The pandemic-driven disruption to the way we work has pushed many employees to draw a deep line in the sand between work and wellbeing.

More than ever, people are ditching employers who fail to support their work-life balance and mental health - à la ‘quiet quitting’ and the Great Resignation.

The United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has responded by laying out a five-point framework to help employers create healthier communities and belonging at work.

This article unravels the key takeaways and how employers can use it to create better wellbeing strategies.

The workforce wellbeing stats are damning

Dr. Vivek Murthy has warned for the first time that working under stressful conditions can take a toll on employee mental and physical health – and is urging business leaders to take a good, hard look at their wellbeing practices.

Work-related stress has long been a problem, but the pandemic has accelerated its prevalence and impact, as unethical, discriminatory, and abusive workplaces drive people to anxiety, depression, chronic conditions, or heart attacks.

The United States has over 160 million workers and surveys over the past year reveal:

Aren’t corporate wellbeing programmes fixing this already?

Nope. Investment in corporate wellbeing programmes is on the rise and estimated to grow to $100 billion by 2030—but it isn’t working.

While 96% of CEOs think they’re doing enough for mental health, 68% of employees feel they’re struggling or suffering.

A landmark study also found there was virtually no difference in monthly healthcare spending between employees enrolled in wellbeing programmes and those who weren’t.

80% of employees who enroll in corporate wellbeing programmes drop out within six months. The drop-out rates are higher for those who work long hours and earn less.

This is because most corporate wellness programmes include initiatives like yoga classes, nutrition education, or meditation that focus on the edge of work.

If employers want to help their people go from burning out to blossoming, their wellbeing approach needs to focus on the core problem.

Transforming companies into engines of positive wellbeing

To do this, employers need to tackle the causes of illbeing – the factors that lead people to struggle to cope with work and life.

They also need to create the right conditions for wellbeing at work, which allows employers to reach more people and positively impact everything else.

The Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace is a welcome starting point to help organisations achieve that:

The five pillars are:

• Protection from harm: creating conditions for physical and psychological safety
• Connection and community: fostering positive social relationships and interactions in the workplace
• Work-life harmony: incorporating autonomy and flexibility to handle work and non-work responsibilities
• Mattering at work: acknowledging people and their contributions to the workplace
• Opportunity for growth: creating more opportunities for employees to learn and accomplish within the organisation

Each of these pillars further validates our science-backed wellbeing approach, with each point linking directing to our key drivers to generate sustainable, healthy forms of motivation at work and higher wellbeing.

Steps HR leaders can take when examining workplace wellbeing

1. Evaluate your wellbeing programme

Based on what you know about your wellbeing programme—whether it’s feedback surveys, sessions, etc.—here’s what you should ask yourself:

• What are the incentives we offer as part of our corporate wellness programme?
• Are the incentives in our wellbeing programme (if any) taking place at work? Or outside?
• What’s the percentage of employees that are actively engaged with this programme?
• What’s the retention rate of employees within the programme?
• Is there any additional feedback from employees on our wellness programme?

2. Assess employee wellbeing

Based on what you know about your workforce—whether it’s feedback surveys, sessions, etc.—here are the questions you should ask:

• How are our employees feeling (burnt out, struggling, managing, or thriving)?
• What actions have you taken as an organisation to alleviate any feelings of wellbeing?
• Have any of these actions occurred within working hours? Or is it encouraged outside of work?

3. Set a plan of action

Identify the deep causes of disengagement and build a path toward improvement. From there, you need to start laying the foundation that helps eliminate those stressors and positively reinforce moving forward.

Reevaluating your wellbeing programme and support is not easy—but it’s worth it. Remember, creating a healthy workforce within your organisation enables better productivity, higher retention, increased employee engagement, and greater improvements in overall company performance.

Learn more about how to stimulate company-wide wellbeing that’s inclusive, sustainable, and practical by watching our free wellbeing webinar.