workplace wellbeing and productivity.
By helping staff improve their lifestyles and provide support to those who may need it, employers are also likely to benefit from a business perspective too.
As many as 85% of employees who used workplace wellbeing interventions said they found them useful, however only 25% had made use of them (despite 70% being aware of them)6.
What this points to is a possible disconnect between workplace wellbeing solutions and their uptake and whether they are being properly communicated and effectively executed.
With organisations on average offering a whopping 46.5 interventions7, there is also a sense that a more streamlined ‘less is more’ approach could be what’s needed providing it’s tailored and accessible enough across an entire workforce.
A one-size fits all solution is not the answer
While clinical and lifestyle risk factors are clearly impacting employees, the picture differs depending on age groups and demographics.
Britain’s Healthiest Workplace findings tell us, for example, that whilst older employees are more often in poorer physical health, mental health is a bigger challenge for younger workers.
Under 35s reported higher levels of depression and financial worries compared to older workers. We also saw comparative levels of burnout across workers under the age of 508. These findings reflect wider studies highlighting the mental health plight of younger people in the UK.
Gone are the days when offering employees complementary office yoga, an EAP and healthy snacks were enough to engage all employees. What’s needed is support that’s personalised and tailored to them, and therefore more meaningful.
It’s also true that some employees don’t want to improve their lifestyles. For example, around two thirds of employees who smoke or drink alcohol are unmotivated to change.
Barriers also exist due to our very human nature. Behavioural economists would say we are overly optimistic when it comes to our health and that we need instant gratification through rewards (or loss aversion) to help us make a positive lifestyle choice over a more tempting one.
Happier, healthier and more productive
This is where a data-driven, incentive-based rewards programme offering personalised nudges based on an individual’s risk profile can really make a difference, alongside private medical support for those physical and mental health conditions that cannot be prevented.
There’s a reason that those insured under Vitality are 8% more active, 11% less at risk of mental ill-health and show 13% higher levels of job satisfaction than those with another insurer9.
Solutions that achieve higher levels of employee engagement, drive meaningful behaviour change and integrate seamlessly into the everyday lives of staff (inside and outside of work) are far more likely to not only get people moving, but also help organisations move with the times.
Where to next?
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Watch: Supporting employees in an ever-changing workplace
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Dame Carol Black and Director of the Vitality Performance Champions, Maggie Alphonsi, explored how employers are supporting staff in a rapidly changing world on our recent Forward Thinking webinar.
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How to make employee wellbeing programmes inclusive
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Everyone is different. When it comes to employee wellbeing programmes, a one-size-fits-all approach is not enough.
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1 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
2 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
3 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
4 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
5 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
6 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
7 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
8 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023
9 Britain's Healthiest Workplace data, Vitality and RAND Europe. 2023