89% of employers say supporting staff wellbeing benefits business

Loyalty, engagement and winning new clients are just some of the benefits of supporting staff health and wellbeing, according to a survey amongst over 500 UK HR decision-makers.

Employers also saw wider benefits, including productivity and helping to stop absenteeism.

Thirty-three per cent of respondents said it was integral to their company ethos to support their employees – including their health and wellbeing – and that helps them fulfil their business objectives. Twenty-six per cent think supporting the health and wellbeing of staff differentiates them from their competitors, helping with employee recruitment and retention. And 19% of employers say that potential clients are interested in how they look after staff and that having a good policy in place helps them win new clients.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD said, “Cultural shifts in business tend to need more than a feel-good factor to make a significant impact. The employee benefits industry has long been banging the drum that a healthier workforce is both a happier and more productive one. However, this acknowledgement by employers that they need to be seen to engage actively with their staff on health and wellbeing to win clients, takes the case a huge leap forwards.”

She continued, “The way an organisation goes about its daily activities, including how it looks after its staff, could also be taken as a measure of how it deals with its clients too. To gain an advantage over competitors, there may be merit in pro-actively promoting an employee health and wellbeing programme during a new business campaign.”

However, there were stumbling blocks. Twenty-seven per cent said the affordability of benefits was a challenge, as were a lack of resources (24%), a focus on business survival (24%) and knowing what staff value or want (23%).

Read more:

How to get the most out of your employees

How we can support men’s mental health in the workplace

• Vote  
• 0
• 0
• You already voted!

• Tags:
• best practice innovation running a business wellbeing