Recently, we wrote an article related to current and prospective employees wanting flexibility both when they worked and where they worked, however, their list of wants doesn’t stop there. Prospective employees are also looking at a company’s culture; their environmental and social record and their level of care in terms of employee wellbeing.

No longer is it sufficient to tell your prospective employees that there is a gym in the building which they can use before or after work; wellness programs need to be modelled around care, compassion, and trust.

Why Wellness Programs Matter

The 2022 Global Talent Trends report titled the Reinvention of Company covers three key areas vital to today’s company culture. They are flexibility, well-being and what they have termed ‘The Great Reshuffle’.

Where to start

So, where do you start in developing a successful wellbeing program as a part of your culture?

Firstly, you need to ask questions and seek input from the entire team. That is, ask them what wellbeing means and what’s important to them. You will need to consider social, emotional and physical wellbeing. You may want to do some research at this stage. What are your industry leaders and competitors doing when it comes to wellness programs?

Once you have input from the team you can start to develop a wellbeing strategy including ownership, reporting, and implementation timelines. No one expects your program to be fully implemented from day one, instead introduce new initiatives gradually, in line with what is manageable and what is most important to the team.

The key is to involve your team along the way, asking them to play a role in building the plan and rolling it out, review and ‘check in’ to ensure the program as it rolls out meets with their expectations. If they can tell you care, they will most definitely feel cared for.

In time, aspects of your wellness program could include coaching and mentoring; fitness programs; emotional support initiatives; personal growth courses; social events and activities; and community fundraising. One organisation we know even has a monthly ‘bring your dog to work’ day.

We have observed and learnt at Sharesource is by investing in employee development through leadership programs, mentoring, and coaching, and social programs sprinkled with ‘fun’, our team members develop a sense of ownership at work. They are more engaged, motivated and proactive, and with that are more likely to empower others.

We love it when members of the team tell us we are getting it right. For example, this blog by team member Clare outlines how coaching has helped with overall team performance.

The risk of paying lip service to your wellness program (or not providing one at all) is not just demotivated employees but the risk of your current and prospective employees voting with their voice and feet by seeking out employees that really do care.

Are you currently showing your team that you care?

On team's engagement and collaboration

How do you foster and maintain engagement and collaboration within teams working in different work settings? Dig deep with us as our Vietnam Country Manager, Van Phan, explores this topic in this Business Growth Tool Video.