Most public sector tender documents will include a meaty section on CSR – fail that test and you won’t get the business. But this is, of course, about so much more than ticking a box to win clients.

CSR means different things to different organisations. The fact that this tends to be a self-regulated concept allows for enormous flexibility in interpretation.

BIS, the government department for Business Innovation and Skills defines Corporate Social Responsibility as ‘How companies address the social, environmental and economic impacts of their operations and so help to meet our sustainable development goal’.

The Confederation for British Industry encourages the wider view ‘Companies must be allowed to define CSR according to their own activities and context’

There is a sound economic basis for introducing, for example, a sustainability policy. It is estimated that more than two thirds of the largest companies in the world have put climate change central to their business, with half of the 500 top companies analysed demonstrating a significant reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficient and sustainable resource planning can have a direct impact on the bottom line – Tesco reckon to have reduced their energy costs by £200m annually.

Other elements of a CSR strategy include voluntary work, corporate giving, local good causes and ethical standards.

But what about the employees? Certainly a strong reputation for CSR can enhance employer of choice status. Most major corporate websites have a CSR section to boast about their activities aimed not just at clients but to encourage potential candidates.

Involvement in charity work can give employees a huge personal boost and sense of pride in their employer. I used to work for an organisation renowned for its charitable donations and supporting healthcare causes. But it was only when they opted to run a helpline for the annual televised ‘Children in Need appeal’ that their benevolence came to life for me. I volunteered to work with the donation helplines on the 8pm to midnight shift. It was hard work, but the atmosphere in the company call centre was electric. Directors of the organisation wore fancy dress and rolled their sleeves up to help, sharing our excitement as the sum raised – over one million pounds in our centre alone – was announced. But CSR doesn’t have to be confined to large corporates, SME’s can do their bit too.

Some companies feel they have covered their CSR commitment by giving large amounts of cash to charities. This may have little impact on the workforce, who, without some ownership or involvement may actually be resentful that as some colleagues face redundancy, large sums are donated outside the company,

Local causes can also have their pitfalls. To meet the ‘social, economic and environmental impact’ of their organisation, companies may work with neighbourhood charities. But you must choose your good cause with care. One of my clients invested in a local lower league football team, only to find that there was a culture of corruption and drug use among the players.

When it comes to employees, ‘active’ CSR is highly preferable to ‘passive’ CSR. It can be very powerful to allow employees to select the causes they wish to support, either through donations or their own personal involvement in voluntary work.  Employee engagement and buy-in is key to ensure that your CSR policy benefits not just the external environment, but the internal stakeholders.

There is no shame in linking CSR with profit – in fact – it’s a desirable approach. John Lewis, the successful retail chain addresses this issue effectively. Their CSR report includes ‘how we are working with suppliers and our local communities, and how our employees and partners contribute to and share in the rewards of our commercial success’.

A well designed CSR policy can produce highly beneficial outcomes for companies, but it is easy to get it wrong or to miss the point. A client of mine ran an extensive and well publicised CSR programme. Staff were given two days a year paid leave to work on local social care initiatives, there were a myriad of ‘green’ policies and millions donated to charitable causes nationally. But the company had a very lax approach to bullying and I witnessed extreme examples of senior management bullying peers and staff. Employees started to vote with their feet in droves until the issue was finally addressed. But it was too late to avoid some expensive damage to the organisation through lost talent and poorly managed clients. What a shame that some of the ‘social responsibility’ was not directed towards vulnerable employees. A robust and transparent anti bullying policy and sympathetic HR administration should be ‘must have’ elements of a CSR plan – with far reaching benefits.

The message to employees must be carefully positioned. Approximately 75% of consumers expect businesses to take measures to sustain the environment. They also feel that leading an ethical lifestyle is important for wellbeing. Thanks to the instant nature of social media – consumers will find out very quickly if an organisation is behaving unethically towards its customers or staff. From the global stage such as the recent hacking scandal at News International to local complaints about bullying or dodgy HR practices, news travels fast.  An employee or customer can quickly expose a company if it is behaving in a way that contradicts its public CSR strategy.

To recruit top talent companies must not only demonstrate a caring and sustainable attitude to their environment and local community, they must echo this commitment to their staff.

After all, as they say – charity begins at home…

About Author:

By Marcia Reid of Finchers Consulting Ltd.

In ‘How to become an Employer of Choice’, authors Roger E Herman and Joyce L Gloia state ‘The phrase is more than a buzzword. It is representative of a whole new design of corporate culture’

Employer of choice is a highly subjective label that needs to encompass a variety of objective measurements.  But one element is a consistent thread though any wish list. The wellbeing of your employees. It is no coincidence that of this year’s UK ‘Times Top 100 Companies To Work For’, every single one of the top 15 had highly ranked wellbeing programmes. The only other quality to feature as significantly among the winners was leadership.

In a competitive and challenging marketplace, the race for the best candidates is more crucial than ever. Very few organisations will have the luxury of outbidding their competitors with that old favourite from better times – ‘the golden handcuffs’. But even if you could offer salaries above average that doesn’t make you an employer of choice. In fact, in terms of wellbeing and productivity, inflated compensation packages may cause staff to stay for all the wrong reasons. That doesn’t mean that benefits packages aren’t important – they are valuable in maintaining the commitment and wellbeing of your employees, but must be designed in the context of the available funds and the culture of an organisation.

Technology also plays its part in the competitive sport of winning talent. An organisation can no longer hide its skeletons in the closet and social media can be an asset or a liability. One of the major challenges currently facing employers is to increase perception among staff of the value of their benefits packages and wellbeing programmes. Both internal and external communications strategies are worth considering.

