We hear more and more about Corporate Wellbeing. But what is it? Is it just the latest HR buzzword or is it a concept of real importance that we can make sense of?
Let's find out in this article.
By corporate well-being or organizational well-being we mean all those strategies, activities and solutions that an organization implements to promote and maintain the physical, psychological and social well-being of all workers who work within it.
The origin of corporate well- being dates back approximately to the beginnings of modern factory work, in Italy therefore from around the middle of the 19th century to today. The male and female workers, in that period more numerous than the men in the large factories, lived in conditions of poverty and the owners of the factories, to retain their workforce, began to implement the first social supports.
This is where welfare in the company was born : the aim was to have the dedication and devotion of its workforce. In exchange , the industrialist guaranteed the care of all the material aspects of the existence of both the worker and his family.
Today we talk even more often about wellbeing and wellbeing , words close to welfare but different. As we explained in the article " Wellness, wellbeing and welfare: differences and characteristics ".
Why are companies investing in corporate wellbeing?
Studies and research on organizations have now largely demonstrated that the most efficient organizations are those with satisfied people and a calm and participatory internal climate.
Investing in organizational well-being means investing in the well-being of your people and, consequently, in the future of your organization . More and more workers are convinced that the company should take care of their well-being.
Failure to pay attention to this point could result in an increase in turnover , a decrease in motivation and productivity and, in general, in an unwelcoming company climate.
It is now a fact that companies that want to remain competitive will have to seriously deal with wellbeing .
ARGOMM, one of the companies that chose Trainect as a wellbeing partner, told us how in 5 months they increased the wellbeing level of their people by 10%.
Do you know what factors influence corporate well-being?
Among the elements that lead to improving the mental and physical health of workers and, therefore, increasing their well-being we find:
the motivation;
collaboration;
involvement;
the correct circulation of information;
flexibility;
people's trust.
The company's attention to organizational well-being stimulates the motivation of employees , who are pushed to contribute even more to a socially responsible company that shows it cares about them.
A fundamental thing to underline when you want to improve corporate well-being is that actions cannot be reduced to a series of initiatives as an end in themselves, but must be a set of strategies totally integrated with the culture of the organization .
What does it mean? It means that probably even before introducing solutions or activities we need to ensure that attention to well-being is a corporate value , expressed in concrete and authentic commitment. Otherwise there is no innovative solution that works.
To change perspective in a company, the best thing is always to start by actively listening to your people and speaking directly to them, listening to their needs and requirements.
Who better than the people directly involved can tell us what they need to feel good? To get a first idea of the answer we did a survey to find out what employees ask companies for .
Having made this necessary premise, it is clear that the work of taking care of people's well-being cannot be something improvised but something that requires vertical skills.
Courses for corporate well-being or Company Welfare
It is usually quite obvious that the HR function is responsible for organizational well-being, but in the last period, given that we have started to talk more often about well-being and corporate well-being, it is not so unusual to start seeing figures like the Chief Happiness Officer, Wellbeing Designer, Wellness Manager.
Are there specialized courses for training figures of this type? Not very many yet, but let's see the main ones in Italy:
Course for Welfare Managers from the definition of welfare to the new frontiers of wellbeing - by Tutto Welfare;
Welfare Manager Academy the first course for Welfare Managers with quality certification - created by eQwa Impresa sociale, in collaboration with Percorsi disecond welfare and Walà;
CHO Chief Happiness Officer Skills, Tools and Practices for building and managing Positive Organizations;
The Happiness Manager Course will teach you managerial management based on happiness as a tool to achieve your business and professional goals.
Advantages and costs of a culture that places corporate well-being at the centre
The advantages for the employee related to the adoption of a company welfare policy are:
physical and emotional resilience;
lower risk of burn out;
greater productivity and sharing of the mission;
less absenteeism and greater engagement.
The advantages for the company, however, are:
growth of brand reputation;
operational and financial results;
greater sustainability and safety;
growth of brand loyalty.
Although the economic return is clear, it is difficult to predict the initial investment needed to introduce wellbeing policies and solutions . First of all because there is no single formula that can be used by all organizations without distinction and, consequently, because it will depend on the strategies you want to implement.
Possible costs that could be considered include :
hire a wellbeing manager;
renovate rooms and furnishings;
integrate new software ;
organize events, meetings and activities.
If you are looking for inspiration on how to start taking care of your people, you may find it interesting to read what other startups and companies are doing, such as Pokè House, Helbiz, Musement and many others. Here you can find a series of interviews conducted with the HR team, which delve into the strategies and experiments implemented.