55% of professionals think employers should do more to support workforce wellbeing
By Helena Biggs | 15 January 2024 | Feature, Health & wellbeing
Employers should be doing more to help with employee wellbeing, according to 55% of UK&I professionals polled by international recruitment firm, Robert Walters.
The research also found that over two-fifths of senior leaders feel that their increased spending on wellness benefits is largely unnoticed.
“We are seeing that the onus has shifted in recent years, from professionals asking ‘what can I do for a company?’ to ‘how can my company help me?’,” comments Chris Poole, MD of Robert Walters UK.
“The rise in awareness of employee wellbeing has not only caused employees to become more outspoken in terms of their own expectations in the workplace, but shifted the spotlight onto employers, increasing expectations around what the leaders of companies should be doing to help their employees. While budgets may be tight, 2024 is evidently not the year to turn a blind eye to money being spent on employee wellbeing.”
A resounding 70% of professionals polled stated they now expect more from their employers, such as benefits, working culture, empathetic leadership and environmental, social and governance contribution, compared to mid-2022.
Findings also revealed that almost two-fifths (39%) of managers feel that employees are becoming more vocal when it comes to getting their needs met. Poole continues: “Upscaling wellbeing interventions can be as easy and inexpensive as improving access to mental health resources, setting up mental health employee resource groups (ERGs), offering paid sabbaticals, or even adding plants or introducing more natural light into the workplace.”