I suspect that a straw poll of ideal employment benefits for a cross-section of employees from diverse sectors would produce a wide variety of desirables.  Particularly when it comes to culture – one person’s Shangri-la could feel like the depth of Hades to another! Being an employer of choice can be about more than corporate benefits or wellness, but if you can tick both those boxes, this will have a positive effect on recruitment and retention.

Wellness initiatives to enhance employer of choice status:

In deciding to be an employer of choice, an organisation should identify the elements of the workplace environment that would be important to the type of individuals they wish to attract. And this starts from the top. Strong leadership, an atmosphere of fairness, respect and recognition for a job well done are all key to wellbeing. Lazy or incompetent employees being given an easy ride is not the route to wellbeing for the workforce at large. Being a good manager is like being a good parent, the happiest and most productive employees are those treated with respect and fairness within clearly identified boundaries.

As financial pressures escalate and job security diminishes, it is easy for the work life balance to be undermined so cultural considerations and wellness programmes are valuable in promoting healthy behaviour.

When creating a wellness programme designed to enhance employer of choice status, three key criteria should be met. The initiatives should:

1. Protect and promote the health and wellbeing of employees.
2. Protect the organisation from legal challenges regarding issues such as health and safety laws, Equality Act and supplement their role in duty of care.
3. Offer a range of services that are understood and appreciated by staff.

Number 3 is particularly relevant. For example an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or whistle-blowing help line is only of value if it is actively and intelligently promoted by the employer.

Employment health assessments (aka pre-employment checks), robust bullying and harassment policy, and regular updates on nutrition and exercise are the absolute basics but an organisation can choose many other ways to protect and nurture their employees.

• Health schemes (private medical insurance, cash plans, dental benefits) do not have to be company paid. Voluntary schemes offering preferential rates can be well received.
• Training and development can improve workplace efficiencies while boosting employee confidence, loyalty and self-worth.
• Flexible working practices are a major contributor in reducing stress and will help to attract candidates.
• Mental health awareness programmes can have a dramatically positive effect on wellbeing, while protecting vulnerable individuals.
• Life insurance, critical illness and health protection policies can be expensive to offer, but again, on a voluntary basis may provide peace of mind.
• Regular focussed employee engagement and feedback are a good way to check that your strategy is on course.
• Active protection against bullying and antisocial behaviour can be promoted by fair leadership and education.
• Programmes should be tailored to reflect the demographic of the workforce – if this is diverse in age and personality, the wellness initiatives must be equally diverse and not just aimed at the fit and healthy few.
• Professional and cordial relationships with both colleagues and clients should be nurtured. In a service based organisation or customer facing role, an employee’s clients may represent their most regular and significant daily interface. Steven Covey, author of ‘The 7 habits of highly effective people’ writes ‘Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers’

And finally…

Use the wellness programme to demonstrate that your employees are valued, and not just in monetary terms. They are your organisation’s biggest advocate and the front window to the workplace environment.

As Jane Austen said ‘There is nothing like employment, active indispensable employment for relieving sorrow.’

About Author:

By Marcia Reid of Finchers Consulting Ltd.

In the bad old days, a pre-employment health assessment was used as a recruitment tool to filter out candidates with a poor sickness record, an ongoing health issue or a disability. In the era of big shoulder pads and brick-like mobile phones, pre-employment checks were mainly designed to protect the employer.

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act ensured that employers should make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to enable the employment of those with health issues, but they were still able to ask the questions pre job offer.

The Equality Act which came into force on 1^st October last year goes a long way to clarify just how useful ‘pre-employment’ screening can be. It is now illegal to ask candidates questions regarding their health or request a health assessment prior to giving them a formal job offer. Employers who ask health questions pre- job offer are laying themselves wide open to the danger of facing a tribunal to prove that they did not discriminate against the individual if they weren’t offered a job.

It is estimated that two thirds of employers in the UK undertake pre-employment screening. But are they doing this properly with an acceptable cost benefit ratio? Which brings us back to the question about how useful are pre-employment health assessments…

Fit for purpose?

For something to be of use – it needs to be fit for purpose and employers need to be clear what they hope to achieve.

An effective ‘pre-employment’ screening programme should:

• Comply with all current legislation, and only take place after a formal job offer is made.
• Ensure that an employee is physically and emotionally able to undertake the duties required.
• Ensure that an employee’s disability or health issue will not put themselves, co-workers or customers at risk.
• Ensure that all applicants, including those who are disabled are assessed objectively.
• Ensure that an employee is treated fairly during and after the recruitment process.
• Give the employer an opportunity to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to allow for a candidate’s health issues
• Protect the employer legally against the accusation of discrimination on health or disability grounds

There are of course, additional criteria to be considered for safety critical roles such as transport workers, skilled machinery operators and other roles requiring certain physical abilities.

What’s in a name?

In a perfect world an effective pre-employment screening programme would be known by another name. ‘Employment health assessment’ or ‘New employee medicals’ would be more appropriate and immediately dispel the myth that an employer can discriminate pre- job offer.

Who should assess employment medicals?

Medical information should not be assessed by individuals who are not qualified to interpret the results. Candidates are far more likely to be open if they believe their answers are treated with confidentiality and reviewed by a suitably qualified person. However well designed a questionnaire or health check is, feedback is key. Along with a detailed description of duties required for the role, an effective programme includes carefully worded result summaries, which avoid compromising candidate confidentiality but also provide clear guidance regarding ‘fitness to work’ with instructions for the reasonable adjustments required. In-house occupational health services or outsourced corporate health providers are an essential part of the formula for a successful programme.

