Implementing a Workplace Wellbeing Strategy for 2023

Speaker 1

Hello, everyone. You are very welcome to Zeebo Health’s Health and Wellbeing at Work 2023 Trends webinar. For those of you who are not familiar with Zeebo Health, we are an Irish-owned corporate health and well-being provider on a mission to empower people to lead healthier lives by providing engaging and rewarding health and well-being solutions. My name is Emma Cook.

I am Zeebo’s commercial manager, and joining me is my wonderful colleague Sarah Keene, well-being consultant for Zeebo Health. For the webinar today, Sarah will be guiding us through the current challenges confronting employee health and well-being, forecasted trends for 2023, along with strategic planning and popular approaches for implementing well-being programs.

So Sarah, I’ll hand over to you for a minute.

Speaker 2

Hi Emma, hi everyone, you’re very welcome. So just to begin, let’s start with taking a look at the current changes that have unfolded in business over the last couple of years. And many, many companies are dealing with that post pandemic impact in its various forms. And particularly so many people feeling that financial squeeze with inflation in recent months.

We’re also seeing globalization with geographically dispersed workforces for those that are working remotely and hybrid. And that brings with it also many challenges. We’re seeing the rise of digital business and the subsequent knock on effect it’s having on consumer behavior, as well as the implementation of various technologies in the workplace in many forms.

We’re seeing the rise of workplace surveillance, for example, for remote workers, again, those who are remote or hybrid, which is completely new. We’ve never had that before, certainly not at the scale we have it. And we have to look at the consequences of that for employee health and wellbeing. And then we’re also seeing the rise of automation and the integration of AI in workplaces.

So these are, as you can imagine, very novel new challenges that have arisen. So as a result, many of the key focal areas in the coming year or so revolve around really seeking out that opportunity with this post disruptive change. And rather than just seeing it as a challenge and a burden, really seeking out the positives that come hand in hand with that disruption.

Center stage really is the evolution of kind of more conscious workplaces and how that arises through many tiers, first and foremost, through building trust and accountability. We see the rise of diversity, equity and inclusion, the importance of fostering an organizational culture that has belonging at center stage.

We’re also seeing sustainability, that conscious ethical business, where we’re looking at SDGs, sustainable development goals and your environmental, social and governance targets for stakeholders, as well as social connection, as you can imagine again, with the dispersed workforce, in some instances, we’re seeing the rise of like micro cultures and the challenges to create team cohesion.

And then all of that summated is like really exploring ways to have best practice in order to navigate these new work models.

So drawing from that, the forecasted trends for 2023, especially focused in the first two quarters, we’re seeing a greater focus on broader dimensions of wellbeing, factoring in, for example, financial wellbeing much more, so it’s no longer just about yoga classes and fruit bowls, but that we are really addressing that holistic person centered approach to taking care of your employees.

And dovetailing on that, of course, continued focus on mental health, as many of you will be well aware, there’s been concerning trajectories there around the increase in burnout, the prevalence of stress, as well as depression and anxiety.

Speaker 2

And so we’ll talk a little bit more about that in a few moments. We’re also seeing an increase in the need for personalized intervention, as well as mirroring what’s happening, digitally in the workplace, that we have digital solutions, as well as all the innovations that are rising in our systems and how we work, but we’re seeing how that rise in with our wellbeing.

And then I guess the big part is the systemic and operational review. So really looking at health and wellbeing policy, which tackles things like leadership, really exploring employee voice, work flexibility, autonomy and workplace design. So we’re looking at, yeah, many, many tiers here.

Speaker 1

And just on that, look, some really excellent examples, Sarah, for areas like where businesses can really focus on for 2023. If a company was going to say to you, look, you know, if I was to focus on one or two key points, like, where would you really be advising? Like, what would you be advising companies to do in that instance?

Speaker 2

Yeah, it is a tricky one. And I’m not what I’d have in full context. And I suppose to start with, it’s important for an employer to understand a well being program fits into their overall well being strategy. And there’s if we were to simplify it, there’s kind of three main tiers, you have your endeavors to prevent issues arising for your employees.

