31 Mar 2020

Six ways to use your employee wellbeing strategy to support existing staff and attract new talent

Demonstrating that your organisation cares about the health and wellbeing of its employees is a great way to stand out from the crowd. But, with wellbeing on most employers’ agendas, offering benefits that really support existing staff and attract new talent will give you the edge.

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These are six ways to win with wellbeing.

1. Make work flexible

It’s not always possible, but if you can allow employees to flex their hours, it’s well worth doing. Being able to fit work around commitments such as childcare, looking after a relative, or even just general life admin, is a major bonus.

2. Personalise employees’ wellbeing

We’re all different so finding a one-size-fits-all wellbeing benefit is virtually impossible. Instead, look for services that can be personalised, such as a health and wellbeing app, or provide each employee with their own wellbeing budget and let them choose how they spend it.

3. Make an appointment with a virtual GP

Getting an appointment to see a GP can be difficult in normal times, but even more so while we deal with the coronavirus. Providing a virtual GP service, where employees can talk to a doctor over the phone or by video call, makes this much more convenient and, without the need to visit a GP waiting room, can be very reassuring too.

4. Look after employees’ loved ones

Extending wellbeing benefits to family members is a great way to show the organisation cares. For some benefits, such as the employee assistance programme (EAP), employees’ immediate family members may already be able to access the service. However, it’s also possible to extend some health benefits, such as critical illness insurance, for an additional cost.

5. Help employees with caring responsibilities

One in eight adults are carers according to Carers UK, with 600 people giving up work every day to care for an older or disabled relative. Supporting these employees with flexible working and advice about caring through an EAP or a health and wellbeing app can help them cope with these additional responsibilities.

6. Make a commitment to employees’ mental health and wellbeing

Signing up to Mind’s Mental Health at Work Commitment and the Time to Change Employer pledge demonstrates that your organisation takes employees’ mental health seriously. Doing this will also give you access to valuable resources, enabling you to put best practice interventions and policy in place.

This article is provided by Legal & General.