Develop effective employee wellness programmes

TOO often, employee wellness programmes are seen by staff and managers as annual one-day programmes that allow the company to tick the box but offer little support to employees.

Liane McGowan, the founder of Happy Monday, a company that develops wellness campaigns focusing on mental health and happiness at work, says: “Employee wellness has become synonymous with medical aid health drives and a few annual engagement opportunities. While those activities certainly have their place in employee engagement, their benefits are limited by a compartmentalised focus and a one-off ‘be happy’ command.

“Humans are complex, intricate beings. Once management teams fully grasp this, true engagement, wellness and workplace happiness can be achieved.”

McGowan has the following advice:

Programmes that offer counselling for employees experiencing personal problems must deal with a range of mental health and social issues, including office infighting, low productivity and high staff turnover;

Programmes need to be more proactive: the company shouldn’t wait to react to issues as they come up;

Companies must ensure that employees can trust the counsellors who have been put in place. Too often, the people who need help are concerned about confidentiality. “Where employees are struggling with substance abuse, for example . . . they believe revealing their struggles will lead to their constructive dismissal,” warns McGowan; and

The programmes that have good returns on investment in terms of employee engagement and improved retention rates are about more than better access to physical wellness benefits such as an on-site gym. They offer programmes that ensure employees are mentally and physically functional. —