Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy for the Best Employee Experience

Employee wellness programs can offer numerous benefits, including reduced healthcare costs, increased productivity, and improved employee retention. However, none of this is possible without a detailed plan of action that outlines how to implement your company’s employee health initiatives. It’s essential that organizational leaders collaborate to develop an employee health and wellbeing strategy. 

Still, resource leaders might not know exactly how or what goes into such a plan. We’ll explore the strategy involved in building an employee health and wellbeing program that your workforce wants and executives appreciate so you can stay on top of these occupational health best practices. 

What Is an Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy? 

Before we dive into what an employee health and wellbeing strategy entails, let’s first clarify its definition. 

An organization’s workforce health strategy primarily centers on the mental and physical wellbeing of its employees. More recently, however, there has been an increase in addressing employees’ economic and social wellbeing as well. The strategy serves as a future-oriented plan for supporting your employees’ needs, which leads to improved overall organizational performance. 

These plans are typically comprehensive, covering the types of programs and initiatives your company plans to, or is currently, offer. They may include detailed instructions on how to launch and maintain these programs, too, so it’s clear to even those newly involved in the process exactly what to do. Policies and communication are also essential, as they ensure that individuals understand the rules they’re expected to follow per the organization’s mission and values. 

Lastly, program leaders should make a point to describe the resources required to fulfill the strategy, including personnel, funding, and materials. In short, your employee health and wellbeing strategy should answer the “what”, “how”, and “when” of achieving your workforce wellness goals. 

How To Create an Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Understand that it’s not just about building a strategy. It’s about creating the strategy that best aligns with your unique business culture and employee needs. Taking a cookie-cutter approach may not yield the results that leadership desires for the organization. Therefore, resource program leaders should aim to establish a customized plan, which requires considering seven very important factors:

1. Establishing health and wellbeing goals
2. Reviewing workplace data 
3. Performing an employee needs assessment
4. Leadership involvement and support
5. Determining outreach methods 
6. Measuring strategy effectiveness 
7. Leveraging technology

We’ll dive into each one below. 

1. Confirm Health and Wellbeing Goals 

Setting goals for the company’s employee health and wellbeing strategy is a must-do. Consider this the foundation of the plan, as it provides purpose and structure and offers guidance. It tells you and your team what to focus on, reinforces accountability, and adds clarity. 

Without clear objectives, resource program leaders can struggle to monitor their progress, identify errors, and maintain motivation. The program could end up appearing like a range of standalone initiatives that feel disconnected from the workplace culture, which isn’t what you want. Ultimately, the strategy should align with the organization’s goals, specifically supporting the company’s overall health. 

To get started with goal setting, work with your team to answer questions that can help determine the purpose of the wellbeing strategy. Keep in mind that the work environment should be a place where employees can thrive in their roles, and any factors that may deter them should be addressed. 

Pose questions like: 

• What do we want to achieve with the health and wellbeing strategy? 
• How are we currently supporting employee health and wellbeing?
• Why do we need/want to invest in employee wellbeing? (Each reason might require a different approach, so try to clarify your primary goal.)
• Ex. decrease employee-related expenses, enhance employee health, improve workforce morale, attract top talent, believe it’s just the right thing to do, etc. Are these initiatives meant to be an employee perk or an added benefit? 

2. Review Workforce Data and Insights

Gartner HR Research revealed that over 80% of employees say it’s important that their organization views them as a person. Yet only 45% of employees believe their organization cares about their personal wellbeing. Even though 84% of U.S. companies offer wellness programs, employees still aren’t convinced that their employers genuinely care, prompting us to ask, what could be driving this? 

A 2024 study looking into why employees don’t participate in wellbeing programs revealed the following factors: 

• Lack of perceived relevance 
• Barriers to access (e.g., time, transportation) 
• Inequitable benefits design (lower wage workers and minority populations were typically less engaged with their employer’s wellbeing plans) 
• Lower prioritization of personal health needs 

This information shows us that there may be a disconnect between what employers offer and what employees really want and have access to. Assuming this, it’s crucial for resource program leaders to meet their workforce where they’re at, which can be achieved by looking into the following: 

• Total number of employee sick days
• Cost of employee sick days 
• Employee attrition rate 
• Total and type of workplace injuries 
• Workforce demographic:
  • Workplace location (e.g., remote, in-office, hybrid)
  • Unique working patterns (ex. night shift, strenuous physical activity, sedentary) 
  • Age
  • Gender 
  • Ethnicity 
  • Disabilities 

This type of data provides insights into what might make sense at your organization. For instance, let’s say your labor force includes nurses, and there has been a rise in reported back injuries. To prevent and ensure fewer incidents, it may be helpful to create a nurses’ wellness program that focuses on core strengthening activities, perhaps through practices like yoga or Pilates. The goal is to use the data to select relevant programs. 

3. Perform an Employee Needs Assessment 

In addition to reviewing data, it’s also important to capture employees’ opinions on what they want. Data is extremely valuable, but it only tells part of the story. It’s through a needs assessment that you might learn “why” certain things are happening. 

For instance, let’s revisit the previous example of nurses experiencing back injuries. Through a needs assessment, you may discover that these injuries are occurring on understaffed units and in scenarios where only one individual is assisting a patient who requires a two-person lift. If such is the case, core strengthening activities alone wouldn’t solve the problem, as the root issue is the staffing shortage. 