Which questions can you ask?

The author Naguib Mahfouz states ‘You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.’ Wise words indeed. The Data Protection Act states that health assessments ‘should only collect as much information as is necessary to fulfil the aims of the inquiry. Information should be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose..’ Alyson Fennemore from Manage Health Ltd summarises the situation – ‘The challenge for employers is to understand health risks of employees: have they filled the role with someone who is capable and fit to do the job for which they have been employed?’

First impressions count:

A new recruit is likely to be impressed by a well organised, compliant and timely employment health medical programme, especially if follow up actions are in the best interest of the individual.  Much is said about the benefits of being recognised as an employer of choice and this can be a very good start.

Actions speak louder than words:

An old Eastern saying is ‘No-one grew just by being measured’. Like all health assessments, employment medicals are only of value if the findings are acted upon. If an employer ascertains an issue prior to a candidate staring their job they must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to enable the employee to commence work. However rigorous the employee medical is, to fail to act is to become liable. Even if no major issues are discovered or noted, often the individual may also gain from added insight to their health and wellbeing, simply by completing a questionnaire.

Wellness in the workplace:

Let us not forget the impact on business of an effective ‘employment health medicals’ programme.  A happy, healthy workforce will make a positive contribution to the bottom line and the sustainability of an appropriate workplace environment. A good employment medical programme protects both the individual and the organisation.

So are pre-employment medicals useful? Although you cannot use the information to discriminate, pre-employment assessments enable the employer to make provision for any disability or health issue earlier rather than later. This can provide tangible benefit for both an organisation and its new recruits. If assessments are undertaken in the right way, at the right time, with the appropriate feedback and follow up actions – I would go so far as to suggest they are essential.

Or as my grandmother used to say – ‘It would be rude not to…’

About Author:

By Marcia Reid of Finchers Consulting Ltd.

More and more people are looking at employee wellness as part of their strategic workforce management. If you Google the term “Employee Wellness” you will currently find there are 3,710,000 hits. By the time you have finished reading this article that number will have grown.  I am confident, though, that if employees were surveyed about the extent to which they had a sense of wellness the numbers would be significantly lower; there is a gap between aspiration and achievement.

Part of this is explained by our approach to wellness. It is a big concept, a major shift from a largely remedial focus of health towards a more positive holistic experience of wellbeing.  To work towards it organisations, trainers, employee wellness experts and others have taken a somewhat piecemeal approach – it is an enormous elephant, so better to try it one bite at a time. That is a great strategy for an introductory phase; give people a taste of what employee wellbeing can be like and the likelihood is that it will be added to their aspirational bucket list. This can only work for a limited time, though, because eventually the employee will find that wellness is not permeating life, that it is largely an event-led component that evaporates soon after the event. Faith in the philosophy will decline and all the introductory work will be wasted – not only that, but it will be counterproductive because the employee will have less faith in positive strategies in the future.  In a way it is a bit like trying to sell a wristwatch – the event-led approach will show elements of the inner workings, will highlight the benefits of some particular component, but in the end if you want to persuade the person to buy they have to see and value the whole working watch.  As someone once complained to me about psychotherapy “All I want to know is what time it is, and you want to tell me how a clock works.”

Workplace health initiatives become sustainable when they are mapped against people’s drives and motivations. They are internalised when they fit closely with the employee’s self-vision and when they make a real difference to that person’s life experience. Many people have seen Dan Pink’s excellent presentation about Drive[i] (If you haven’t, go and watch it immediately after you finish reading this article), but fewer organisations are putting the messages into practice.

So what makes wellness initiatives sustainable in the long-term?  Here are five tips:

1. Look closely at who ‘owns’ wellness.  Is it something that is offered by the employer to the employee (low sustainability and poorer outcomes) or is it something that is owned by the employee? The development of a grassroots engagement with wellbeing is essential for sustainability.
2. Encourage personal goals.  Research shows that people who have positive goals – those who are striving for something – remain significantly more engaged than those with negative goals – people who are striving to stop something.  Every employee should have a personal development plan, even though these will differ enormously, and the employer and employee together should review this at least annually and agree any actions and commitments.
3. Look closely at your managers. No amount of strategic intent will be delivered without managers who are also effective leaders.  Fairness, good communication skills, reliability, respect and empowerment are essential elements of your managers and if they are not delivering it will be impossible to arrive at sustained wellness and engagement across the business.
4. Apply an ODAM approach to your wellness strategy. Observe, Decide, Act, Monitor.  Too many organisations forget about the Monitoring element, yet it only through monitoring that the next iteration of ODAM can take place, and as a result well-meant interventions have diminished impact
5. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that a wellness agenda at work means everyone will soon be psychologically and emotionally well.  They won’t.  Any sustainable wellness programme needs to have embedded within it an effective source of help for people when life goes wrong. Although the whole goal of wellness incorporates an understanding that it diminishes the likelihood of problems arising, there will still be times when help is needed, and quickly.  Work with your partner organisations to create effective solutions.

The aim of a employee health and wellbeing agenda is to help people live well, work well and achieve more. Sustainability depends on creating an approach that embraces all three of these elements.

About Author:

Kevin Friery is the head of counselling for Right Corecare, the talent and career management expert within the Manpower Group of Companies.

References

[i] RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us http://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc

These words couldn’t be more relevant when it comes to the health and wellness of every single individual, within every single organisation around the world.

