Don’t get sceptical on wellness plans
When you hear the words “corporate wellness programme”, do you struggle to stop yourself from raising a cynical eyebrow or suppressing an exasperated sigh? If you do, I would guess that you are not alone.
Over the past few years, corporate wellness programmes seem to have suddenly sprouted out of the ground and taken root everywhere. What was once mainly the domain of hyper-engaged Silicon Valley firms is now the concern of practically every company going — from tiny start-ups to multinationals. Try a random sampling of the recruitment pages of nearly any firm you like and there will almost certainly be a reference to “wellness” prominently displayed somewhere among its unique employment benefits.
It is an easy argument to say that the concept of wellness — be it exercising, eating well, mindfulness or stress management techniques — is intrinsically a good thing. Nobody, really, could argue with the idea of being healthier or less stressed, or with the idea that being both might lead to a greater overall quality of life. The cynicism comes from the motivations that are perceived when an employer starts contributing to the effort of achieving these goals. When the bowls of complimentary fruit and encouragements to take a quick walk during lunch start to appear, many people might wonder “what’s in it for the employer?”
And there are, as it happens, a multitude of wins for the business. People who are fitter and more active are likely to get ill less often and take time off far less — reducing absenteeism and bolstering productivity. People who eat a healthy catered lunch in the office are not only eating healthier, but are also not disappearing off for a lengthy lunch nor eating a multitude of snacks over expensive workstations.
People with a healthier lifestyle are likely to be more alert, more creative and have more energy, meaning Monday morning meetings may be less of a challenge, and allowing ideas and innovation to flow more readily. Bluntly, a healthier workforce is also a better performing workforce.
Saying such things out loud, of course, might raise some of those cynical eyebrows. But the distrust of a few is likely to be heavily outweighed by the number of employees and potential recruits that view a well-structured corporate wellness programme as not only a great opportunity in itself, but also as a real demonstration of the company’s investment in their people.
If a company, for example, is prepared to spend out exercise classes for its staff or regular medical advice about lifestyle diseases, it is also demonstrating its determination to invest — almost literally — in its people long-term. For nearly everyone, such a move is likely to be viewed as something positive and worthwhile.
The rise of corporate wellness as a concept is perhaps representative of both our increasingly complex, stressfilled and technological lives, and the increasing focus this has demanded of employers on the concept of supporting a healthy work-life balance. Wellness, in a sense, is a corporate recognition that maintaining this balance is more challenging than it used to be. As technology, for example, allows the tendrils of work to creep further into our waking hours, we lose time to devote to looking after our own state of health. Giving some of this time and space back to the employee is one way companies can help right the balance.
Ultimately, this is a situation where there is no need for cynicism. It is really one of the occasions where the often tritely talked about “win-win” actually applies.