Six employee wellbeing trends for 2023 – Personnel Today

As 2023 approaches, employers will be considering the common health and wellness issues facing employees and how their organisation can support the workforce. Marc Holl breaks down six well-being trends.  

Nuffield Health’s 2022 Healthier Nation Index study revealed one in three adults claims their own mental wellness has got worse in the last year. The same statistic is also true of physical health, with a third of UK adults reporting a decline over the particular last 12 months.

Employers have a responsibility to help individuals manage their well being. However, it’s clear targeted support isn’t commonly available to modern workers who are increasingly adopting flexible working approaches.

With this inside mind, Nuffield Health suggests six workplace wellbeing trends we can expect to see in 2023 as employers look to create relevant plus effective health offerings.

1. Managing musculoskeletal health

The recent rise in remote working has delivered many benefits for employees, including a greater work-life balance and a reduction in stressful commutes.

But it isn’t without its challenges – namely overworking and the bodily impact of unergonomic home offices – with 72, 000 individuals recently confirming a musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder directly caused or exacerbated by the pandemic, according to statistics from the particular Health and Safety Executive.

Futhermore, recent ONS data show a 31% increase in the number of people who have fallen out associated with work because of back plus neck problems .

Despite employers’ responsibilities to provide comfortable home working set-ups, many aren’t meeting their obligations. However , they are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

While financial support should continue to be made available to workers for furniture and equipment – and employers should signpost in order to how to access these funds – we are now entering the age of the corporate physiotherapist.

Businesses can invite musculoskeletal wellness experts to review the current office environment as well as offer general advice on posture, exercise plus nutrition to avoid injury at home.

Employers may also choose in order to contribute financial support with regard to private sessions to prevent the greater monetary burden of the £3. 5 billion paid by companies each 12 months to deal with place of work injuries. Plus, research indicates businesses may achieve an ROI of nearly £100 per £1 spent on physiotherapy regarding musculoskeletal health.

2. The particular new work-life balance

Our idea associated with ‘work-life balance’ traditionally involves unwinding from work stress in your own home, after leaving the particular office. But what happens when house life itself becomes increasingly stressful?

Research suggests the current cost-of-living crisis has been linked to a direct boost in tension . And with financial stresses showing no signs of letting up, employers have a responsibility to help individuals avoid burnout.

This may include inviting a financial specialist in order to host the webinar for all employees upon managing money, as well as offering relevant office benefits – such as grocery vouchers – that directly address some key drivers associated with financial anxiety.

3. Self-help assistance

In spite of efforts to challenge the particular stigma around ill wellness, oyr More healthy Nation Catalog research suggests a third of employees still wouldn’t feel comfortable disclosing a mental or actual physical health issue in order to their employer.

So, businesses have a responsibility to offer tailored support to those who may feel uncomfortable asking intended for it.

This particular may consist of making remote control support offerings and self-help platforms accessible to those that would prefer to work through guidance and specialist help at their own pace, away from the office.

For example , telephone CBT services and online self-help management programmes – such as our Silvercloud platform – allow employees to entry remote support and guidance on understanding symptoms associated with distress plus learning relevant coping mechanisms.

4. A focus on prevention

There is absolutely no one-size-fits-all intervention to get the unique physical and mental difficulties facing workers. However, companies can embrace technology in order to instead access data-led, personalised interventions which make a difference for that individual.

Digital platforms featuring AI can analyse behavioural data provided by the particular workforce to predict future challenges, allowing businesses in order to action surgery before symptoms become unmanageable.

For instance , Nuffield Health’s PATH tool gathers data through both a comprehensive physical health exam, alongside behavioural data from questionnaires, to understand employees’ distinctive risk factors and indicates relevant interventions.

Employers able to take the proactive approach to employee health not only nurture a healthy and engaged workforce but avoid the impact of presenteeism which can cost businesses up to £4, 000 per worker per yr in lost productivity.

five. Employee power

Recent work environment trends including ′the great resignation′ plus ′quiet quitting′  suggest power is shifting away from the particular employer, along with employees no longer willing to go above and beyond pertaining to their employers.

So, businesses – especially those guilty of encouraging organisational cultures in which employees are expected to become ‘always on’ – must rethink their particular relationships with employees in order to retain their brightest talent.

Managers possess a responsibility to lead by example when it comes to widescale cultural change. This means clearly outlining employee expectations, like operating hours and contactable responsibilities, as okay as being seen in order to leave work on time each day.

Similarly, employers ought to seek regular feedback to better understand the challenges facing staff and how the business can tailor its support. This can be done through normal one-to-ones along with individuals while well as anonymous feedback surveys meant for those who else may not feel comfortable communicating in person.

6. Family focus

The shift towards flexible plus remote functioning has blurred the lines between function and home life, with mixed results. Some of the negative consequences include employees functioning longer hours to compensate designed for not commuting, while others have enjoyed the benefits of spending more time along with family.

These lifestyle changes should be a key consideration just for businesses. As employees continue to mould their own work lives around personal habits – often familial responsibilities like childcare – these problems must end up being reflected in the assistance on offer.

The workplace must remain flexible within terms associated with shift patterns and remote opportunities to meet the needs of those with busy family life. Nevertheless , we will also start in order to see companies extending benefits to the family, for example , private healthcare and medical advantages for partners and children and family mental health support.

This may consist of parental psychological health suggestions hubs or CBT systems that provide advice plus resources for the purpose of parents on managing children’s emotional wellbeing.

As 2022 draws to a close, it would be wise for wellness, wellbeing and employee benefits professionals to consider how they might build these wellness trends into their strategies in the new season.