The Benefits Of Employee Wellbeing

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Employee wellbeing is a critical factor in retaining talent within the construction, building, and manufacturing industries, writes Origin’s Victoria Brocklesby.

At Origin, we manufacturer aluminium doors and windows. We have consistently prioritised our people and their wellbeing, resulting in higher employee retention rates compared to industry averages.

We have fostered a company culture that places employee wellbeing at its core and explores the business advantages of retaining happy and fulfilled employees.

 

Gain and retain

Full-time employees spend more of their waking hours at work and with colleagues than with their families and friends. So, organisations have a responsibility to create supportive environments that cater to employees' physical and mental needs. Not only this, but with 22% of construction firms suffering from staff shortages and facing an average lead time of four months to fill positions, prioritising staff wellbeing can not only help attract but also retain valuable talent.

 

How to put staff wellbeing first

Putting staff wellbeing at the centre of a business’s values and culture requires actions that genuinely support employees, nurture relationships, and establish a happy and committed workforce. As a family business, there are several ways we do this at Origin.

 

Culture

Origin's company culture, founded on the family values of care, trust and respect, has been crucial to our success and we have adapted to ensure this ethos is maintained even as the company has grown. This cultural groundwork facilitates the introduction of initiatives that prioritise employee wellbeing.

 

Benefits

After recognising the low uptake of our original Gymflex package, we revamped our benefits offering by introducing a cash plan scheme. This comprehensive approach includes gym memberships, subsidised healthcare, 24/7 virtual GP appointments, mental health support and retail discounts. Uptake increased to over 70%. The package has been extended to include employees' families as they are by extension part of the Origin family too.

 

Learning management system

Prioritising employee learning is another way a company can show they care. At Origin, we invested in a new learning management system to offer employees opportunities to upskill, access job-related courses and broaden their knowledge in wider areas, such as mental health awareness.

 

Consultations with senior staff

Employees value being heard and knowing their opinions matter. We facilitate regular town hall-style meetings with senior members of the company, providing employees with a platform to ask questions, give feedback and make suggestions, ensuring their voices are heard and considered.

Origin's approach to fostering a positive staff wellbeing attitude is just one way to do it. For any staff wellbeing programme to be genuine, it must be tailored to the company and its staff's unique set of needs. By ensuring it feels genuine, it will resonate with employees.

 

The benefits of prioritising employee wellbeing

The benefits of prioritising employee wellbeing go beyond being morally the right thing to do. Employers investing in employee health and wellbeing witness higher productivity, increased profitability, reduced staff turnover and fewer safety incidents. Gallup's research reveals that employees who believe their employer cares about their wellbeing are more engaged, less likely to search for new jobs and experience lower burnout rates.

In addition to productivity benefits, a happy and cohesive workforce also financially benefits a company. The cost of turnover in the construction industry is significant, with an average cost per hire in the UK estimated at £3,000. With a turnover rate of around 20% in the construction industry, companies with 100 employees could face annual costs of £60,000 to fill vacant positions, not accounting for training expenses and initial productivity losses.

 

Growth

Prioritising employees also has positive effects on business growth. Investors seek to collaborate with companies that prioritise employee wellbeing and potential trade partners view businesses that treat their staff ethically more favourably. End-users also appreciate companies that do good in the world and treat their employees with respect.

 

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to employee wellbeing. Any strategy must genuinely align with employees' interests. For instance, offering retail discounts for stores employees don’t shop in will feel more like a tick box exercise than a genuine attempt to help; and providing lunch in the office on a Friday when most work from home will again feel disingenuous. Looking after employee wellbeing entails considering their entire work experience and finding ways to enhance it. Tailoring benefits to individual preferences ensures a higher chance of motivation and engagement. Without genuine compassion, any benefits or wellbeing package will fall short of their intended impact and not offer any measurable ROI or serve as a valuable recruiting tool.

 

Picture: Origin’s Victoria Brocklesby has a passionate and pragmatic view on employee wellbeing as a force for good for workers but also for the business.

www.origin-global.com

 

Article written by Victoria Brocklesby
25th August 2023

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