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12 Mar 2018

The HR manager's guide to creating a culture of wellbeing

While better performance and profitability is definitely the outcome of a stellar company culture, it's shouldn't be the primary goal. A great working culture is an ongoing process that goes way beyond measure absentee days or healthcare costs. Here are some practical ways to make the shift toward a people-driven wellbeing initiative.

Everybody knows a healthy, happy workforce is great for your bottom line, but too many HR leaders narrow the case for wellbeing down to the hard benefits, without giving enough credit to the bigger picture. 3829-1519920198_TheHRmanagersguideMAIN.jpg

Start at the beginning

If you've ever lost talent to the competition, you know how tempting it can be do want to copy or outdo their perks.

But according to a Towers Watson survey, only 25% of employers succeed in implementing long-term changes due to a gap in communication between leadership and managers. The survey found that while 87% of employers feel they do a good job training their managers for change, only 22% of managers and feel they were properly prepped for change.

No matter the pressure, cultural change should never be rushed. Take the time to gather your data and engage the right stakeholders. One great way to humanise numbers is to survey your employees and collect compelling testimonials about the changes they would most like to see and why.

Remember, there's nothing more demotivating for your employees than feeling like they're being held to a different standard than the people at the top. Use a combination of numbers and real-world stories from your employees to appeal to both the hearts and minds of your executive and managerial teams and ensure change is modelled at the highest levels.

Keep the conversation going

Another common mistake is taking a one and done approach to cultural change. No one ever gets fit from one workout, right?

Instead of launching your shiny new wellbeing programme and then walking away, schedule a monthly or quarterly employee survey to collect behind-the-scenes insights on how the new initiative is performing when no-one's looking.

Some HR managers prefer anonymous surveys to make employees feel safe sharing. Alternatively, you could make the survey part of your performance review process to encourage greater accountability between managers and employees.

As a general rule of thumb, try not to use questions that are too leading or overly direct. Aim for open questions that bring in honest answers about how you can help your employees thrive, both at work and in life.

Companies like Asana (ranked #2 of the top 100 Best Mid-Size Workplaces in the US) even go as far as to hold company-wide meetings with employees to openly discuss the feedback received and tell employees exactly what steps they're taking to improve.

Being transparent about the goals and challenges in transitioning to a culture of wellbeing is a great way to encourage peer support among your employees, which can be crucial to achieving long-term organisational change.

Measure and recommit

Consistent action is the key to lasting change. Show your people you're committed to their wellbeing by regularly measuring your results and communicating future goals and changes.

Take the temperature of your business on a regular basis. Low turnover, low profits, and low productivity are all signs of an unhealthy working culture — but shifts in the market can sometimes make it hard to see what the source of underperformance really is. Either way, your company's culture is the key to getting back on track.

Meet with your leadership team to exchange notes and keep everyone's eyes on the ball. What results do you want to see one quarter, six month, or a year after implementing your wellbeing programme? Keep an active and ongoing focus on where you want to go and you'll make it much easier for everyone to get there.

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