Putting the heart into employee wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing is now Australia’s top health concern.

Four in five (78%) Australian’s experienced stress, anxiety and/or depression and over half (53%) reported a very high level of psychological distress this year. This research correlated data to the same responses in 2020 and found a marked increase - a telling insight that every Australian organisation should be paying attention right now.

If you aren’t prioritising your employee wellbeing strategy, it’s time to get cracking. Alongside the ethical considerations of a happy and productive working culture, the business case for employee wellbeing in terms of business performance and outcomes is equally profound. According to the Australian Productivity Commission 17 billion AUD is lost each year to poor wellbeing and mental health - through absenteeism, reduced productivity and compensation claims.

But it’s more than a responsibility or loss financials, it’s an opportunity to supercharge the experience of your people through a sense of belonging, feeling energised, meaningful purpose and ultimately, performance.

The ‘perks’ are not enough

It used to all be about freebies, discounted memberships, employee assistance programs, drinks trolleys and a ping pong table or two. over the past 24 months it has become increasingly apparent that these ‘perks’ are at superficial, a temporary relief that doesn’t address employees' core concerns. With such a drastic change to workplaces today, companies will need to focus on building mental and physical self awareness and resilience if they want to keep their people well, build loyalty and performance and reinforce their position as an ‘Employer of choice’ or ‘Great place to work’. 

For wellness sake

Even if your intentions go beyond ‘what is required’, simply understanding your responsibility to your employees’ wellbeing is still not enough. To ensure both authenticity and efficacy in your wellbeing strategy, you must first prove your ‘right’ to speak in this space. That means a well-researched support offering, grounded in the training, ongoing support and resources your company is offering. Determining where your focus should lie, and what initiatives should be included in your business strategy requires a thoughtful analysis of the right data. At We Are Unity, we believe that when it comes to wellbeing, your data can be elevated with a little bit of care, and a whole lot of HEART.

The HEART Model

We Are Unity’s HEART framework defines the key characteristics of wellbeing as:

Positive Health – HEART Model

• Health: General physical and mental health including sleep, nutrition, exercise and energy management. 

• Empathy: Ability to understand others’ emotions and perspectives, practice active listening and non-judgement. 

• Appreciation: Demonstration of gratitude, care, love and kindness.

• Resilience: Ability to adapt and manage stress so that employees can bounce back from adversity.

• Togetherness: Determines employees’ sense of belonging, and feelings of community and inclusion.

When measuring wellbeing within an organisation, HEART Model characteristics have been designed to compliment and build off one another to form a more robust understanding of an individual's overall positive health. 

Better HEARTs for better outcomes

Our research into this area has shown us just how valuable positive health in your organisation can be. In a recent assessment of a leading not for profit organisation using our HEART Model, we found that responders with a high HEART Score were on average:

38% more likely to indicate they felt energised at work

34% more likely to indicate they felt like they belonged at work

31% more likely to trust their manager

30% more likely to trust their senior leaders

Not only are belonging, energy and trust factors that we know drive employee engagement, but these 3 factors are also predictive of greater business performance.

So what’s the key takeaway when it comes to wellbeing’s role in the future of work? For organisations looking to weather the storm and emerge stronger than ever, the wellbeing of your people – driven by the right data – will make all the difference.

If you’d like to learn more about the We Are Unity HEART Model, or how you can make sure you’re getting the right data from your people, get in touch with us at hello@weareunity.com.