There is a question mark hanging over the occupational health profession, around understanding what the post-COVID-19 workplace looks like.
As employees balance working from home and the office, human resource and wellbeing professionals have a lot of questions to think about when it comes to the wellbeing of their employees.
As organisers of the National Workplace Health and Wellbeing Conference we have put together a list of 32 Workplace Wellbeing Questions HR and Wellbeing Professionals should ask themselves in light of the current situation.
It's no exaggeration to say the look of the modern workplace has dramatically changed already, as have employees' expectations of their employer when it comes to supporting their mental and physical wellbeing. Here are 32 health and wellbeing questions which all HR & Wellbeing professionals must ask themselves when reviewing their organisation's workplace policies to ensure wellbeing at work.
Before reviewing your current strategy, you must understand the metrics of your organisation. What are current sickness levels? What is the highest cause of absence? How do employees feel about health/wellbeing in the organisation? What is the culture around mental health? How can you measure impact? These factors are important and often missed by many.
An overarching and accessible workplace wellbeing strategy is the foundation of any organisation's employee support system. Ensuring the strategy covers a diverse range of wellbeing subjects is vital, for example, Musculoskeletal Health, Domestic Abuse and Financial Wellbeing.
An important fact HR teams and wellbeing leads must always remember is while mental and physical wellbeing are two different subjects, they're also inextricably linked and a successful workplace wellbeing strategy must reflect that.
The UK has seen a dramatic increase in the number of employees working from home as a result of COVID-19. It's vital for organisations to understand the impact this has had on staff mental and physical wellbeing. This understanding needs to trickle down to all managers to ensure maximum impact.
Different organisations will also have different types of remote workers. For example, on-site employees in a housing association or construction/utility workers who move between working locations. These employees will require different levels of support and communication compared to the traditional 'working from home' employees.
Its widely understood that workplace wellbeing and culture go hand in hand, but it's often the first concept overlooked. How your employees feel and what they think is incredibly important. Talking to your people seems too simple, yet it's effective.
Understanding what the workforce wants should be the driving factor behind your workplace wellbeing strategy with senior management acting as the catalyst to support initiatives and promote them internally. Staff need to have confidence in the system they use if they're to come forward when they have wellbeing issues. Only through effective communication and culture can organisations build this confidence.
Offering robust and efficient wellbeing training to members of staff is a core aspect of creating a healthy workplace and it also offers personal growth for your employees. Having managers who can recognise possible warning signs and staff members understanding the negative impact of ignoring signs and reporting it sooner will reduce absences and save time/money in the long run.
Although the questions above are a great starting point, another way to boost learning and understanding of this incredibly important topic is by attending CPD courses. If you'd like to find out more, you can join us at The National Workplace Health & Wellbeing Conference 2022, taking place on the 12th October in central London: