Top 3 Employee Wellbeing Trends for 2024
In the ever evolving landscape of workplace wellness, staying ahead of the curve is crucial.
As we step into 2024, employee wellbeing takes centre stage, addressing a spectrum of physical and emotional needs.
In this blog post, we'll delve into the top three wellbeing trends that are reshaping the workplace: Mental Health, Financial Wellbeing, and Menstruation & Reproductive Health Support. These trends not only foster a healthier workforce but also contribute to a more inclusive and empathetic work environment.
So, let's jump in and explore how you can support your employees in these critical areas for the year ahead.
- Mental Health
When we're talking about health, don't forget to include mental health in the workplace discussion. Think about it: 1 in 4 adults goes through a mental health issue at some point in their lives, and since we spend so much time at work, it's a win-win to create a culture where people feel comfortable talking about mental health and getting support.
Now, let's keep in mind that there's no one-size-fits-all solution, and workplaces aren't the health experts but they can create environments support their workforce with mental wellness:
- Leadership should set the tone by openly discussing their own mental health and showing support for employees who do the same.
- Ensure your people managers feel confident and equipped to deal with mental health in the workplace by offer training and workshops on mental health awareness and stress management - check out Mental Health First Aid England, Mind and Samaritans
- Offer flexible work hours or remote work options when possible, allowing employees to better manage their mental health and work-life balance
- Regularly check in with employees to gauge their well-being and offer support when needed
- Make support accessible through clear policies and procedures or offering benefits like employee subscription to platforms like Headspace and Champion Health
Above all, it's crucial to evaluate your team's workloads. Even if you offer outstanding benefits, they'll hardly make a dent if your employees are grappling with excessive workload stress. It's essential to maintain a realistic perspective on what can be accomplished with your available resources and align your business goals accordingly.
- Financial Wellbeing
These are undoubtedly tough times for businesses, but it's arguably even more challenging for employees. With the cost of living crisis forcing people to stretch their take-home pay further, coupled with businesses cutting budgets and an additional 83,000 job cuts in the UK in 2023, it's no surprise that 60% of employees say financial matters are their number one source of stress.
Financial well-being is all about equipping employees with the tools to manage their money effectively. Keep this in mind.
But how can you pique people's interest in a topic that often triggers anxiety and is easy to ignore when you just want to cover your bills?
The key is to make it accessible, engaging, and straightforward. For instance, young people tend to respond well to virtual classes conducted by professionals and user-friendly online apps.
- Consider options like Bippit, which offers both desktop and mobile apps, as well as access to professional coaches who can guide individuals in understanding and managing their financial health.
- Additionally, offering salary sacrifice solutions can help employees spread out large expenses, such as travel or personal electronics, over a more manageable timeframe.
- To add a personal touch, you can provide employees with a monthly well-being budget, allowing them to treat themselves to something special that they might not typically splurge on.
- Menstruation & Reproductive Health Support
Why is it that in 2024, topics such as periods, menopause, and postpartum depression continue to be treated as uncomfortable or taboo subjects within the workplace?
It's concerning that more than 50% of individuals who menstruate have had to miss work due to the symptoms of their periods, yet a mere 1 in 10 employers offer support for menstrual health.
The most commonly reported difficulties that people going through the menopause report at work include poor concentration, tiredness, poor memory, feeling low/depressed and lowered confidence.
- Address common misconceptions through training and awareness workshops
- Implement flexible working policies to allow employees to work from home or work around their needs
- Train managers to be understanding and supportive of employee needs
- Encourage employees to provide feedback and suggestions for improving the workplace support
Additionally, it's worth noting that throughout this section, we've chosen to refer to "people" rather than exclusively using the term "women."
This inclusive language acknowledges that individuals who are transgender or identify outside the traditional gender binary of 'female' and 'male' can also experience these issues. Our commitment to inclusivity extends to both our language and our approach to addressing these important topics in the workplace.
Recommended Resources
Bloody Good Employers - https://www.bloodygoodemployers.com/
Peppy Health - https://peppy.health/
Dame - https://wearedame.co/products/dispenser?variant=40112122003540
Next Steps
We’ve shared our top 3 wellbeing trends for 2024 but there are a number of other wellbeing areas such as neurodiversity, quality sleep and the impact of hybrid/remote working that you can also look into.
Make sure to chat with your team and see what suits them best while also keeping your business goals in mind.
Remember, it's often better to take small steps and do them right than trying to do it all at once and ending up with half-baked results.
Check out our other resources here for more tips and tricks on how to engage your employees with B Corp certification
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