8 ways to start improving workplace wellbeing
Small steps can create big changes when it comes to workplace wellbeing, writes Groov Product Marketing Manager Lucia Afanasy.
It’s a new era for workplace mental wellbeing. And it’s tough, right?
Recent research from Groov shows that one in three workers in New Zealand and Australia consider quitting their job weekly, and 36% consider quitting most days. On top of that, one in five workers don’t feel their employer supports their wellbeing and only 6% feel supported at work.
While these issues are complex, there’s no denying that workplace mental wellbeing is part of the solution. People want to be part of workplaces that care, where they see wellbeing modelled, feel valued, and can be themselves.
“People are speaking up more than ever before about the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace. There is a generation who want balance in their life and wellbeing to be a priority for their employers, or quite literally, they’ll be out the door to somewhere that does. ”
8 things you can start doing right now
Small changes can make a big impact. Here are eight ways to start improving workplace wellbeing right away.
1. Show genuine care for your people
To make your workplace wellbeing program a success, you and your leaders need to show genuine care and be 100% behind any wellbeing initiatives.
2. Lead with wellbeing and show vulnerability
Your people look to you. Practice what you preach and lead by example. Being vulnerable helps to create an environment where people feel safe to share and be themselves.
3. Make your people feel valued
Celebrate milestones, recognise the good, reward results and make your people feel that their efforts are seen. Show them that you see them for who they are.
4. Treat everyone with dignity and respect
Listen and take into consideration feedback from your people, including on workplace wellbeing. Make them feel heard and include them in creating a wellbeing-first culture.
5. Optimise the work environment
Everyone has a role to play in the workplace when it comes to wellbeing. From senior leaders to employees, wellbeing should become a normal, accepted and practised part of the everyday life in your organisation.
6. Lift your leaders
Ensure your leaders understand how to lead with a wellbeing lens, the science behind it, and why it’s the right thing to do, for the business and for your people.
7. Empower the individuals
Your people need the tools to know what helps them thrive, and stay there. Or as we like to say, find their Groov. Lift the mental health literacy of your whole business and give people the wellbeing tools and resources they need to succeed.
8. Measure, track and understand workplace wellbeing
Make decisions backed by data and insights, so you know your actions are going to make a difference. To get workplace wellbeing right, an organisation needs to truly understand what’s happening at all levels.
“The link is clear. If you take the time to properly bake wellbeing into the workplace, the current issues around talent retention, recruitment, stress, and burnout will hugely decrease or disappear. Because if you’re taking the time to show your people you care about them and value them, it makes all the difference in this current climate.”
The workplaces getting it right
Leading workplaces across Australia and New Zealand, including Fletcher Building Australia and Kiwibank, are seeing significant improvements since investing in workplace mental wellbeing with Groov.
For example, employee scores for ‘my workplace cares about my wellbeing’ are on the rise. This is coupled with up to 20% increases in individual wellbeing under Groov’s 6 Pillars of Wellbeing.
After engaging with Groov in the workplace, there was also a large increase in employees who said they congratulated themselves when they did something well, found it easier to focus on the present moment, and learned new things often or everyday.
“Groov has been the catalyst for vulnerable conversations, increased wellbeing support and continued collaboration in our business, and we feel it has had a significant positive impact on our people.”
Helping you help your people find their Groov
Our platform gives workplaces, leaders, and people the tools to feel good and function well. Or, as we like to call it, to find their Groov. How? We create incredible wellbeing technology that’s underpinned by behavioural science. Like our Modules, Hub, and Ritual Builder.
A survey of people using the Groov app (just one part of our programme!) found that:
88% of active users report they have learnt new tools & techniques to look after their mental wellbeing.
74% of active users report being better able to manage their stress levels.
75% of active users report Groov has helped their mental wellbeing to a moderate, large or very large extent.
We’re really proud of the work we do here at Groov, and we’d love to help your workplace take the next step into this new era of workplace wellbeing.