There are numerous approaches you can take to gather information from employees, including: 

• Surveys 
• One-on-one discussions
• Focus groups 

The exact questions you ask will depend on your work environment, but here are some examples: 

• Are you satisfied with the ergonomics of your workspace? 
• Do you experience pain as a result of your work environment (e.g., eye strain, backaches)? 
• Is there anything causing you stress at work? 
• Can you effectively manage your workload during your working hours? 
• Do you have the necessary resources to perform your job safely and effectively? 
• Would you participate in workplace social activities to better connect with your colleagues? 

4. Get Leadership Involved 

A Deloitte survey involving 2,100 employees and C-suite leaders examined how executive leadership can enhance the wellbeing of both their employees and themselves. The results were eye-opening, with nearly 80% of employees believing that it’s important for their leadership to be health-savvy. Almost 85% of survey participants agreed that when executives are healthy, their employees are also more likely to be healthy. Yet, although 95% of C-suite leaders surveyed agree that they should be responsible for employees’ wellbeing, that doesn’t always translate into taking accountability. 

For an employee wellness strategy to be effective, leadership buy-in is essential. Leaders set the tone and play a fundamental role in shaping company culture; therefore, if they’re not committed through their actions, it’s unlikely that employees will participate. 

Resource managers should communicate to leaders, using data and education, the importance of investing in employee well-being, as it’s a vital business necessity. A lack of support can ravage even the most well-developed employee health and well-being strategy. 

5. Establish Communication and Outreach Methods

While often overlooked, communication plays an integral role in the success of your workplace initiatives. Poor communication efforts can result in suboptimal engagement rates, meaning you’re not maximizing the potential of your company’s offerings. 

As you build the communication plan in your strategy, keep the following in mind.

• Avoid jargon: Try not to use language that’s too technical. Terms like “biometric screening” could be overly complicated for some employees. It might be better to describe it as a “health assessment that gathers information about your vital signs (e.g., blood pressure)” instead. 
• Provide a clear call-to-action: Don’t leave your employees guessing about what you want them to do next. Make clear statements, such as “Register for the XYZ challenge today”. Then feel free to add scarcity and urgency with sentences like “Act Now! Limited Spots Available”. 
• Employee location: Where individuals work can determine the type of outreach the organization goes with. For instance, fully remote employees might prefer email or Slack, whereas office-based employees could benefit from posters in breakrooms and hallways. 
• Ask: This one is easy to forget, but consider asking employees how they prefer to receive information.  

Another thing resource leaders should gauge is whether employees genuinely feel that the organization is a safe place to address their concerns, especially regarding their mental and financial well-being. Research shows that if employees believe there might be negative repercussions for sharing health-related issues, they’re less likely to disclose that information or seek support. You may need to reinforce in your communication that what they disclose will remain confidential. 

6. Measure Strategy Effectiveness 

The most effective employee health and wellness strategies are dynamic and continually evolving to meet the changing needs of public health, workplace safety regulations, and the workforce. Create key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess effectiveness and use that information to make improvements to those initiatives. It’s ideal to review these metrics at least monthly or quarterly, so you can make adjustments in a timely manner if needed. 

Some useful metrics to track include: 

• Program utilization rate 
• Employee turnover 
• Employee satisfaction rate 
• Absenteeism rate 
• Healthcare utilization costs per employee 
• Disability claims 
• Communication activity: open rate, clickthrough rate, surveys, etc. 

Consider also looking at the demographic breakdown of each program’s participants. Ideally, you want to ensure that your employee health and wellbeing strategy is designed to cater to all audiences. Earlier, we shared how lower-wage workers and minority groups tend to be less engaged, and often, it’s found that they would benefit the most from wellness initiatives. Therefore, examine whether any barriers make access difficult for different demographic groups or if different group benefit from different types of communication. 

7. Leverage Technology 

Over the last few years, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has undergone significant changes, and technological advancements are a major contributor to this shift. When you look around, you’ll notice that many tasks and activities have gone “digital”. From virtual mental health visits and remote follow-up appointments with providers to online workout programs and guided meditation. Each of these examples offers flexibility and convenience, which many employees desire. 

Go Beyond Traditional Employee Programs

With that information in mind, today’s health and wellbeing program leaders must think outside of the traditional wellness box if they want to adequately meet employees’ needs. For example, conventional initiatives, such as access to an on-site fitness center, are an excellent offer for employees. However, what if your employees prefer to have access to on-demand exercise programs that they can do from anywhere? What if your workforce is scattered around the country and largely work from their homes? To compete, and even better, to stand out, look into what digital tools might address well-being issues.   

Give Employees Time to Enjoy Workplace Perks

Furthermore, consider how to allocate time for employees to utilize the programs your organization offers. Some employees, and even executives, want to participate in wellbeing initiatives, but simply don’t have the time due to work demands. It may be a good idea to explore technological products that help streamline operations and enhance efficiency. 

In the healthcare field, for example, there’s robust electronic medical record (EMR) software that employees can use to reduce their workload. Such tools can help with documentation, identifying the most appropriate billing codes for maximum reimbursement, and even utilizing workflows to streamline routine tasks. These efforts help make sure you’re providing support that could reduce burnout and improve morale, working as a part of the employee wellbeing.

Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy Tips Revealed

Organizations seeking to foster a happier company culture, promote healthier employees, and achieve better business performance must prioritize developing an employee health and wellbeing strategy. With changing employee expectations and evolving needs, continuing with the current status quo may not lead to longevity. Companies that employ a well-planned and effectively executed strategy are significantly more likely to thrive and remain competitive in the future.