By: Josefine Sandahl Many organizations offer miscellaneous health benefits without having any specific plan for what they wish to achieve. Hence, they may get limited returns for their expenses. Addressing well-being in a proactive and strategic manner will result in improved working environment, enhanced efficiency and consequently significant positive financial impact and competitiveness.
3 steps to develop a strategic plan for well-being
1. Work fact based
First and foremost, one should start by assessing the actual well-being status of all employees. A fact-based approach will improve understanding of the current situation, and identify challenging areas that needs to be addressed, both on individual and organizational level. Better knowledge of the status will encourage the will for transformation. It will also contribute to identify which activities should be focused on and enable measurement of results through the process.
2. Create flexibility
A strategic plan for well-being shall always include common agreed and measurable short- and long-term goals. A frequent mistake we often see is that organizations prepare plans with too detailed solutions, this may cause demotivation and reduced willingness to change. It is therefore recommended that the employees are offered flexibility with regards to means and methods, as we humans often are more prone to changes if we are allowed some influence. However, continuity and endurance are essential to succeed. A few anti-stress lectures will hardly result in any long-term results. Hence, building and maintaining well-being requires continuous attention, just as maintaining one’s physical health requires regular activity.
3. Use a proactive approach
To create a sustainable working environment requires long term efforts to promote well-being.
Our last advice to reach a stage where the organization can work strategic to create well-being is to focus on proactive measures. To create a sustainable working environment requires long term efforts to promote wellbeing. Reactive actions can be both costly and negative for efficiency and engagement. Preventive and constructive work with well-being requires knowledge and insight of both the individual and the organization, this to make the healthy and correct choices, both instantly and for the long term.
Research shows that strategic well-being is a profitable investment!
Dear Change was founded by Josefine Sandahl as an initiative to work with employee physical and mental well-being in a strategic manner.
