5 Common Corporate Wellbeing blind spots that cost companies dearly
Understanding and fixing them can transform your business.
Blind Spot #1: Wellbeing is considered separate from work performance.
When your people are well, they will be high functioning.
This includes psychological skills, bodily health (sleep, diet, exercise), relationships, purpose, and balance.
When these wellbeing factors are enhanced, your people will be more motivated, energetic, engaged, and productive. And they will be more willing to take on challenges.
If you want to improve staff performance, start by improving their wellbeing.
Blind Spot #2: The CEO is not involved in the wellbeing strategy.
Because you cannot separate wellbeing and work performance, CEOs and leaders must necessarily be interested in the wellbeing strategy of the organisation.
Corporate wellbeing is a key driver of the bottom-line, and even share market performance.
If your CEO is not yet involved in the wellbeing strategy, it’s time to start a conversation about why it matters.
Blind Spot #3: Interventions are focused on remediating problems rather than prevention or wellbeing enhancement.
When your house is on fire, it’s urgent. It mobilises resources, and everyone celebrates when the crisis is over.
But if you stop someone’s house catching fire in the first place, you’ve achieved something much better. But there’s less urgency in being proactive, and no well-defined point of celebration.
Prevention isn’t sexy, but it is very important. There’s a lot workplaces can do to prevent anxiety, depression and chronic stress in their staff.
Blind Spot #4: Leaders who lack psychological skills are ill-equipped to support their teams.
If you don’t know what healthy thinking is, how can you know if your thinking is healthy? How can you coach and support others to apply this crucial skill?
If you don’t know the purpose and function of emotions, how can you support others in their emotional self-management?
High performing organisations ensure their leaders understand, model and coach the skills required to have a healthy mind.
Blind Spot #5: Decision-making is not data-driven.
Good intentions are nice, but they can be disastrous when relied on for corporate wellbeing strategy.
A scientific evidence-base is the most robust rationale for your decision-making.
By including data from your own staff, your strategy becomes even stronger.
Well-crafted wellbeing surveys enable you to direct your resources where they will have the greatest impact.
When you’re data-driven in your approach, you can have confidence in the outcome.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Are there any other blind spots that should be listed here?
We help resolve these blind spots – get in touch if you’d like help with your corporate wellbeing strategy.
Author – Dr Tom Nehmy is a clinical psychologist and Director of Healthy Minds Education & Training
