HR is in control when it comes to employee wellbeing spend

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At a quarter of organisations, finance departments hold the wellbeing purse strings, while it is much less common for occupational health teams or the corporate risk department to be in charge of wellbeing budgets. This is the case for 2% and 1% of employers, respectively.

Since operational responsibility for employee wellbeing policy and practice falls to HR “it makes sense that it should also be given oversight and control on wellbeing spend,” the report said.

Meanwhile, looking at spend, this year’s data showed that half (51%) of employers have a dedicated wellbeing budget. Figures revealed that average spending on wellbeing is unchanged compared with last year, while median spend ranged from £1 to £25 per employee a year.

The downward trend for employers spending nothing on wellbeing initiatives has continued. Last year, 31% of employers made no investment at all in wellbeing, compared with 25% this year.

At the other end of the scale, a fifth of employers have an annual wellbeing spend of more than £300 per employee, a finding similar to last year.

Significantly, the survey of 309 wellbeing, HR and employee benefits also highlighted that a third of organisations have no knowledge of what their outlay is in this area.

The report warned: “Without this information, it is impossible to know what return on investment is being achieved – and it may also prove difficult to secure further funding for wellbeing initiatives.”

Download a copy of the 92-page Employee Wellbeing Research 2020 (free to REBA Professional Members and all those working for REBA Associate Members).

The author is Rima Evans, freelance writer for REBA.