Research: uptake of wellbeing strategies up 130% over three years

Employee wellbeing strategies have mushroomed over the past 12 months with the majority of employers saying they now have a plan in place to support staff.

REBA’s Employee Wellbeing Research 2019 in association with AXA PPP healthcare, released today reveals that 68.4% of employers have a dedicated wellbeing strategy, showing that offering wellbeing programme for staff is fast becoming an everyday part of business.

In 2018 less than half (45.2%) of organisations had implemented a wellbeing plan and in 2016 less than a third (29.8%).

This means uptake of employee wellbeing strategies over three years has risen significantly – by 130%.

The survey of 250 wellbeing, HR and employee benefits specialists highlights that the momentum behind employee wellbeing is continuing to gather pace. Of the 46.8% of employers without a strategy in place, 81% said they are planning to introduce one either this year or at some point in the next few years.

More than two thirds (67.6%) of respondents in the private sector now have a dedicated wellbeing strategy, representing a sizeable increase from 12 months ago when only 41.9% of employers had a plan.

However, the public sector is still in front when it comes to having a manged approach to employee wellbeing. More than three quarters (77.5%) of organisations have a strategy in place.

“Wellbeing programmes are continuing to make a big impression on private industry,” said the report.

“Some employers will be using them as a tool to maintain their reputation as an employer of choice especially as the fight for talented workers gets fiercer.”

Download the 76-page Employee Wellbeing Research 2019 for further insights into current trends in workplace wellbeing and analysis from a wide range of HR directors and wellbeing industry representatives.