Wellbeing is everyone’s business. That’s why we developed our new workplace wellbeing audit, which shows companies exactly how their culture is affecting their people – and in turn, the business itself. To help explain the process, we’re sitting down with hoomph’s senior people partner, Sarah Smith, to chat about how our audit helps businesses understand what they’re doing right, where there’s room for some oomph, and exactly what the process entails. Let’s dive in.
First up, how do you measure wellbeing in a workplace?
Sarah: We’ve built our own framework, which looks at six factors that influence workplace wellbeing. At the heart is leadership, as leaders set and drive the tone for company culture. Then we look at how management interacts with their teams, and the impact this has. How do they approach issues? How do they have conversations? We dig into how work is measured, and whether the team understand what’s expected of them, and how this links into the company.
Next, we look at relationships at work and whether they are healthy. If there is conflict, how is it dealt with? We also examine the support systems available, whether internal or through external resources, and if employees know how to access them. Ultimately, this is all wrapped together with the company culture and how the tone is set day to day: does it let people thrive or hinder their wellbeing?
In a sentence or two, how would you describe the workplace wellbeing audit?
Sarah: The audit is designed to give organisations an understanding of how they are currently doing. It looks at those six factors: leadership, management, work, relationships, support and company culture, and how each are affecting wellbeing within their workplace, and then comes out with a score against each. This way, companies can understand how they’re doing from a workplace wellbeing perspective. Once it’s broken down, they can quickly see the areas they’re doing well and where they need to improve.
What can clients expect from a workplace wellbeing audit?
Sarah: The first step is a meeting (face-to-face or virtually) with the right person – that might be the CEO, founder, their head of people, or people director – whoever will be responsible for running the audit. We’ll run through a number of questions from the company perspective on their current approach to wellbeing. All the questions fit into those six factors: that way we can get a feeling of what policies and processes they currently have in place.
We’ll then discuss a communications plan internally and send out an all-company survey. Again, the survey is based around those six factors, and takes about 15 mins to complete. Once we have the data back, we’ll analyse it and create a detailed report that breaks down each factor, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Finally, we give companies a roadmap of where they need to prioritise their time to improve workplace wellbeing.
How long does it take?
Sarah: This depends on the company. Sometimes it can move quite quickly, over a matter of a month. Typically, it takes around four to six weeks, with the employee survey being open for two weeks.
What are the top benefits of a company having a workplace wellbeing audit?
Sarah: Above all, it gives companies an understanding of how they’re doing from a workplace wellbeing perspective, and how their employees feel about it. It can boost productivity and engagement by figuring out what's negatively affecting employee wellbeing and putting a plan in place to fix it. When a company really focusses on supporting mental health and wellbeing, employees are happier at work, they take fewer sick days and they tend to get more done. That's great for the company and the employees.
Having a good workplace culture also helps with attracting talent – people want to work for companies that treat them well, so focusing on wellbeing can boost a company's reputation. The audit gives a clear picture of what's working and what isn't, with solid suggestions on how to improve. The roadmap it comes with can also guide companies on the right path to create a healthier workplace. This way, they know exactly where to focus to make things better for everyone.
Why do you believe wellbeing is so important in a workplace?
Sarah: Whether good or bad, everyone has mental health and wellbeing, not just a small demographic of the company. It has to be a focus to make sure employers are supporting their employees in the best way they can, whether from a productivity, efficiency, or employee experience perspective. Setting up a workplace where people can thrive is important and it's what employees are looking for in their job roles. In order to attract and retain talent, it has to be a focus.
What are the risks of not investing in employee wellbeing for a workplace?
Sarah: Without prioritising wellbeing, I think employers end up having a culture that doesn't support their teams’ mental health and wellbeing. This will then have an impact on their productivity, their sickness and absence rate, which in turn links to higher turnover and increased costs to the company.
How do you help businesses going forward?
Sarah: After we deliver the workplace wellbeing audit report, it's up to the company whether they want us to implement the recommendations or not. From our years of experience as HR professionals, we know what works within companies, and from a mental health perspective, we also take advice from reputable organisations such as Mind. Ultimately, the first step is often getting leaders to open up communication within the business around mental health and get wellbeing to create an environment of psychological safety.