And a lot of that is that systemic piece that I just mentioned around leadership and operational considerations, we then have the intervention piece. And that’s probably what you more typically think of when you think of well being programs. So things like webinars and various well being benefits. But then we also have a third pillar and that’s the treatment piece.

So when you are supporting your employees in rebalancing. So we offer solutions on all three, but for an employer to society where where they should begin, there’s there’s many different things to consider. I would say a big piece is that mental health piece that I just mentioned, the ISO safety standards.

So and these are the first global standards to be published to guide employers and how to maintain psychologically safe work environments. And so this, if it hasn’t been on an employer’s radar is certainly something to explore in greater depth and be more aware of.

And again, it ties in with that kind of deeper systemic approach and really looking at these core factors that are impacting your workers. And of course, there’s many internal and external factors that that come into play around psychological safety, as you can imagine.

And so what we do is to support employers who are interested in going deeper in this to perhaps do even a preliminary audit or many, many organizations may do an employee engagement survey, for example, even biannually, including elements of psychological safety to kind of get that pulse check on your employees. Well-being is kind of a key element to then inform you where you might start.

And that says that says, you know, if auditing and perhaps that deeper dive isn’t accessible or available, particularly maybe for SMEs who maybe don’t have that budget, there are these kind of four pillars I just mentioned earlier around mental health that are glaring at the moment and really required to be addressed in many, if not all workplaces.

So the four pillars to look at one is cognitive function. So what does that mean? Because some people might not be that familiar with that term.

Really, we’re looking at the ability to concentrate, focus, decision making, memory, all of those elements and research published over the last two years indicates that there’s, again, an increase in the likes of brain fog and difficulty with name recall and focus and concentration. And that’s really been heightened as a result of the pandemic.

So this is one aspect of mental health you could focus on supporting employees with. I mentioned that and then we also have an increase in the prevalence of anxiety, stress, which in chronic situations leads to burnout.

Speaker 2

And then, of course, concerning trajectory around depression as well. So you can see on the left-hand side of the slide down there in the corner, many of the challenges that feed into these mental health issues. And then the buffers that employers can start to put in place are things like flexible work models, the compassionate managerial approach.

I’m echoing a lot of what I’ve just mentioned earlier about looking at the kind of systemic operational factors, but it’s also really looking at employee education and peer-to-peer support. And we would see one of our flagship offerings that support employers with that is our mental health champion. So getting employees involved in supporting each other to improve their mental health.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you know, I think certainly kind of year on year, you know, organizations like mental health is the key pillar of well being that they want to focus on every year. So, you know, what what type of intervention is would organize a mission’s implement, you know, for each of the kind of areas of mental health that you’ve that you’ve listed off there.

Speaker 2

Yeah, well, as mentioned, the mental health champion would be one of our most popular and widely, most widely utilized solutions. But in addition to that, we’ve created solutions that, again, correspond to those three tiers that I mentioned at the start, that deeper prevention, the intervention piece, and then also the treatment.

And so how that looks, you know, we have things like managed services for employers who perhaps want to have clinicians visit on site and support their employees on a more consistent basis. And then we have consultancy and professional services.

So again, as mentioned earlier, that is what we more traditionally think around employee well-being, the trainings, the workshops, courses, and programs, as well as consultancy around drafting policy and auditing. And then we also have technology, because as I mentioned, we’re going seeing that trend that move towards increased digitalization and the personal touch.

And so the Zevo Health app really aims to be progressive in that area and support employees with kind of personalized well-being support, including the mental health support you’ve just asked about. Okay.

Speaker 1

And look, in an organization like if deeper systemic, you know, issues do exist, can, you know, even if we look at just professional services can hosting a solution like training session actually really make a difference in an organization.

Speaker 2

It’s a brilliant question. And I think it’s something that is quite prevalent at the moment, you know, people dealing with massive workloads and perhaps feeling overextended and then there’s this almost token webinar that they feel is offered.

But actually, the context is everything and how things are offered and delivered in a kind of coherent, meaningful way and in a way that stacks and supporting the employees over time, then it certainly can be helpful. It also will greatly depend on the topic that’s being addressed, which I’ll talk about in a moment.