Successful wellness is all about instant action so here are, firstly, the top 5 ways in which any organisation can instantly improve staff engagement with wellness programmes, followed by the top 5 most effective behaviour changes adopted by staff participating in wellness initiatives.

1. Get people excited

Communicate the value to individuals within your business of your wellness initiatives, not the value to the organisation. Explain clearly the personal benefits they will experience if they take part.

2. Create something for everyone

A range of flexible initiative that are well subscribed is much more successful than a limited number of expensive, under-utilised interventions. Be creative with your wellbeing solutions.

3. Cultivate the motivation to opt in rather than the desire to opt out

Start small and make your initiatives effective. Word will spread and everyone will want to take part. Before you know it you’ll be managing a waiting list rather than spending time persuading people to come along to events

4. Keep it fresh, keep it simple.

Timing is a big part of staff adopting wellness change so make sure you send regular, consistent messages and keep the initiatives simple. Ongoing, straightforward initiatives will have a greater cummulative effect than fancy interventions that no-one understands. Think about awareness raising events and practical, useful workshops rather than complicated competitions or online surveys.

5. Appeal to groups and individuals

Think about the people and the teams within your business and target them accordingly. Some staff will prefer group initiatives, others will opt for interventions targeted at the individual. If you’re not sure what people would respond to best, ask them.

Individual wellness strategies: instant action, lasting results

Now here are the top 5 behaviour changes that individuals taking part in wellness programmes can make for instant and lasting results with their health, wellbeing and energy. The idea being that, if you’re in charge of a wellness programme, these are key strategies and decisions that your initiatives will lead staff towards.

1. Change your attitude

Your wellbeing success is dependent on how seriously you value yourself. From this moment onwards, your wellbeing needs to be a top priority. Living a healthy life should not be an added bonus in your routine, it should be the bedrock of success in all other areas.

2. Make sure the timing is right

If you sense some hesitation around putting your wellbeing first, ask yourself what’s stopping you, and then systematically remove or reframe each of these obstacles. For example, if you think you’re too busy to be healthy, consider the long term implications of continuing your current routines. This will provide the motivation for instant action.

3. Make a list of the biggest personal incentives for living a healthy life

If you don’t have plenty of good reasons to do the right thing, you’ll come up with hundreds of good reasons (i.e. excuses) to do the wrong thing, and then you’ll rationalise these behaviours. Be clear on what good wellness will provide you with including energy, focus, personal effectiveness, positive mood, confidence and a sense of achievement. What else can you add to this list? A long list of benefits will overcome any excuses or procrastination.

4. Change your behaviour

Start with the simple things. Get hydrated, eat regularly, watch your portion sized, get active today and protect your down time. One simple step at a time will lead to dramatic results. Simple steps will generate progress which will in turn generate further motivation.

5. Set yourself up for success

Decide on some healthy living objectives and some deadlines to meet these targets. Enter some events, team up with some colleagues to eat healthily, set some parameters around your relaxation time and decide what you’ll do with this time. Whatever resources you feel have been lacking for wellness success in the past – gather them around you now and use them to keep you on track.

Remember, whether you’re designing programmes that help others with wellbeing, or you’re thinking about your own health, energy and performance, take action today for great results tomorrow.

About Author: Jeff Archer is Director of The Tonic, a corporate wellness company specialising in helping people achieve optimum energy and performance, every day.

It’s true that one of the big challenges that employers face is engaging everyone, or at least as many people as possible, in health and well-being initiatives. So how do we make sure these programmes help the people that need it the most, who are often the hardest to attract, and consequently demonstrate the best return on investment?

People who benefit the most from health and well-being initiatives come in all shapes and sizes. This raises two issues for me. Firstly, how do organisations identify these people, and even more importantly how do they help people identify this for themselves? It is not always going to be easy or outwardly obvious, particularly when it comes to psychological well-being – although high cholesterol is a good example of a physical risk factor that is not outwardly visible.  The second issue is that often the ideal target audience, who have the most to gain from the health and well-being programme, will differ depending on the initiative.

It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear that some of the main barriers to engaging with health and well-being programmes are insufficient incentives, inconvenient locations, time limitations, lack of interest in topics presented, schedule, marketing and health beliefs. With all of this in mind, what can employers do to attract those that really need help?

1. Marketing and branding

Most organisations understand the benefits of corporate or product branding such as creating an identity that sends a clear message, driving loyalty, and creating buy-in from the target audience. What this doesn’t always translate to is strong internal branding. Creating a brand for your health and well-being initiatives will do all of the things external branding does. It will start to communicate exactly what the programme is trying to achieve (e.g. health and well-being for all, fitness, stress management, well-being at work) and demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to the programme rather than being seen as ‘one off initiatives’ or ‘HR’s latest thing’. This last point is important because it’s easier to dismiss something if you don’t think it’s going to stick around.

The other thing about branding is that it helps employees to connect the different initiatives together, particularly when some will be direct and easily identifiable as health and well-being initiatives (e.g. exercise classes) and others less so (e.g. management development). One outcome that branding supports is that people who have a positive experience of one initiative (e.g. physiotherapy) are likely to be more open to participating in other initiatives (e.g. personal resilience training) that they might otherwise have ignored.

