ELEVATE EMPLOYEE WELLBEING WITH STRATEGIC INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
You can always spot the workplace that values its employees’ wellbeing. It shines brightly – in their positive culture, high productivity, sparkling ideas and clarity of purpose. Cathy Phillips, managing director at H&H Agency, explores.
Internal communications teams are in the perfect position to promote a focus on employee wellbeing. And making wellbeing a fundamental part of internal communications strategies can unlock benefits, not only for colleagues but the broader organisation, too. Here’s a few ways to get you started:
- Encourage a culture of open communication
Wellbeing should be a conversation that keeps bubbling and drawing people in. And, as good mental health is essential to overall wellbeing, keep the topic out in the open through conversation, workshops, webinars and training.
Hold feedback sessions and forums on a range of wellbeing topics. Make sure voices from every part of the organisation are being heard. And encourage leaders to seek out views from across the organisation. Studies show employees who feel heard are more engaged and motivated.
- Keep wellbeing at the front of colleagues’ minds
Make sure employees are constantly reminded about what’s available – from mental health training, gym memberships to employee assistance programmes and everything in between. Even if people don’t want or need to use them now, they’ll benefit from the ‘exposure effect’ – and they know it’s there when they need it.
- Be there for everyone
Think carefully about how your colleagues access and consume information. Digital platforms are great for giving connected employees easy – and discreet – access to information and programmes relevant to them. Think about how ‘hard to reach’ employees can keep up to date, too.
If you want to boost engagement, consider adding a little gamification. It boosts visibility by meeting our need for satisfaction, keeping us alert and motivated.
- Introduce active challenges
We love a challenge at H&H. Can we collectively walk a marathon in our homeworking spaces? Sign up for a lunchtime 10-minute cardio blast? Run, climb, hang out laundry – it all counts! We’ve certainly seen the benefit of being part of our ‘ConnectWell’ community, a group built around the power of movement. And love to talk about it too – so get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
And make sure you use internal communications channels to track progress, recognise achievements and share highlights.
- Promote peer recognition
Recognition from colleagues can be particularly meaningful and motivating. Encourage a congratulatory culture with weekly shout-outs or a designated channel for acknowledging each other’s efforts and keeping feel-good vibes flowing.
Whatever you decide to do to boost your colleagues’ wellbeing, make sure you consider how to measure and evaluate. Use surveys and pulse checks to gauge engagement with wellbeing programmes, see where you could make tweaks and guide future strategies.
By evolving and adapting your strategy, you’ll tap into what’s really working for your colleagues. And, over time, you’ll play a pivotal role in creating a culture where employee wellbeing thrives.
