Why organisations need to measure wellbeing

The business case for employee wellbeing

Employee wellbeing is rising up the strategic agenda. According to Deloitte, the annual cost of poor employee mental health has risen to £53-56 billion for UK employers. What is behind this figure? The 3 main contributing factors are absenteeism, presenteeism (attending work while ill) and staff turnover. So, an investment in employee wellbeing is a direct investment in the productivity and financial health of your business.

But the benefits of supporting employee wellbeing go far beyond the bottom line. According to the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report (2022) the top 3 benefits of workplace wellbeing are:

• A more inclusive and healthier culture
• Better work-life balance
• Improved employee morale and engagement

So, the business case is clear. The challenge for organisations is to mitigate the risks and maximise the benefits. The question is where to start? How can you start to create a culture of wellbeing in your organisation? It starts with measurement.

Why measure employee wellbeing

A robust measure of employee wellbeing is the foundation for every successful wellbeing strategy. Robust measurement:

• provides a starting point for action
• identifies pressure points
• gives a ‘temperature check’ of what is happening across different demographics
• allows change to be monitored over time
• tracks ROI

How to start measuring employee wellbeing

The good news is that by following a few key principles you can build an effective measurement plan. To help, we have developed the HR guide to workplace wellbeing measurement. If you are just getting started, or want to refine your approach, it will give you the information you need to succeed. You will discover:

• Why organisations need to measure wellbeing
• How to take a proactive approach to employee wellbeing
• Objectives for wellbeing measurement
• The data gathering process
• Example data points for employee wellbeing