good workplace wellbeing

There has been an increasing interest in improving workplace wellbeing over the last few years, particularly in light of the Covid pandemic and the impact that it has had on our mental health

It is realised that if any employer invests in their employee’s wellbeing, they could see a return on investment of up to 9 times.

However, there is also a strong case for supporting the mental health of your employees as a caring and responsible employer – investing in the mental wellbeing of your staff team is beneficial for everyone. It is often the case that employers would like to embed wellbeing within the workplace but may not have the time or resources or simply know where to start. Even taking a few simple actions can be highly beneficial and focusing on what you can do within your time, budget and resources.

Taking a first step to promoting and supporting workplace wellbeing does not have to be time-consuming or involve a cost, for example:

If you are a rural employer with less than 50 members of staff, then you can enquire about our Rural Connections training, which can develop everyone’s awareness about mental health, start conversations and challenge stigma
Embedding mental health into your work culture – you can add wellbeing ideas to the staff meeting, a monthly ‘wellbeing café’ or even a staff survey to explore staff suggestions for improving workplace wellbeing
Lunch time walking or reading group
Staff support and supervision sessions – include a question such as ‘Where are you today mood-wise on a 1-10 scale?’ This can provide an opportunity for staff to think about share how they are feeling
Allow a weekly ‘wellbeing window’ – one working hour per week to take time for an employee’s self-care, including yoga, coffee, relaxing, reading, etc.)
Meeting times – scheduling 50-minute meetings instead of a full hour or 25-minute meetings instead of 30 minutes has been trialled in some organisation and responded with good benefits
Tie into local and national organisations who can provide information, support and guidance through newsletters, payslips, intranet and more, such as Breathing Space and Samaritans – see the bottom of our ‘Need support’ section for more information.

We also offer paid mental health training with different courses to suit your organisation.