5 Common Mistakes Leaders Make in Their Workplace Well-being Strategy

The default approach to workplace well-being is often tactical, ad hoc, limited, and event-based. There is a wealth of evidence that this approach doesn’t have long-term benefits or return on investment. 

Think about the last time you set a goal to get more exercise, drink more water, or lose some weight. However, without holistic lifestyle changes that support sustainable success, those endeavors often end with suboptimal results.

In your organization, you might have already tried to refocus your efforts on creating a healthy workplace with well-being at the center of your strategy. Perhaps you saw some quick wins with wellness contests or free yoga classes. But, they ultimately lost steam. 

You might think this proves that creating a workplace where well-being drives your organizational prosperity is doomed to failure. 

I have good news for you: it’s not. 

Over the course of my career and in researching Make Work Healthy, I have seen many organizations get this right. For now, let’s take a look at what can go wrong and how you can avoid common pitfalls.

No Shared Vision

One of the most important parts of creating sustainable change is having a shared vision for what you want to achieve. Without this, you will most likely end up like the Buddhist parable of the blind men and the elephant - each person is limited by their own perception and the group doesn’t agree on the whole picture.

The fix: Take the time to engage in meaningful dialogue and create a shared vision and definitions for everyone in your organization. Go into detail. Refer back to your vision often. 

Data Deficiencies

Data is your friend. It will help show you with precision what’s happening in your organization, where your well-being gaps are, and what your people feel is most important to their sense of well-being at work. It will also highlight changing patterns in mindsets and behaviors. Many organizations forgo comprehensive data collection because it’s time-consuming and costly. Not investing in gathering valuable data typically ends up costing you more in the end.

The fix: If you haven’t already, develop a mechanism for continuously listening to your employees throughout the year. Create questions in a survey or conduct focus groups to find out what your people want from workplace well-being. 

No Clear Plan

Having a plan is imperative to the success of any initiative - including one centered on workplace well-being. Coupled with a shared vision built with data-driven insights unique to your organization, a clearly defined plan with actions and goals is key to success. Without one, your activities will likely be ad hoc and sporadic instead of strategic and integrated. 

The fix: Create a plan that includes your vision, purpose, objectives, measures, timing, and targets. Stick to it and review it regularly to see how things are going. Make changes and course-correct as needed. 

Lack of Measurement

Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured, gets managed.” This is especially true for workplace well-being initiatives that tend to be the first to go when budgets get tight. Tying your well-being work to business outcomes is critical for their long-term viability. When you can’t show evidence that your strategy is having a positive impact on the bottom line, you risk losing leadership’s investment.

The fix: Make a list of all the direct and indirect costs associated with sick days, attrition, hiring, productivity loss, brain drain, workplace incidents, healthcare costs, and more. Clearly link your well-being initiatives to one or more of these areas. Measure and report on them regularly.

Not Walking the Talk

Let’s say you’ve addressed the four factors above. You’ve got a great data-driven plan rooted in a shared vision and tied to metrics you track regularly. But, your leaders are still sending emails at 3 AM or on the weekend, or not ever taking vacations. Maybe they’re praising their people for these behaviors. Or, worse, they’re disrespecting or humiliating team members or being racist. These actions speak much louder than any words a leader might say about the importance of well-being. 

The fix: Expect leaders to act as role models. Measure how well-being shows up on their teams. Provide coaching to help them act in alignment with your goals. Create an exit plan for those who don’t. 

For more insights on how to get your workplace well-being initiatives right, check out Make Work Healthy or schedule a consulting call with me.