WELLNESS WASHING

The practice of well-being washing is not always intentional, and many businesses are unaware they are doing it. As the latest research shows, having an effective mental health programme is critical for employee support.

by Steve McArthur, Insights & Solutions Asia

Initially identified by Claro Well-being UK, well-being washing occurs when an organization displays support for well-being initiatives without providing meaningful, well-being support to its employees. The practice of well-being washing is not always intentional, and many businesses are unaware they are doing it. As Claro’s research shows, well-being is having a detrimental impact on both employees and organizations.

Well-being washing has many potential consequences, including negative reviews on sites such as Glassdoor, employee departures and a loss of stakeholder trust. Aside from that, employees still experience problems with their well-being and need effective support to continue working. Each year, one out of four people will suffer from or experience a mental health problem. In order to meet the mental health needs of their employees, employers must tailor their mental health programme accordingly. Those in need will receive meaningful support as a result of this. The relationship between financial well-being and mental health is intrinsic. In addition, benefits must be adapted to meet the changing needs of employees today.

The fact that companies promote mental health awareness, support initiatives, and well-being is all incredibly important.However, in order to back this up, companies must ensure that they have their house in order. Businesses can show their commitment to employees and their commitment to their well-being by having a well-being strategy that includes the three pillars of well-being: mental, physical, and financial. This can also be demonstrated by how they drive forward their well-being initiatives. In addition, businesses must be transparent and measure the impact of their efforts on employee well-being. In seven out of ten workplaces, mental health awareness days and weeks are celebrated. However, many companies offer mental health support, but only 36% is considered effective or outstanding by employees. 40% of employees think their employer is well-being washing. This means that they talk about well-being, but put no strong strategic programme in place.

Reviewing wellbeing washing from an industry perspective shows alarming results especially in the recruitment industry and HR, where around 67% of individuals feel employers are well-being washing. Medical and pharma follows second at 58%, with technology 50%, retail 43% and across accountancy, banking and finance, it’s around 43% overall.

Many organisations have been criticised, especially by younger employees on social media platforms for wellnesswashing. Some have even resigned live using TikTok to get their points across. The results are millions of views by TikTok fans.

Aside from employee criticism, well-being washing has very real and damaging consequences. 41% of individuals surveyed reported employees left the organisation as a result of its poor approach to mental health. Hiring staff due to this makes it 23% harder to recruit. One in five cases indicated that a change in leadership was required. This shows that the issue is serious enough to require personal change to stabilise an organisation. The results show that not taking well-being seriously can have long-lasting consequences as a quarter of employees said it took six months or more to recover from reputational damage.

Companies know and must recognise that support is essential for well-being and mental health at work. After COVID there has been an increase in loneliness and isolation caused by working at home and increased screen time. Time spent with colleagues away from screens and the workplace can help improve well-being and togetherness. Several organisations have added extra work socials to boost morale, while others have added private healthcare provisions as well as physical well-being as a priority. Sabbaticals and paid time off are among the most popular benefits. Some organisations introduced a four-day week which have been very successful, with 90% of companies continuing with a shorter working week. Businesses reported revenues equal to a five-day week and a 65% reduction in sick days. And a surprising 71% of employees reported lower burnout levels.

We know monetary pressures are interlinked with well-being struggles and organisations should include this in their well-being strategy. Money stress is one of the leading causes of stress and affects mental and physical well-being as well as productivity and engagement at work. Financial well-being isn’t about initiating talks with financial advisors or local insurers who aim to sell their products to your employees. Financial well-being is about finance education and financial coaching. It can be achieved by providing access to reading materials and creating group sessions to discuss monetary health. It’s not about an employer being involved in someone’s private, personal and monetary circumstances. It’s about supporting employees.

Singapore is known to be the most overworked country in Asia, with many employees working unpaid overtime. In a variety of industries many employees experience burnout or will experience burnout in the future, which of course leads to increased sickness. Unpaid overtime is not appreciated and must be addressed as the reasons given for overtime suggest an unhealthy working culture. Many Singapore employees believe they are expected to work beyond their contracted hours and a fifth believe their extra effort is unnoticed by their line manager. Often, individuals work longer hours to catch up with their workload and some young people feel guilty if they don’t put in extra hours like their colleagues. All of this forms part of a wellbeing culture.

How can you avoid well-being washing?

To get the right results, organisations need to make more meaningful and impactful changes to prevent well-being washing. It’s not enough to talk about well-being, they need to ‘walk-the-talk’ too.

Actions speak louder than words. Before publicly acknowledging mental health or other well-being initiatives, ensure you have a robust mental well-being programme in place. Provide training, create a well-being culture and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach with your employees. It is imperative to set expectations clearly and convey the benefits of investing in an employee mental health and well-being programme. Get some employees involved and communicate directly with employees to demonstrate a genuine commitment to supporting mental health. Of course, when communicating, companies must ensure messages are genuine, accurate and consistent across all channels which must reflect in all internal activities, services and support provided. Finally, be sure this is embedded both in your policies and procedures and company culture to ensure well-being can be lived and breathed throughout the organisation.