Why your corporate wellbeing programmes are not working

Wellness is a term that is being bandied about. A lot. It has suddenly taken on paramount importance. Contrary to 10 years ago when no one would dare mention an illness, especially mental health, now these discussions have been normalised as well as being openly addressed and spoken about. Mental health issues are the leading cause of disability and illness and companies are aware of this and have discovered that it's more cost effective to look after its people than to lose them to wellness related illnesses, hence the influx of programmes.  But unfortunately these programmes are not always working. The global wellness industry is a $4 trillion industry but few companies are getting much bang for their buck. The reason for this is multifaceted but let's explore a few.

There is no one size fits all

Everything from our upbringing to our environments, diet and relationships influence the way we perceive and experience stress, so there is no one size fits all approach. Wellbeing programmes need to be tailored to the individual. If an employee is suffering from depression then a company-wide programme won't have any effect. A more specific and individual approach comprising coaching has to be considered for that person via a holistic approach, taking the whole person into account.

Wellbeing programmes aren’t getting to the root cause of the problem

Companies are sometimes talking the talk but not walking the walk. Yoga classes and gym passes are all shiny and look attractive at first glance but they aren’t getting to the root cause. The root causes of mental health and wellbeing issues need to be addressed so solutions are not reactive. Not dealing with the core of an issue ends up as misalignment against company values, mindset and more arguably, profitability. Wellbeing solutions are often very reactive. 

Behavioural economics

Randomised trials within companies are not proving successful because they are not specific enough. They are often built without solid data or clear metrics in place. Incentivising employees doesn't always work and trials have found no difference in absenteeism, health outcome or cost savings for teams in wellness programs. Ironically the employees mainly benefiting from these programs are the ones who are already healthy! Someone who is already exercising and is receiving a voucher to carry on doing exactly what they were doing isn't the outcome we are looking for! They are just being rewarded for what they are already doing. There is no evidence to show that healthy employees are ‘healthier’ being on a wellness program either. They are simply registering to get the benefits.

The people who aren't engaged with their health, see these incentives and want to engage in them but their complicated lives wont permit this. Most people want to be healthy and live a pain free, disease free existence and wellness programs aren't getting the job done and may well be a trigger into more pain! The essential point to note is that behaviour of the healthy and unhealthy isn’t changing.

Lack of leadership support 

Leadership support is often limited, which can also be an issue. Senior management actively engaging in wellness programs is key as a wider acceptance would be seen from top to bottom. Especially if participation is low then one way to get the interest of others would be from involvement of senior figures within the organisation. Ideally, it should have active and visible participation among senior executives.

How can MindVibes help?

At MindVibes we take a holistic approach and work with employees on an INDIVIDUAL level to ascertain what their personal barriers are to wellbeing. This direct hands on approach is a preventative one, not a reactive one. We provide the space and safety for employees to openly discuss their own personal obstacles and tailor make solutions that are bespoke and likely to work as they are driven by the employee goal setting themselves. 

We Begin with the end in mind before we start so we have clear goals for our programmes. Regular weekly/fortnightly collaboration provides clear data that can be measured and anaylsed allowing for key areas of focus to come into play and form the basis of our programmes. Clear objective communication is key to ensure these benefits are aligned with company wellbeing needs.

Mindvibes is here to combine strategic and tactical wellbeing approaches at different levels of the organisation because we care!