Health and wellbeing is a ‘have-to-have’

At Virgin Pulse, our vision is of a near future where health, wellbeing and engagement are ‘have to have’, not ‘nice to have’.

Too often, businesses consider employee health and wellbeing spend to be discretionary.

There is nothing discretionary about employee health and wellbeing. Employee health is a have-to-have, not a nice-to-have.

Our data shows that investing in a healthy workforce yields improvements across a range of performance metrics and business outcomes:

• 44 % of Virgin Pulse members feel more productive at work
• 87% of Virgin Pulse members say wellbeing programs positively impact company culture
• 67 % of Virgin Pulse members say their company is a better place to work
• 25 % of Virgin Pulse members show a decrease in sickness related absences

These kinds of results first start with investment; in taking full responsibility for the financial and ethical cost.

By demonstrating a serious commitment to the funding of health and wellbeing, you send a message. You’re saying, ‘we care, we believe in you, and we’ll support you in the challenges and demands that arise in this workplace.’

This has a big payoff. It connects employees to themselves, to each other and to their work. From a commercial perspective, it makes perfect sense, as our statistics show.

Finding budget simply requires a business case. So visit the CFO and talk about the costs of not investing in wellbeing. Talk to legal and discuss the health and safety risks. More importantly, talk to the employees whose very livelihood and productivity depends on it.

For more on the trends defining the health and wellbeing industries, download our Business of healthy employees report.