Creating wellbeing strategies that work for all: 5 practical considerations

In today's workplaces, a one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing risks leaving workers without the support they need to thrive, both inside and outside of the workplace.  

The diverse nature of the challenges workers face requires inclusive wellbeing strategies that acknowledge and support employees through differing challenges, life stages and needs, reflecting the real-world issues they’re likely to be facing.   

Workplaces with inclusive wellbeing strategies reap the rewards, through increased productivity and profitability. They also benefit from higher retention rates and better public perception, because we know that workers want to work for organisations that put worker wellbeing first.   

An inclusive approach goes beyond standard health benefits, employee assistance programmes, and gym memberships. It recognises that employees face different challenges and have varying needs based on a range of factors, from cultural background and beliefs to age and life stage, from socioeconomic circumstances to family and caring responsibilities.  

Cultural and contextual sensitivity are not a traditional metric for success, but they are key to the long-term success of an inclusive strategy. Does your strategy seek to celebrate cultural differences? Does it acknowledge the needs of different cultures and communities? Does it seek to align wellbeing interventions with the location of operation?    

A one-size-fits-all approach risks providing unneeded support while missing core components that keep people both in work and well supported in work.  

 

So, what should employers consider when designing inclusive wellbeing strategies?  

1. The best wellbeing strategies are those designed by humans, for humans  

Employees should be involved at every touch point of a workplace wellbeing strategy. Their involvement makes strategies richer, better informed, and more human. By including workers as much as possible, employers can come to understand the full range of needs that exist among their workforce.  

This approach also helps with gaining employee buy-in when employers move from development to deployment.  

2. Tailoring strategy to needs  

Wellbeing interventions are often designed with the best of intentions but can lack a guiding strategy or even miss the mark entirely. Inclusive wellbeing is as much about mindset as it is an action or strategy.  

It’s perhaps best summarised through the question ‘How do we support each employee to thrive?’ remembering that workforces are made up of individual people with individual needs and challenges.  

As a practical action, employers should look to make sure that wellbeing strategies offer inclusive and adaptive interventions for those with disabilities, that health offerings include support for both pregnancy and menopause, that financial wellbeing is inclusive of literacy levels, and that support services offer both multi-lingual support and differing contact types (in-person, virtual, text-based).  

While this list is by no means exhaustive, each of these changes act as good cues for future consideration and discussion.  

3. One-size-fits-none 

A one-size-fits-all approach often ends up as a one-size-fits-none approach. Interventions that are too broad or that are deemed irrelevant go unused by employees; yet continue to rack up sizeable bills for well-meaning employers.  

Being Well in a Changing World, a joint project by British Safety Council and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) recommended designing wellbeing strategies with three tiers. This starts with a whole workforce strategy as a foundation and builds both group and individual strategies on top.  

This means that all challenges faced by workers should be picked up by at least one tier of the strategy and allows for support to be as general or as tailored as workers want. Inclusive strategies are designed around options, pathways, and opportunities, allowing workers to seek out the support that they want to receive.  

4. Whole person thinking 

We know that work-related stresses don’t end with the working day. They can and do impact our personal lives, just as personal stresses can and do impact our working lives.  

Whether it’s financial worries driven by a cost-of-living crisis or psychological health challenges, inclusive strategies should seek to join up the realms and domains of wellbeing to improve the whole health of a person.  

Practically, this means providing access to the support and resources employees actually need, not what employers think they need. It requires employers to understand that nothing exists in a vacuum and that one area of poor wellbeing is likely to impact other areas too. It means understanding that there’s a stronger moral and business case for virtuous circles than there is for vicious ones. And, above all, it requires a commitment to action and not just words.  

5. Success takes many forms 

Success in inclusive wellbeing takes many forms, some of which can’t easily be mapped into traditional metrics, yet they contribute to wider staff satisfaction, feelings of belonging, productivity and profitability.  

Accessibility might also not feature in traditional wellbeing metrics, but it sits at the core of inclusive wellbeing. Can all employees access services and resources equally? Are they prohibited by any barriers? If so, what mechanisms exist for reporting and how quickly can change be made?  

This highlights another important measure of success, employee feedback driving medium and long-term strategy. Is your strategy adaptable? Does it allow for changes to be made when services fall short of inclusivity or accessibility? Does it allow employees to change pathways or seek different services should their circumstances or needs change? 

The truest measure of inclusivity is whether every employee can access the services or resources that they need, when they need, in a way that works for them.  

Inclusive wellbeing is not a nice-to-have - it's a business imperative. Organisations that invest in comprehensive, inclusive wellbeing strategies create stronger, more resilient workplaces where all employees can thrive. By acknowledging and supporting the diverse needs of their workforce, companies can build a more engaged, productive, and sustainable organisation. 

Success in implementing inclusive wellbeing strategies requires ongoing commitment, regular evaluation, and adaptation to changing workforce needs. The result is a workplace culture that truly supports and empowers every employee, leading to better outcomes for individuals and the organisation as a whole. 

 

If you’d like to talk to our Wellbeing Team about how you can make your workplace wellbeing offering more inclusive, you can contact them by email here: [email protected] or by phone: 0208 600 1000 

 

Matthew Winn, Public Affairs Manager, British Safety Council