Human Resources leaders have conversations about employee engagement, employee wellbeing and recognition every day.
And Lauren Hundert knows why.
Hundert, the owner of the Ontario, Canada-based Balanced Wellness Centre, has seen the data that shows employees who are more engaged are 17% more effective.
She knows statistics show that organizations who invest in an employee well-being program see a return on investment of $1.50 to $3 per dollar that’s invested.
The hard part? Putting it all together to allow a company to meet its employees’ in the areas of health and wellness, safety and engagement.
One of the important things for companies is to make sure programs that are suggested are followed up on.
“Some organizations are looking for a checkbox, others want detailed plans and regular reports. Some spend a ton of money and then never follow through,” Hundert told a receptive audience in a webinar hosted by the National Association for Business Resources in partnership with the Best & Brightest Programs and Corp! Magazine.
Hundert said what businesses are looking for can often be put into one of three “boxes:” The check box, the black box and the soapbox.
- The check box, she said, is where businesss decide, We need to do something. There is something we need to be addressing.”
“Checkboxes can sometimes … get a bit of a reputation and not necessarily a positive one,” Hundert pointed out. “We love a good solution because everybody needs to start somewhere. And if you have that insight, if you have something to work with that’s tangible, a checkbox can be a really great starting point.”
- The black box is for clients who want to know what’s going on and what employees are struggling with, what kind of things they want to do, what kind of experts they want to bring, and what kind of resources are needed.
“They really like to get into the details and then provide those kinds of solutions,” she said.
- The soap box represent companies who are “really into providing” a lot of different resources, which can be really fantastic and a lot of diverse content.
“Sometimes, though, we find the risk is that it’s more of a ‘look what it is we offer,’ she said. “They’re great at bringing ideas on board, and they’re great at entertaining ideas, but the follow through isn’t necessarily there.”
Getting a “clear idea” of what you want is a critical element, according to Hundert. Organizations can want various things from wellness or engagement programs, can talk to a variety of people within the organization and gotten various ideas about what needs to happen.
“It’s very, very important that, from the get go, when you’re looking at creating … or evaluating a program, you need to have a clear idea of what it is that you want,” Hundert said. “Secondary to that, but just as important, is making sure that corporate priorities are aligned.”
She told the story of talking to HR representatives from a company and a woman told her she knew exactly what was needed, because employees consistently came to her with their needs.
She figured out what she thought was a great “black box” solution and pitched it to corporate executives. But she forgot the “alignment” part.
“Corporate was only willing to invest in a ‘checkbox’ solution,” Hundert said. “So having clarity between your whole team and everyone who is involved in implementing these programs is really crucial that you understand what it is that you want and those priorities are aligned.”
Two questions it’s important to answer, Hundert pointed out, are what the company and its employees are willing to accept, and what can the company afford.
The questions are especially important, she explained, because often the proposed solutions could be something management already knows is a non-starter.
For instance, she said, for a company reying heavily on remote and hybrid workers, an in-person solution simply isn’t feasible.
“It’s not something that you’re ever going to do if you have a hybrid team,” Hundert said. “If you have people in various locations and satellite offices, then perhaps an in person session is never going to be something that you consider because it just wouldn’t work for you.”
And, what can you afford?
“What is it that, when you look at the solutions and what is possible, you are prepared to accept?” she said. “And what kind of things are just a complete write-off and something that will never work for you?”
An employee’s needs might not stem solely from something at work, particularly in a hybrid environment when employees are combining work-at-home with other responsibilities.
“Let’s not pretend that whatever is happening in our personal life isn’t showing up at work, and vice versa,” Hundert said. “We know this to be true. So, what can we actually do about it?”
The bottom line, Hundert told her audience, is figuring out what it is a company is looking to accomplish, what management and employees are willing to accept, what they can afford as they try to build space for wellness, safety and engagement.
“Having all of that lined out in the beginning will really help you to know where the overlap is,” Hundert said. “From there, you can set the stage and say, we’re looking to address this situation in this kind of way. If you can establish that based on what it is that you already know your needs are, and go to the practitioners to then seek their expertise … From there, we look at how to build trust.”