2. Prevention versus support

A useful way of evaluating whether your health and well-being programme will maximise participation and result in positive outcomes, is to think about the balance of prevention and support. In fact it might help to break this down a stage further and talk about the three levels of intervention:

• Primary level initiatives are those that tackle the root causes that put colleague well-being at risk (e.g. leadership development,  well-being policy, risk assessments)
• Secondary-level initiatives are “response directed”,  designed to help colleagues cope with the situation (e.g. training and development initiatives such as stress/resilience training,)
• Tertiary-level initiatives are ‘symptom directed’, where support is provided to assist in the cure and rehabilitation of stressed or unhealthy employees (e.g. Employee Assistance Programmes, occupational health)

All three levels are important and different people will be at different stages. By providing initiatives across all three there should be something relevant for everyone. Importantly, the people ‘who need help the most’ are not exclusively those who benefit from the immediate support that tertiary-level interventions provide.  Primary and secondary-level interventions aim to prevent people needing tertiary-level interventions, they might not have immediate benefits but it is important not to underestimate the their long term value.  However, provision doesn’t necessarily translate into participation, which leads me onto my next point.

3. One size doesn’t fit all

As I mentioned above, some of the most frequently cited reasons that employees give for not engaging with health and well-being programmes are ‘not enough time’, ‘scheduling’, and ‘inconvenient locations’.  This is likely to be more complex in larger organisations or those that have a diverse workforce (e.g. nightshift or remote workers) but it is something all organisations should bear in mind. Unfortunately there isn’t a quick fix to respond to these reasons (whether they are excuses or realistic), but a flexible, creative and balanced approach is certainly going to help. A few suggestions that do work are alternating locations, varying the time commitment an initiative requires and the time of day it takes place, considering how initiatives are delivered – face-to-face, over the phone or e-learning are all possibilities – and targeting initiatives at a given group as well as those open to everyone.

4. Get to know your audience

Firstly, consult with staff to make sure the programme is relevant and create a sense of ownership. Secondly, identify some well-being champions within the workforce. These will be most successful if they are at different levels of the organisation, some senior managers, some non-managerial staff, and where applicable different locations and functions. These champions can play a central role in disseminating information around the organisation (and avoid relying on faceless and never-ending email!), ensuring that the programme stays on people’s radar, encouraging colleagues to talk about initiatives they have heard about or attended, and inspiring confidence in the programme.

Thirdly, you won’t know how something has been received unless you ask. I’ve already mentioned evaluation and whether you choose to do this formally or informally, it could be a really rich source of information for future programmes. If something isn’t working, change it or drop it. Of course, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

5. Publicise your success stories

This will build credibility and trust in the programme as people generally feel less sceptical about something that others have given good feedback about, especially if they identify with them. If you can, it is worth doing this as soon after the event as possible so it is still fresh in people’s memories.

Investing in the health and well-being of your staff can bring enormous satisfaction – it’s putting Personnel back into Human Resources – and it can bring real bottom-line business benefits. The biggest mistake I think organisations make in trying to identify ‘the people who need help the most’ is to think about this too narrowly and short-term. As long as you create an inclusive and diverse programme using the suggestions above, you will have most of the tools you need to get the best value out of the programme.

Author: Laura Heathcock is Business Psychologist at leading Business Psychology company Robertson Cooper.

- Measurable productivity gains

- Increased talent retention

- Increased employee engagement

- Driver for the overall employee value proposition

However in the last 10 years, as the UK EAP market has opened up, there has not been an equal increase in user satisfaction. In this article we’ll dive into the common reasons why EAP’s can fail, establish where fault might lie and seek to determine some simple steps that can be taken to ensure that a deployed EAP is both sustainable and making a difference.

Commercial reality

As with any commercial relationship there are two parties, the provider and the purchaser, both have expectations of that relationship and it is important to understand the implications of such expectations on each side of the equation.

With increased competition has come a rapid period of innovation as EAP providers have sought to rethink their delivery models, add greater value to clients and compete in  a more challenging market space.

In 2002 the average premium per person per annum for a standard EAP with 6 sessions was £22^[1] in 2011 that could be anywhere as low as £5 per person^[2].

Certainly EAP’s could never be accused of having profiteered, so how have they been able to deliver such benefits on such drastically reduced cost base? To maintain operating margins something has had to give and, in many cases, this can be found in the delivery model; such as the calibre of counselling on offer or the clinical efficiency. An EAP which uses clinical interventions that are not robust, not proven or not delivered by suitably-experienced counsellors will compromise the quality of service.

All too often, and with certain products, providers are operating on margins that simply do not allow quality account management, innovative employee communications or flexibility to respond to abnormal situations.

And this translates to poor end user experiences, unfortunately often at the point at which they most need it.

Collaboration

If the employer is not clear and specific on exactly why they are purchasing and what the desired outcomes are, the obvious outcome is a failure to meet expectations.

When an organisation makes an EAP purchase the importance to work in partnership is crucial. Where a commoditised purchase is managed and delivered like office stationary the purchaser and provider can often head off in tangential directions, with obvious outcomes.

Furthermore providers can demonstrate complacent behaviours when a client has displayed loyalty, fewer innovations, less time with account management and valueless management information.

I can think of at least five organisations with whom I have met this year alone who cite this collaborative disconnect as the primary reason for their programme “failure”.

Communication

At its best the EAP is a strategic workforce tool that helps to enhance employee wellbeing and resilience, impacting positively on productivity – at its worst it is a give-away for staff and the organisation derives no benefit.

The rate of change of social communication is so rapid that an EAP must be up to speed or be left shouting in the darkness. Organisations have cultural differences that mean a one-size-fits-one approach is needed, otherwise there will be failures

The fundamentals, necessary to make an EAP a success, start and finish with effective communication. At a strategic organisational level communication of the strategy, expectations and culture are essential to achieve senior leader engagement. Whilst at the individual employee level regular and effective communication of programme benefits, access and outcomes ensure that the EAP is front of mind, proactively used and fully integrated within the business.