But this illustration kind of gives an employer a sense of, you know, yes, standalone training can help to increase employee awareness around something. But then if you perhaps offer a workshop in conjunction with that or even an event and give them the ability or opportunity to integrate that information and apply it and maybe build some skills, even better.

And then if you want to support that with a deeper dive, perhaps with a course that really dives into that topic over a certain period of time and allowing again to increase the integration of the information and helping the employee to reflect and really apply it to their life circumstances, even better.

And personalizing it, taking to the next level, as I mentioned, maybe with clinicians day clinics on site. And I would just flag with that, that we’re also seeing a move away from just the therapeutic mindset around day clinics.

So for a long time, especially with things that are sensitive, like mental health, where there can be stigma, people maybe felt afraid or shy about reaching out for that therapeutic support.

And so we’re seeing that the offering of the likes of health coaching, which is maybe less clinical in orientation, but still incredibly helpful for employees who maybe might not consider themselves in a kind of a red flag area can be really helpful.

And then lastly, I suppose, for the sustenance and to maintain the consistency, having something like a digital platform can really help your employees because they have that continued support at the tip of their fingertips throughout the year. I just briefly mentioned, you know, again, answering your question there and standalone training, does it really make a difference?

It also depends on the topic and what’s being addressed and how deep the session goes. And then also, you know, is, for example, a training on healthy eating being delivered to the employees, but then you look at what’s available in the canteen and there’s a mismatch between, you know, the awareness that you’re giving your employees and then the choice architecture of the workplace.

So it’s just about becoming, you know, more aware of all of these elements and how when you pull them together, they have this synergistic effect and can really help each other. So it’s not to discount one over the other, but really see how they can all have their value when done in a logical kind of order of operations.

Speaker 2

So I’ve just listed a few of the talks just to give a sample of that holistic well-being that we mentioned at the very start and then the workshops that dovetail nicely with some of those talks and then the deeper dive courses that we have and then a sample of the day clinics.

So there’s lots of information on the website and people want to peruse the website and see more of the titles under the various domains.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that’s great. If an organisation, let’s say, even if they were looking at talks or workshops, they wanted to kind of sequence those in a nicer way, or if a company was to plan a programme, where would they start with that?

Speaker 2

Yeah I mean it can be really daunting particularly for companies perhaps who don’t have any in-house specialists in this area and so to meet that need we have created these frameworks for employers to utilize that would map out for example according to various budgets you know a sample of a meaningful sequence of trainings some for general health and then we also have more specified programs that maybe tackle things like structural health issues so if an employer sees there’s a prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and challenges employees are having or indeed mental health issues there’s a lot of stress leave for example we have a mental health program and then we also have a metabolic health one for the research indicated again among certain demographics that there was a lot of weight gain and that can come of course with many much impact on people’s not only their physical health but their mental health as well so we have various programs mapped out and just to kind of give you an idea across the different structures we have from very basic ones that would just be four trainings across the year to those that are a little bit more comprehensive with a 12 training sequence and then 12 trainings with day clinics that complement the content of the trainings and then a whole host of bespoke add-ons that an employer can elect to fit into their program.

Speaker 1

And some, some lovely examples of the different types of programs that companies can can go for their Sarah but, you know, I suppose a big question. You know, we would often get asked is, you know, okay, I’m going to go ahead and I’m going to implement a program like how do I know it’s going to work.

Speaker 2

Yeah, well, we have we’ve created a program success guide with tips for employers on how to optimize engagement and how to get employees involved in the in the various initiatives that they run throughout the year and also then helping them to have better alignment between the trainings and the interventions they’re offering and the structures that are in place in the workplace, like I mentioned.

So that there isn’t that kind of conflict that one thing is being told and then the other, you know, then the environment is kind of working against it. So we’ve created, as I said, this program success guideline book and just if an individual or an employer isn’t on board with with running a program right now.

What we would say is just really getting clarity around knowing where the gaps are and closing that gap between what you think is the problem and what actually is because oftentimes there can be a mismatch.

So getting that both quantitative and qualitative feedback to paint a clearer picture for you as an employer and what the real issues are for your employees, getting them on board, starting, you know, whether it’s well being champions or a well being steering committee.

