Aon survey finds direct link between employee wellbeing and business results

2021 Global Wellbeing Survey shows that companies that improve employee wellbeing performance by 4 percent see a 1 percent increase in company profits

SHANGHAI (9 May 2022) – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has launched the Chinese-language version of its 2021 Global Wellbeing Survey in collaboration with global market research company IPSOS, which confirms the link between employee wellbeing and company performance. The survey reveals that improvements to employee wellbeing within a company directly impacts customer satisfaction and retention: companies that improve employee wellbeing performance by 4 percent see a 1 percent increase in company profits.

The survey also found that in APAC, 82 percent of companies say employee wellbeing is important and 90 percent of APAC companies have at least one wellbeing initiative in place. However, 55 percent of APAC companies have a wellbeing strategy, while only 27 percent fully integrate wellbeing into their business and talent strategy.

Company culture was cited as the number one driver in developing a business case for wellbeing programmes in APAC while lack of financial resources (55 percent) and not being able to measure the return on implemented actions (49 percent) were cited as the top two biggest challenges in starting or expanding wellbeing initiatives.

“The concept of employee wellbeing goes beyond physical and emotional health. It includes employees’ ability to manage finances, social relationships and career development,” said Lucy Liu, head of Health Solutions, China at Aon. “While employees work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, financial hardships and lack of work-life balance and family support significantly impact the overall wellbeing of employees.

This in turn will result in loss of productivity, decreasing employee loyalty and higher voluntary turnover rate for organisations. Therefore, one of the critical steps in building a resilient workforce is an overall wellbeing strategy that is not just a combination of some benefits initiatives, but rather a part of the organization’s talent strategy rooted in the company culture.”

Leadership can set the tone for culture and wellbeing; 49 percent of APAC companies surveyed agreed that the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is the champion of wellbeing initiatives, followed by the CEO (26 percent). The top five employee wellbeing issues in APAC are work-life balance, working environment/culture, mental health, physical health and burnout.

The survey also found that globally:

Improving employee wellbeing performance by 3 percent increases customer satisfaction and retention by 1 percent.
Organisations that improve employee wellbeing performance by 3.5 percent see a 1 percent increase in employee satisfaction and customer acquisition.
Where employee wellbeing performance improved by 4 percent, there a 1 percent decrease in employee turnover.

“Companies should review their employee wellbeing plan holistically. Currently, not all benefit programs may be relevant for all organisations,” said Steven Wang, national wellness head, Health Solutions, China at Aon. “Companies must design and implement their wellbeing plans based on data and analysis from their workforce and learn from internal and external successes to ensure their plan will fit the company’s strategy and culture. A holistic wellbeing plan can help businesses navigate volatility and manage risks while positively impacting workforce resilience and overall company performance.”

The 2021 Global Wellbeing survey was conducted in collaboration with IPSOS, a leading global market research company. The purpose of the survey was to understand how employers around the world are addressing wellbeing and the impact of having a wellbeing program on overall company performance.

Responses from 1,648 companies in 40 countries and 25 languages were weighted to produce a statistically significant representation of organizations globally, regionally and by country. The full report is available here. To learn more about the survey, listen to episode six of the “On Aon” podcast, “On Aon’s 2021 Global Wellbeing Survey.”

About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries/territories with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

For further information on our capabilities and to learn how we empower results for clients, please visit https://www.aon.com/apac

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