Why Should There Be Employer Wellness?
Whether it’s to make a case for the boss or trying to justify it against the bottomline we are often asked “why should there be employer wellness?” Why should it be the responsibility of the employer to establish wellness in their workplace? The answer is of course way more simple than it seems and far more complex to pull off than it may appear on the surface. What we know for sure is that things are different in a post-quarantine world. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2022 stress survey 56% of Americans stated “that since the pandemic started, they could have used more emotional support than they received, and 21% could have used a lot more emotional support.” Additionally, 71% of people polled say they have gotten better at prioritizing what is important to them because of covid-19.
That means 71% of employees are more aware of burnout, more aware of how much time they spend at work vs with friends and family, and more aware of how their workplace culture affects their wellbeing.
The health and happiness of employees dramatically affects the health and happiness of business. Over the least four years and over many, many changes in the world we’ve defined three primary reasons employers should consider workplace wellness programs (the right programs, at least):
Stress is a productivity killer. Wellness programs focused on stress management and mindfulness increase engagement and reduce burnout.
An emphasis on mental health is a game changer. An organization invested in the mental wellbeing of its people builds loyalty, reduces attrition, and decreases healthcare costs. In short: it’s good for employees and good for business.
A sense of community is critical to successful teams. Wellness that is rooted in inclusivity is a great team builder.
Stress is a productivity killer:
In a 2018 Forbes article (yes, 2018—burnout is not a new phenomenon, it’s just now caught the media’s attention) titled, "How Stress is the Business World's Silent Killer," Stephanie Denning writes that, "chronic stress [in the workplace], as much as we don't want it, is our modern day birthright." Denning posits that much of this stress is a direct result of long hours, low autonomy at work, conflict both at home and in the office, and workplace pressure (most often around working quickly to meet deadlines). "Working long hours has become synonymous with a successful career," she posits." The two are rarely stripped apart." (Source)
When the body is under stress the sympathetic nervous system responds to the threat by signaling a release of “adrenalin (epinephrine) and cortisol. These hormones, together with direct actions of autonomic nerves, cause the heart to beat faster, respiration rate to increase, blood vessels in the arms and legs to dilate, digestive process to change and glucose levels (sugar energy) in the bloodstream to increase to deal with the emergency.” (Source) This part of our nervous system protects us from danger. It responds to stressors by prepping our body to either fight or flee.
Despite modern and technological advances––our bodies still respond to stress fairly primitively...it sees stress as stress, hard stop. Our bodies don’t significantly recognize the difference between the stress of an impending deadline and the stress of an attack. Fear or anxiety that we feel from watching the news is processed in the body with the same response that’s triggered when we are under threat. And we are inundated with this stress all day, every day. We experience stress from watching our favorite TV character die, we have conflict at work, stress from home life, anxiety around financial stress and so much more, which means we stay stuck in our sympathetic nervous system way more often than is healthy.
When left unmanaged, stress creates its own vicious cycle. It leads to less effective time management and decreased work quality, leading workers to require more time to get their work done, which puts more pressure and stress on them. And the loop continues, reaching critical mass until employees either burn out, fall into ill health, move on, or all of the above.
On all fronts—unmanaged workplace stress costs you not only employee happiness but also time and money.
An emphasis on mental health is a game changer:
When we say wellness is important we don't mean bubble baths and exercise––though we do love both of those things. When we say self-care we mean real, deep, intensive self-care. The kind of self-care that includes taking care of mental health in a meaningful way. The American Psychological Association’s 2020 survey read, "A National Mental Health Crisis" and cited that "Americans have been profoundly affected by the pandemic, and that the external factors Americans have listed in previous years as significant sources of stress remain present and problematic. These compounding stressors are having real consequences on our minds and bodies. It is the unusual combination of these factors and the persistent drumbeat of a crisis that shows no sign of abating that is leading APA to sound the alarm: We are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come." (Source) In every way that has been born out (remember the stats from earlier? 56% could have used more emotional support and 71% of people polled say they have gotten better at prioritizing what is important).
This matters for employers because stress not only affects a workforce's ability to produce high-quality work but it also has direct financial consequences by way of increased healthcare costs. According to Health Advocate, “stressed workers tend to be fatigued, prone to mistakes and injuries, and are more likely to be absent. Most significantly, they incur healthcare costs twice as high as other employees. All told the consequences of stress-related illnesses, from depression to heart disease, costs businesses an estimated $200 to $300 billion a year." In a pre-pandemic world wellness program were largely focused on fitness and physical health. And while that’s important it’s no longer enough (and can even be stigmatizing if not apprah from an inclusive lense). Teams need mental health support and more realistic work/life boundaries.
How employers do this has much to do with their unique company culture. For some larger organizations like LinkedIn and Hearst Communications that might look like allowing all employees a paid week off during a slow season. For smaller companies it might mean bringing in yoga and meditation for exhausted employees or adding a more robust therapy option to their health care plans. In all situations it requires empathy and compassion.
A sense of community is critical to successful teams:
Community matters to your organization. As does leveraging your community to achieve a deeper level of wellbeing. But how is community related to wellness? According to an article by Business Insider based on a Cigna study of workplace loneliness, "Americans are lonely at work...and the phenomenon has had devastating effects on company productivity and turnover. Lonely workers are twice as likely to miss a day of work due to illness, five times as likely to miss a day of work due to stress, and twice as likely to leave their jobs.” (Source) As humans we crave and require a sense of connection. Brian Wahl, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomsburg School of Public Health is a strong advocate for what we call, community care, saying, "minimizing social isolation and turning to a community for support is a critical ingredient in mental health." (Source) Wellness talks a lot about self-care but community care is equally critical. The most successful teams are the ones that care for each other as well as the individual.
To build community there must be communication, transparency, and vulnerability. In building connection we often find that, not only are we not alone, but that so many of those around us have experiences similar to our own. For community to have a real impact it must be inclusive. There must be real understanding around the lived experiences of coworkers, employees, and friends and a space for people to show up authentically. Without wellness rooted in inclusivity programs that are built without the end user in mind often end up isolating rather than bolstering health. This is why we include supper clubs, retreats, and events as part of our wellness programming. The way we gather, is the way we build community, is the way we heal and grow together.
The way we do wellness matters:
Fitness is no long enough. Doing nothing means you lose top talent and enter a cycle of turnover and attrition. Wellness programs that ignore inclusivity do more harm than good. In the end the answer is simpler than it might seem, build a program based on the needs of your people (ask them), root it in community and inclusivity, and prioritize mental health and set boundaries. Healthy workplace culture happens from the top down.
Still not sure where to start? Book a free 30 min consultation with our team here.