Why UK employers lead the world on wellbeing practice

Why UK employers lead the world on wellbeing practice

Based on data on people practices and policies from across 1,800 organisations certified by Top Employers Institute, the UK is doing substantially more around health and wellbeing.

Almost all UK Top Employers offer an EAP (98% of the 84 that have been certified). That compares with 71% internationally. Meanwhile 80% in the UK have their own wellbeing champion to drive initiatives versus 59% elsewhere. There’s also more breadth of offering: 76% have religious or spiritual facilities (compared with 26%); 89% provide financial education (60%). Activity has stepped in the past year. 96% now promote physical activity, up from 79% in the 2020/21 data.

On/off

Importantly, there’s also evidence that UK businesses are trying to address the fall-out from ‘always on’ working. 58% now guarantee time to “unplug” or take stress-relief breaks (up from 44% in last year’s data); 65% now actively discourage use of email outside normal working hours (up from 48%); 48% offer programmes for coping with information overload (38%). 63% now also offer burnout recovery support (compared with 49%).

Other data provides more context for why UK employers are putting more into employee wellbeing. In terms of business priorities for HR, supporting organisational and cultural change remains top; the need to drive growth has jumped into second place. Health and safety of employees has stayed third.

Necessary action

“The top priorities for HR highlighted by the data are all linked,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The need for change and growth in the post-pandemic period, to re-build and re-assert market presence, is clear. But all of that is founded on the effort and commitment of people still dealing with the after-effects of the Covid-19 crisis and all it’s meant for their lives and routines. That’s why new and expanded health and wellbeing practices have become so important, not just as a token principe, but for helping build the resilience of people resources.”

Eugene Farrell on UK wellbeing practice.