Brexit: wellness at the heart of business

Following the Brexit decision corporate wellness and a “culture of wellness” is more important than ever.culture of wellness brexit

It is a challenging time for most organisations in the private and public sectors, particularly with the recent uncertainty of Brexit, rising economic insecurity and wider global pressures. This is alongside the less obvious challenges, for example, contradictory demands by different generations of employees e.g. many Millennials (born early 80’s) feel their current organisations are not making full use of their skills. But it is possible to find opportunities in this period of change and a “culture of wellness” can support organisations in maximising these by getting the best out of employees, attracting and retaining the best staff, improving performance and quality and providing good ‘customer’ service.

Many organisations have some corporate wellness initiatives but these are not always an integral part of their business model, linked to a “culture of wellness” where employees can find their purpose in the company as well as finding their wellness peak. Many programmes are developed and implemented in silos, and not linked to wider organisation development or functions. There is a real opportunity to implement a new, more innovative approach to corporate wellness and a ‘culture of wellness’ that will have a positive impact on organisational performance.

Wellness needs to work and be relevant for employees and the employer:

  • More employers are facing the reality that the welfare and productivity of their companies are intrinsically linked to the health of their workers.
  • Employees need to see the value of and proactively engage in a ‘culture of wellness’. Often employees will state that the barriers to them improving their wellness is time and money but common barriers can be overcome within a culture of openness and communication

Developing a ‘culture of wellness’ is not necessarily a quick fix but does have a number of established benefits:

  • Employees better able to adapt and cope with change
  • Improved individual and organisational performance
  • Improved ability to attract and retain the best employees
  • Improved ‘customer service’
  • Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism

Can you afford not to reap the benefits of corporate wellness and a ‘culture of wellness’?