In today’s connected social media aware world a poster and foot note in the benefits handbook are not going to be enough to effectively engage a dynamic and diverse employee population.

Confidentiality

Building upon the communication issues outlined above, a significant failure links to the confidentiality conundrum. At its heart an EAP offers total privacy and confidentiality yet must also differentiate itself from competitors in the quality and value of management information.

Providing meaningful management information whilst at the same time ensuring individual confidentiality is a fine line and one which must be communicated with clarity and sensitivity. Quite often underlying workforce trust issues can be exacerbated with the deployment of an EAP, ironically the very opposite of the reasons for introducing the EAP in the first place.

At the employee level there is a tangible reluctance to contact the EAP due to a fear that the employer will know about the individual employee’s situation. And the potential employment consequences, real or imagined, as a result of other stigmas attached with seeking assistance.

Therefore, those potential fears need to be addressed by the employer so employees are not embarrassed or reluctant to initiate contact with the EAP provider.

Conclusion

Providers have to work hard to maintain their value differentiators and continually evolve their innovation and service quality to stay competitive and successful, without a clear vision in place to achieve this, the market leaders today will be left far behind in the near future.

Likewise organisations, who are undoubtedly today far more sophisticated and discerning purchasers than they were 10 years ago, will benefit greatly in acknowledging that the EAP service, which sits quietly in the background, can be a lot more than a simple safety net. It could very well be the platform upon which strategic workforce solutions can be built.

About Author: Alistair Dornan is Head of Wellness and Productivity Management at Right Management, one of the UK’s leading providers of Employee Assistance Programmes, Training, Consultancy and Mediation Services.

References

^[1] Businesshealth EAP market analysis 2002

^[2] Google UK search 14^th March 2011

No one would dispute that it is vital that assessment and selection processes are as efficient, effective and thorough as possible.  Well-designed selection processes ensure that candidates have the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform their new role successfully and fit in with the culture of the organisation.  Ensuring you get the right person for the job can save a lot of hassle for everyone, not to mention the cost implication of making bad selection decisions.  Most people have probably the following scenario:  a less-than-ideal selection procedure brings a new employee on board.  Once in the post, it becomes increasingly apparent that the employee is having difficulty coping with the pressures of the role – maybe it’s a lack of knowledge, maybe it’s a lack of experience, maybe it’s their own coping strategies.  Whatever the reasons, the person will probably experience stress as a result of not being able to cope well with the pressures of the role, their colleagues may have to pick up extra work and the manager will probably have to intervene, maybe performance managing more closely or possibly leading to eventual exit from the organisation.

So let’s consider if this risk can be minimised by incorporating any health or well-being indicators into the selection process.  First of all, there are the legal requirements to take into account.  Discrimination law means that the employers must assess whether the candidate is the best suited to the role in terms of their knowledge, skills and abilities.  This in turn means that health or lifestyle factors cannot be assessed unless the role has specific health and fitness requirements.  The Equality Act 2010 also makes it unlawful to ask candidates about their health or any disability unless they have a valid reason to do so, for example to determine whether adjustments need to be made to the assessment process  (like an interview or a test) or to establish whether the candidate can carry out essential tasks as part of the role.

In terms of the selection process itself, the core issue is to establish what the requirements are for the role, which can be done with robust job analyses.  Usually the assessment criteria will be in the form of a competency framework which identifies the skills, attitudes and behaviours that have been shown to be key to performance in the role.  Although it is obviously critically important to identify candidates with the competencies to perform well (and this needs to be given priority) there are other important factors that could be taken into account from a broader talent management perspective.  These broader requirements could cover a number of areas but the real watchword here is relevance – you’re allowed to assess what can be shown to be relevant to performance on the job.  If one’s ability to cope with pressure has been identified as an important requirement (and most roles will have an element of this) then we need to establish what the pressures of the job are. For example, does the role require the successful candidate to work on their own a lot of the time?  Someone who needs a lot of social stimulation may find this part of the role difficult.  Or does the role involve a very high amount of multi-tasking and delivery to tight deadlines with little time for reflection or ‘down time’?  Someone who prefers to work on one or two main projects at a measured pace would find this environment difficult to handle.

These are factors that will have an impact on the extent to which successful candidates become attached to the organisation and sustain levels of peak performance over time, without becoming either bored, stressed or burnt-out.  As such there is real value in exploring them during the recruitment process.  Recently there has also been a growing interest in performance under pressure; as a result of various issues – such as fewer resources or increased competition – employees are facing increased pressure at work and organisations are on the lookout for those who are equipped to deal with this.  Those who are able to cope most successfully with these demands are more likely to have higher levels of psychological well-being, so can we actively search for candidates with this quality?

One way into this is incorporating resilience into selection processes, but it’s important to get this right.  There will be few roles for which being resilient should be given more importance than other qualities needed to do the work, and so integrating the theme of resilience into your competency framework is the best approach.  For example, “effectively copes with obstacles and setbacks” could be found as an indicator in an Achieving Results competency.  Through weaving the theme of resilience into selection criteria in the form of competencies, employers can gain insight into a candidate’s resilience.

