Making Wellbeing Part of a Company’s DNA

Making Wellbeing Part of a Company’s DNA
Employee Wellbeing

05 of 09

This insight is part 05 of 09 in this Collection.

June 1, 2023 7 mins

Making Wellbeing Part of a Company’s DNA

Making Wellbeing Part of a Company’s DNA

Wellbeing strategy, once seen as a luxury, is now a vital part of a company’s overall strategy. Integrating wellbeing into other areas of a company is the next step forward.

Key Takeaways
  1. Having a wellbeing strategy is important, but only part of the story.
  2. Most companies have begun to integrate wellbeing with their overall strategy, but there is much more to do.
  3. Companies are integrating wellbeing with health and safety, total rewards, DE&I and ESG strategies.

The concept of “wellbeing” has quickly moved to the top of companies’ priority lists. Not too long ago, wellbeing programs were rare, and those that did exist usually consisted of discounted gym memberships or healthier snacks in the vending machine in exchange for a minimal discount on health insurance. Realizing this would not be enough to enable meaningful employee impact, companies looked to develop more than just a program — they needed a strategy.

Wellbeing strategies, especially those that go beyond physical wellbeing, have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Aon’s 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey, 83 percent of companies say they have a wellbeing strategy in place — a substantial increase of 28 percentage points since 2020.

Continuing this trend, companies are now integrating their wellbeing strategies into their business and human capital programs. Just over 40 percent say their wellbeing strategy is “fully integrated” into the larger company’s strategy. And the majority have begun integrating aspects of their wellbeing initiatives into other parts of their company’s overall strategy, including health and safety, total rewards, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

wellbeing_chart_1

Source: Aon's 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

Wellbeing in Health, Safety and Total Rewards Strategies

Integrating wellbeing into your health and safety strategy seems like an obvious fit. For example, musculoskeletal injuries are a leading cause of work-related injury, absences and a major factor driving medical claims. Among the major contributing factors to work-related injuries are wellbeing issues such as physical inactivity, obesity and stress. Focusing on programs that include proper ergonomics, strength, flexibility and daily activity paired with the right education and support, will continue to link wellbeing, health and safety together for positive business outcomes.

Additionally, an employee's emotional wellbeing can play a major role in returning an injured worker back to work. Their feelings about the employer can have an impact on the success of a return-to-work plan. Therefore, organizations are also incorporating issues around emotional wellbeing and psychological safety in their workplace safety strategies.

Another area which benefits from a focus on wellbeing is total rewards. According to Aon’s Global Wellbeing survey , more than half of companies incorporate financial wellbeing as a part of their wellbeing strategy. But it’s not just financial wellbeing. Having a robust total rewards plan can also help address financial stress, ultimately improving an employee’s emotional wellbeing.

Wellbeing as Part of a DE&I Strategy

A wellbeing strategy that integrates with diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) practices benefits employers and employees on many levels. It allows employees to come to work as their whole selves and considers the differing experiences of various communities and backgrounds. This can be as simple as using inclusive language in wellbeing communications or ensuring that employees have access to culturally competent care. Just over half (54 percent) of companies globally say their DE&I strategy incorporates wellbeing.

67%

Two-thirds of companies in North America incorporate financial wellbeing into their strategy, while less than half do in Latin America, Europe/UK and Africa/Middle East.

Source: Aon 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

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Quote icon

Put simply, to integrate DE&I and wellbeing means that your wellbeing strategy adheres to the principles of your DE&I strategy, and your DE&I strategy takes into account wellbeing.”

Dr. Amitabh Deka
Vice President, Health Transformation, Global

Gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, mental health status and family status/living arrangements are the characteristics most frequently addressed by DE&I strategies. It’s not difficult to see how these characteristics interact with wellbeing, especially when considered through the lens of social determinants of health.

Social determinants of health are important to a population’s wellbeing, because where and how a person lives has a big impact on their health. For example, people in lower income, urban and sparsely populated rural areas tend to have less access to healthcare facilities. They also may have limited access to stores that sell fresh healthy foods or fewer opportunities for exercise. With predictive analytics, companies can use various tools to address social determinants of health as part of their wellbeing strategy.

Why does Integration Matter?

We know that companies that integrate their strategies perform better in a number of ways. But why does it work? Part of the answer is intuitive. There are natural synergies that exist in these strategies. For example, a company that participates in a retirement strategy like a pooled employer plan can bolster the governance aspect of its ESG plan while also improving their employees’ financial wellbeing. Similarly, companies with better wellbeing outcomes tend to have more support from senior leaders. Integrating wellbeing with other areas of company strategy can help leaders gain that support.

5

All five regions represented in our wellbeing survey had statistically significant gains in the number of companies who say their DE&I strategy incorporates wellbeing.

Source: Aon 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

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Wellbeing as Part of an ESG Strategy

In in Aon’s Global Wellbeing survey, about half of companies globally say their ESG strategy affects wellbeing. Here are some ways we are seeing each component of ESG interact with wellbeing:

  • Social aspects of ESG are an intuitive fit for wellbeing. How a company treats its employees is the core of the “S” in ESG — and wellbeing is an obvious part of that. Nearly two-thirds of companies claim that social aspects of ESG are impacted by wellbeing.
  • Environmental aspects of strategy are also an easy connection. For instance, a company’s goals to lower its emissions can have a direct impact on the wellbeing of their employees. There is also emerging evidence that changes in climate correlate with increased prevalence of mental health issues.1
  • Governance is significantly less well represented in our survey. Only about 40 percent of companies say that governance is impacted by wellbeing. At first, this may seem like a stretch. However, support of wellbeing initiatives by senior leadership and the C-Suite is the glue holding these initiatives together.

60%

Number of companies in Africa and the Middle East that say their ESG strategy incorporates wellbeing, nearly double that of North America (33 percent).

Source: Aon 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

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How Wellbeing Can Help Build a Sustainable Working Life

Just like an individual participating in a wellbeing program — be it an exercise routine, a retirement savings plan or meditation program — a company’s wellbeing strategy works better with commitment. Companies that emphasize wellbeing are more likely to integrate it into their overall company strategy and, in the process, create a more sustainable working life for their people.

A sustainable working life is directly correlated to these three pillars:

  • Resilience - the ability to weather change
  • Agility - the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and conditions
  • Belonging - the feeling of connection and support in a working environment

The journey from healthy snacks and gym memberships to a sustainable working life has not been a straight line. But as companies strive to retain and maintain talent, wellbeing should be more than just disparate programs. Wellbeing needs to be part of an organization’s overall strategy, and a part of its DNA.

1 Why mental health is a priority for action on climate change

General Disclaimer

The information contained herein and the statements expressed are of a general nature and are not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information and use sources we consider reliable, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

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48%

Resilience is expected to improve 48% when an Employee Wellbeing Rating moves from "poor, fair and good" to "very good or excellent."

Source: Aon 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

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Aon's Better Being Podcast

Our Better Being podcast series, hosted by Aon Chief Wellbeing Officer Rachel Fellowes, explores wellbeing strategies and resilience. This season we cover human sustainability, kindness in the workplace, how to measure wellbeing, managing grief and more.

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