How to Create a Culture of Workplace Wellbeing

With depression and anxiety topping the list of the most common conditions for employer groups, many organizations are looking for ways to make workplace wellness a part of their company culture. To support workers and improve the ability to attract and retain the best talent, employers today are providing everything from mental health resources and stress management tools to education on mindfulness and meditation.

When implemented thoughtfully, these programs can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing and engagement.

Employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall wellbeing, in comparison with others, are:

69% less likely to actively search for a new job

71% less likely to report experiencing a lot of burnout

3x more likely to be engaged at work

Gallup, February 2022

But with today’s tight labor market, how can you make sure your wellbeing strategy will work for your employees and your business?

It all starts with data

As a Workplace Wellbeing Consultant for Univera Healthcare, I’ve helped many businesses develop and implement wellbeing strategies. One of the first steps I always recommend to employers as they start the process is to gather data on the unique needs of their employees.

There are many ways to collect the data you need, including conducting employee interest surveys, analyzing claims data, and looking at industry trends. This data will help you decide what strategies will provide the most value for your organization and will give you insights that can be used to develop relevant and engaging programming.

Get set for success

Before your company officially kicks off its new wellbeing program, think about what your team will need to succeed. You might want to start looking for toolkits and training programs to help prepare wellness committee members prior to launch, as well as additional materials to help keep the program fresh for employees. Start brainstorming and collecting helpful resources like monthly wellbeing tips, topics for health education programs, and challenges that can keep employees engaged.

Make healthy connections

To maximize the value of your wellbeing strategy, you want to make sure employees understand all the resources available to them and feel motivated and empowered to use them. A good way to achieve this is by leveraging relationships with vendors and the local medical community, and by tapping into your employee health benefits.

For example, with the businesses we support, we bring in experts from within our organization to host educational sessions on resources available through their health plan. This includes benefits like telemedicine and care management programs for behavioral health, and a 24/7 nurse line.

You should also consider connecting with local medical resources to help ensure health is a top priority for your team. That could mean bringing in vendors for on-site biometric screenings, encouraging employees to schedule annual visits with doctors, or reaching out to local medical professionals for specific expertise based on the needs of your team.

Greater wellbeing makes your whole business stronger

Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of your employees will continue to be a critical objective in today’s evolving workplace. Not only can it help attract and retain the best talent, it can also help unlock the full potential of your workforce by improving collaboration and morale, leading to better engagement and improved results.

Jeannette Kreher Heberling, Project Manager and Partner at Kreher Family Farms, leads one of the wellbeing programs we support. As her company’s dedicated Workplace Wellbeing Consultant, I collaborate with her and her wellness committee, as well as their broker, to develop monthly themes and to make sure the right resources are always available to their team as they continue to grow their program.

Our experience with Univera Healthcare’s workplace wellbeing programs has been so positive. Our team really enjoys the programs, and it’s been amazing seeing the impact on both their physical and emotional health, especially throughout COVID-19.

Jeannette Kreher Heberling – Project Manager and Partner, Kreher Family Farms

I encourage you to take the next step toward developing a wellbeing strategy that works for your organization. By understanding the needs of your employees and providing access to the right resources, you’ll be that much closer to creating a thriving workplace where employees feel motivated and empowered to do their best work.

Check out UniveraForBusiness.com for a library of free resources you can download and share with your team.