Of course, no one measure is usually sufficient.  In order to thoroughly assess a candidate, any well-designed selection process should incorporate several different assessments.  In fact, self-selection usually starts ahead of the candidate’s application through research into the organisation’s culture provided from the website and through information given on the job application.  Once the candidate decides to apply for a role, the selection process may include a biographical interview, a competency-based interview, a profiling measure (such as a personality questionnaire), ability test(s) and perhaps a case study or presentation exercise.  Designing such a process can greatly add to the employer’s ability to make informed and correct selection decisions, help candidates gain a realistic preview of the role and of the organisation and act as the starting point in the journey of the psychological contract between employee and employer.

Having an interest in candidate and employee health is important, but this needs to fall within the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable from an assessment perspective.  Employers are in a great position to encourage and support both physical and psychological health at work – an awareness of this at the recruitment stage will be best accompanied by continued action when an individual is in the role.

Author: Alex Jansen Birch and Georgia Kerr are both Chartered Psychologists at leading Business Psychology company Robertson Cooper.

In this article I’ll outline, using real quotes and examples, the “Top 10 excuses companies give”, how you can avoid the pitfalls in your preparation and get your projects green lighted faster.

We’re in a serious economic situation, wages are stagnating, people are still out of work and you want to introduce a wellbeing programme?

Talent has never been so mobile or vulnerable.

Being told “no” is tough at anytime. It’s mightily tougher when that “no” is accompanied by any one of these excuses…

1) Costs

“We simply cannot afford it – it’s the economy, stupid”

Is it really? Obviously there is a real focus on costs at the moment, but let me ask this – is any prudent business ever not going to focus on costs?

There are two really key points here; either your wellbeing plans are genuinely too expensive, and they needn’t be, or you’re not articulating the potential returns effectively. Whichever one it is you need to take a long hard look at your plans and evaluate your positioning.

Enthused wellbeing champions deliver some of the most effective wellbeing programmes I’ve ever encountered at zero cost. That doesn’t happen overnight and a lot of groundwork is necessary to reach that stage.

Consider whether you can start with something smaller, a programme that embraces your culture, people and appreciates your organisation’s design.

What measures are you using and are they relevant? I really struggle with the quoted ROI of potential suppliers. They often won’t take account of the true costs, such as the internal resource needed to make the project a success, or the actual measured outcomes.

It is far more powerful to talk in terms of defined problems that the programme will address; improvements to culture, the retention of key talent, and the benefits of improved customer satisfaction are going to be far stronger levers for the people who control budgets than a 3:1 ROI!

2) Timing

“Right now just isn’t a good time for us…”

Whenever is right? Workplace health and wellbeing, by its very nature, is a proactive initiative. It is all too tempting for leaders to consign a great programme to the shelf for a few years. There are three counter points that, adapted to your circumstances, will add real value to your internal pitch:

i) An ageing workforce can’t get any younger whilst waiting for the right time to come along! The implications for employers in terms of job design, recruitment and the increased risks of chronic disease are significant^[1]

ii)  Your talent are thinking of leaving you anyway; a recent study by Right Management found that 84% of top talent planned on looking for a new role in 2011^[2].

iii) As for absence, you can expect to see those indicators creeping up really soon.  When the economy picks up employees feel more secure in their jobs, as does their comfort in taking days off^[3].

3) Conflicting Priorities

“There are too many conflicting priorities at the moment…”

A classic example of a programme being misunderstood is that all too often because it is expressed in the wrong terms. A well-designed wellbeing programme should look after itself and embrace the business priorities and not be seen as something else which needs effort.

Redefining the objectives to underpin clearly defined organisational priorities positions your wellbeing programme as a solution, instead of a problem.

4) Culture

“It’s just not a fit with our culture…”

A direct quote from a prospect meeting I attended where absence and, in particular, stress related absence was a real issue. Of some 500 employees 19 were on long-term stress related absence – and each case was less than a year old!

The success of any programme is in its balanced fit with the culture. When I’m working with clients a lot of effort is taken to scope delivery around culture, values and demographics.

Wellbeing’s reach goes beyond just health improvement. Where is the company for whom real gains in organisational performance, employee engagement, talent retention and creativity and innovation are not part of their culture^[4]?

5) Resource

“I haven’t got the resources to manage this…”

I’m too busy cutting to sharpen my saw^[5]. On a recent business trip to the USA I was staggered to learn that most organisations are struggling to control the growth in health care spend, let alone impact any reductions!

This is perverse thinking on two counts.

Firstly, a well-designed wellbeing programme should need very little resource. Make use of outsourced partners to do the heavy lifting, freely available resources from local partnerships and charities and develop self-sustaining internal wellbeing champion teams. They’ll socialise the issue and come up with startling solutions to your problems.

Secondly, it’s a lot less resource intensive to manage wellbeing than it is to tackle rising absence, costs or turnover.

6) Too much is already being done

“We’re already doing a lot in this space…”

It’s March so it must be National No Smoking Day campaign. Does that sound familiar?

What is being done? How effective is it?

Many programmes are initiative led, reliant upon the next health calendar event and invest a lot of energy in programme maintenance. The benefits for individuals and organisations alike are limited and will remain so until a cohesive strategy aligns the great initiatives with well defined needs.

7) Not our responsibility

“I already pay them, I’m not managing their wellbeing too…”

Non-work issues are work issues too^[6]. Whether employee wellbeing is an organisations responsibility or not is open to debate; however it is unequivocal fact that employee wellbeing directly impacts organisational performance.

Organisations spend significant amounts in training, development and ensuring engagement of employees and yet relatively small amounts on their wellbeing.

Wellbeing is a critical component in creating and sustaining high performing teams and cultures within organisations.

Tried it before / bad experience

“We did something like this in 2002…”

And I bet it didn’t work. Probably because it was little more than an intervention or an illness measure.