To really give them the reins and the autonomy around implementing well being programs that actually are going to be most meaningful to them. So that’s certainly a resource that can be helpful.

I would just add to that, like, again, on that whole technology conversation that, you know, for some companies, especially larger companies, for example, where the logistics of running a program, it might appeal, but the reality of getting people aligned to be able to attend workshops at certain times or trainings at certain times might be more challenging.

And this is where the likes of the Zevo Health app can also really come in handy, where again, you know, employees at the touch of their fingers have more personalized access to things like master classes and personal challenges. And is there anything you’d add to that, Emma?

Speaker 1

Well, I think, you know, even just talk about the core elements of it. So I think on the next slide there. So I suppose really well being 360 has been designed to be your all in one holistic digital well being solution. So we focus on those three core elements, which you see there.

So zebra therapy, this is a 24 seven video counseling, coaching service, providing, you know, in the moment support to your employees to really help them deal with any personal or professional difficulties, you know, that they could be facing zebra challenges, then that element really seeks to build connections across the business through, you know, fun and friendly team and company wide challenges.

So it’s an excellent way to engage with your employees, boost morale and just really make, you know, health and fitness fun for all involved. And then finally, zebra academy. So this is an inspiring e-learning hub and encouraging, you know, employees to broaden their awareness and just learn new skills to promote healthy behavior change. So the academy also acts as a great support to digital therapy.

So for example, you know, the counselor can recommend a science based course, for example, cognitive behavioral therapy, or really any other relevant resources to really enhance the individual’s therapeutic experience.

Speaker 2

And so I just say on the Zevo Academy, a lot of the content in the master classes is very similar to the live trainings that we would create. So it’s just a different format and delivery and supporting the employees to have that enhanced accessibility to it and also have the kind of free choice to explore themes they’re most interested in.

So just to note that and just around the challenges, I suppose the big one to mention would be the Fittest Workplace Challenge, which is again, one of our biggest and most impactful brief interventions. It happens over two weeks. And again, it’s just one of these novel light interventions that actually addresses a lot of those challenges.

We mentioned earlier on things around the micro cultures and the team cohesion that can be challenging. So because it’s delivered digitally, it doesn’t matter where your employees are geographically, they can all band together and work as a team for this for this challenge.

So that really has that kind of social connection and novelty piece as well as on a physical level, really inspiring people to move more, which has a whole host of benefits, both physically and mentally, which we’re all so much more aware of now in recent years. And so just to mention that one to Emma.

Speaker 1

Yeah, exactly. And just for our listeners today, like if you haven’t heard of Ireland’s Fittest Workplace, you know, it’s an intercompany challenge where you are battling it out to win the title of Ireland’s Fittest Workplace. So as Sarah mentioned, it’s a two week challenge. It is all tracked and managed via the Zevo Help app. And just even, you know, some stats reported from 2022.

And so 94% reported the challenge had significant value for the company. 91% reported, you know, improvement in employee morale during the challenge. And 87% reported a widespread employee interest in actually participating in the challenge, which is a great one. And of course, 89% reporting that the challenge motivated them to move more. So really, you know, it kicks off in March 2023.

And it’s just a really great way, a fun way to kind of bring employees together and have a little bit of fun.

Speaker 2

Yeah, absolutely. So from my side anyway, Emma, that’s kind of the key high level overview of the trend, upcoming trends.

We are currently underway in a piece of research on the well-being survey, our annual well-being survey, and we’re going to have a much more detailed report that’s going to be published towards the end of the year that will also support employers in mapping out the year ahead and kind of highlighting key things to focus on.

Speaker 1

Great, and just for our listeners, Sarah, the report, is that, how would people access that? Would people have to join the Siva Health newsletter to get access or is it public on the website?

Speaker 2

It will be published on the website but also certainly to keep up to speed, joining for the newsletter would be recommended.

Speaker 1

Okay, great stuff. Okay, thank you so much for your time today, Sarah, and thanks so much for bringing us through and the kind of key trends for 2023. For the audience members, thank you very much for your time. Should you have any questions, please send them on to hello at zebohealth.com. Have a lovely day.