3. Five key enablers of well-being
CRFâs research highlights five critical enablers that organizations must address to achieve successful outcomes from their well-being strategies:
Enabler 1: A culture of health
A supportive organizational culture is essential for sustaining well-being. Toxic workplace behaviors âsuch as excessive demands, lack of psychological safety, or poor interpersonal relationships â can undermine even the most comprehensive well-being initiatives.
Actions to build a culture of health:
- Normalize well-being conversations: Provide managers and teams with toolkits for discussing well-being. Bupaâs Personal Energy program uses facilitated conversations to help teams identify and address energy drains.
- Measure psychological safety: Include questions on bullying, presenteeism, or trust in employee surveys. Teach managers how to build safety in their teams.
- Embed well-being into business decisions: Ensure that restructuring, acquisitions, or policy changes factor in the impact on employee well-being.
Enabler 2: Leadership role modeling
When senior leaders visibly support well-being initiatives, they set the tone for the organization. Leaders who share personal stories â such as a CEO who openly discussed the impact of a family memberâs suicide on their well-being â help normalize discussions around mental health.
Organizations can also educate leaders on the link between well-being and performance. Creating KPIs or reporting mechanisms for leadership teams can encourage accountability and harness the natural competitiveness of leaders to get them to commit to action.
Enabler 3: Work design
Well-designed jobs that promote autonomy, purpose, and manageable workloads contribute to well-being at work. Conversely, poorly designed roles can lead to stress and burnout.
Steps for good work design:
- Use psychosocial hazard frameworks to assess and address risks such as excessive demands or role ambiguity.
- Involve employees in job redesign to identify stressors. For example, Bupa used workshops with care home managers to streamline job roles and improve clarity.
- Leverage technology like AI to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up employees for more meaningful work.
Enabler 4: Line manager capability
Line managers are often the âmake or breakâ factor in employee well-being. However, CRFâs research found that six in 10 organizations see line managers as a barrier due to insufficient capability and lack of training.
Manager development priorities:
- Provide targeted training on spotting early signs of poor well-being, having supportive conversations, and signposting resources. Consider integrating well-being into existing line manager development programs or making well-being training mandatory.
- Set well-being-related performance metrics, such as absenteeism rates, in manager reviews.
Enabler 5: Communication
Without effective communication, even the best-designed well-being strategies can fail. Clear messaging ensures employees are aware of resources, encouraged to participate, and empowered to make healthier choices.
Communication good practices:
Target hard-to-access groups: Use managers, champions, trade union representatives, or employee networks to engage frontline employees who may lack access to apps or platforms.
Tell stories: Personal, relatable stories resonate more than generic messages.
Create a well-being brand: Create a distinct, recognizable identity for your program, such as Bupaâs Viva or Koneâs Elevate Your Health initiatives.