I can recall a conversation with a health practitioner for a major energy firm who rather proudly talked me through their “egg reduction scheme”. Honestly, a programme designed to reduce the cholesterol level of employees based wholly on an avoidance of eggs.

Today there is greater knowledge of programme design, efficacy, sustainability and outcome led approaches.

9) Our people are fine

They’re not.

And they are set to become the single greatest differentiator in organisational performance as we enter the Human Age^[7]. The access to high performing talent will be the most significant driver in performance for organisations.

“If I don’t measure it I don’t need to do anything about it…”

10) Ignorance is bliss

Honestly, I’ve heard this on more than one occasion and in many different industries. If you spend more than you can afford, throwing your bank statements in the bin won’t stop the bailiffs knocking at your door!

About Author: Alistair Dornan is Head of Wellness and Productivity Management at Right Management, one of the UK’s leading providers of Employee Assistance Programmes, Training, Consultancy and Mediation Services.

References

^[1] “An Ageing workforce; the employer’s perspective”; Institute for Employment Studies, 2009

^[2] “Managing talent in 2011; four critical trends that will affect talent management”; Right Management, Philadelphia, February 2011

[3] CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey; June 2010

[4] “The Wellness Imperative; Creating more effective organisations” World Economic Forum, Davos 2010

[5] With apologies to Stephen R. Covey

[6] “Why non work issues are the employers problem too” Employee Wellness Magazine; February 2011

[7] “Entering The Human Age; Thought Leadership Insights” www.manpower.com/humanage/wefanthology2011.pdf Manpower Inc., Milwaukee Jan 2011

“11

For many employees who are struggling to cope with the pressure of work, it isn’t work that is the main cause, nor is as simple to say that it problems away from work that are causing the problem. In a lot of cases it’s a combination of the two. Take the example of an employee who has to work longer hours to meet a deadline or because of staff shortages, this can place a strain on home life especially if they have other caring responsibilities such as young family or elderly relatives. This kind of pressure can also exacerbate other health problems such as underlying physical or mental illness. The manifestation of this situation could then be an over reliance on ‘coping measures’ such as alcohol of tobacco. The squeeze on their time means that they might make poor diet choices and exercise regimes get abandoned. The end result is a drop in that individual’s resilience to the additional pressure that they are under, and in some cases they might suffer a stress reaction which results in ill-health.

In this case, whose fault is it? Is it the employers for increasing the workload? Or is it the individual’s for the poor lifestyle choices they are making? In reality it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, nor does it matter what the primary causation is, the end result is the same; the employee is absent from work. The employer suffers through lack of productivity, the employee suffers with ill-health and financially if sick pay doesn’t match their normal wage.

So in cases like this, it is very much in the employers interest to help the employee, if only for hard financial reasons. It makes good business sense. Taking a broad view of employee wellness (i.e. going beyond a narrow legal duty of care) doesn’t even have to cost the employer a lot of money. I have previously written [link to article on wellbeing on a budget] about implementing a wellness programme on a budget, wrapping up many of the things that employers do anyway for their employees. However the most important feature is a change in mindset and if that’s led from the top in an organisation it costs nothing at all.

Let’s look at our struggling employee above to see how this might work. Starting with work, in many cases it’s entirely reasonable for employers to ask employees to work longer hours to meet peaks in workload from time to time. The challenge comes when this becomes the norm. The answer is to find a way to balance these demands and this can be done in a number of ways. Firstly giving employees a reasonable amount of notice that additional hours are required is a big help, particularly when they have caring responsibilities. For instance it might be that this employee’s partner works two evening a week and they are required to pick children up from childcare by a certain time. Giving them zero notice of a need to work extra hours is going to place an added burden on them. Similarly being flexible about work patterns afterwards can allow employees to take time back maybe through having an occasional late start or early finish. Celebrating the success of completing the additional work also helps employees feel valued and contributes to their self-esteem. It’s amazing what employees will do for you if they think they’re efforts are appreciated.

Away from the work context, what else could our employer do to help? The proactive approach to employee wellness would look at a range of primary, secondary and tertiary interventions. At primary level would be health promotion initiatives targeted at helping prevent ill-health. These might include healthy food promotions in any employer provided catering facilities, or promotion of initiatives such as childcare vouchers or cycle-to-work schemes under a wellness banner in addition to them being treated as employee benefits. There are a range of measures that can be considered as secondary interventions; many employers operate an employee assistance programme that provides a confidential counselling service as well as general life management and legal advice. For our employee this might be advice on additional services or entitlements they could access relating to caring responsibilities. Within the organisation, policies such as those relating to flexible working and emergency leave help employees balance work with exceptional or unusual domestic issues. The benefit of handling this through a policy is that these issues are dealt with fairly for all. Finally tertiary interventions aim to rehabilitate employees and help them back to work. With any period of long-term absence employees can experience a number of barriers with coming back to work, such as possible stigma, lack of current knowledge and even having missed out on social interaction and workplace banter for a period of time. A good phased return to work programme would identify how best the employee can be reintegrated into the workplace. This can be done often a short period of time. Better that than throw the employee back into the deep end for them to quickly go off sick. Again clear policies will help everyone understand the limits on this and the process to be followed.

In short the response to our sceptical manager is yes, employees do have a responsibility for their own wellbeing and for living their lives in such a way as it minimises impact on work. But there is so much that employers can do to help, irrespective what the cause of someone’s difficulties are. Taking the broad view of employee wellness is just good business.

About Author: John Hamilton is the Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University and the author of the Employers Guide to Stress Law.