One of the challenges in workplace health promotion has often been that programs or apps have been deployed in organisations without really knowing what employee needs are or whether their employees even recognise their value. As a result, many programs have struggled to engage employees and have often under delivered on promised return on investment, leading to frustration and lack of confidence. Providers then in turn respond by claiming employers just want cheap solutions that “tick the box” and don't take workplace health seriously. But to be fair, employers can’t take all of the blame - as they can only buy what’s on offer - but perhaps they could be spending more time finding out what employees actually want and need.
COVID may finally have provided the impetus for a new workplace health model that better matches employee needs to proven solutions, and in turn drives much needed business growth. Providers should move from pushing a ‘one-size fits all’ model and work in partnership with their employer clients to deliver targeted proven solutions to the people who need and want it most. This targeted approach is even more important when we consider the pressure on all sides to be cost-effective right now - neither side can afford to get this wrong. Finally the right services need to be chosen, customised or developed to fit the needs of the specific employee profile. This may mean that providers have to partner to provide the best solutions, but by being product agnostic we can all focus on the value that is provided to employees.
We would love to hear how you believe workplace health could be improved post COVID, and which groups of employees you feel are most in need in which sector right now. Please get in touch or leave a comment.