How Do You Measure Wellbeing in the Workplace
A prospective client said it so well - it’s abundantly clear when an organization’s culture is incongruent with it’s stated aspirational goals. It takes very little time when I’m engaging with a prospective client or organization to determine whether they are truly committed to wellbeing and employee retention. Most companies now offer wellbeing programs and robust EAP (employee assistance program) offers that their employees aren’t using. And even more common is that the actual workplace behavior of a vocal minority is eating away at the results of all those well-intentioned expenses.
Measuring Work Health & Wellbeing
That’s why it’s important to evaluate a few data points that offer guidance on how employees are feeling in their work and in the organization. Below are a few telltale signs that actually measure workplace health and wellbeing:
Turnover rate: When there’s high churn and burn, especially in executive or director roles in the company, it’s a key indicator that the organization has systemic issues that are going unaddressed that are eating away at the longevity of top talent.
Set it & forget it goals: When leaders fail to hit established KPIs (key performance indicators) or profitability is lagging, it’s often a sign of something deeper with the emotional wellbeing of its people. Sometimes it’s work related - such as bullying or bad behavior by a few challenging individuals - but other times it’s an employee’s personal life that may be causing internal chaos and therefore diminishing attention to outcomes and results. It’s well established that when employees feel good in their work their performance THRIVES.
Sick time, PTO, mental health leave: A sudden influx of time off or extended leave is often a quiet indicator that something else may be going on. Many employees choose self-preservation over speaking up - upwards of 60% of misconduct in the workplace is never reported. However, increasing sick time, PTO, and leave requests can be a silent sign that the workplace culture and health is diminishing.
Employment lawsuits & insurance claims: As obvious as it is, many companies fail to use the painful experience of an employment lawsuit or insurance claim as a lightening bolt to overhaul the culture to prioritize health and wellbeing of employees. Using a lawsuit or claim to evaluate and implement major changes is imperative - ideally before you become uninsurable against liability or employment claims.
Other indications that employee health and wellbeing may be in need of greater attention is the frequency of employee conflict. If the incidence of complaints or in-fighting is on the rise, something more may be needed to address the underlying wellbeing issues.
Data Doesn’t Lie About Employee Wellbeing
All of these measurements enable an organization to dig in and evaluate a 1 year, 3 year, and 5 year snapshot to see whether employee wellbeing is increasing or whether there may be signs that it’s on a downward trend and mitigation efforts are needed. And luckily, we’re 4 years removed from the pain and wellness hit of the pandemic so the data should show you whether fast action may be needed to refine and enhance employee wellbeing solutions before it’s too late to course correct.
Employee Wellbeing Pays Dividends
We believe that employee wellbeing and business health go hand in hand. When employees feel well in their work and have tools to diffuse the enormous stress and dysregulation that modern work creates, they are better able to perform at elite levels in service of big business goals.
If you see signs of trouble in your organization, a fractional wellness officer can help. Contact me for a free 30 minute workplace wellbeing assessment to see how we can help you get back to business.
