Well-being programmes are now being viewed as part of employee engagement by companies, said a survey report by well-being organisation RoundGlass.
Its third annual flagship report, the Wellbeing at Work Survey Report 2020-21, said that more than 50 percent of organisations offer benefits such as health screenings and health awareness or meditation sessions to their employees.
Prakriti Poddar, Global Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing, RoundGlass told Moneycontrol that measuring ROI is a crucial part of well-being program implementation.
She added that the survey found that overall 71 percent organisations measure program ROI on well-being programs.
"The survey also found that 50 percent companies use employee participation rate as a measure of ROI. However, only 22 percent use cost of health insurance premiums as an ROI measure," said Poddar.
According to the survey, 66 percent companies view their well-being programmes as an employee engagement activity. But, ironically, 65 percent of these say engaging employees in these programmes is the biggest challenge.
Here, only 24 percent reported an average employee participation rate (EPR) of more than 50 percent.
Paradigm shift in well-being programmes
There is a big shift in well-being programmes from basic company health insurance and gym memberships to areas like meditation and health screenings.
Poddar said that corporate India has started to prioritise well-being initiatives. However, she added that some big corporates in the West continue to incentivise participation in workplace well-being through monetary benefits and other incentives.
"India used to be conventionally more focused on curative rather than preventive care but the shift to well-being had started in recent years. Employee mental well-being issues, such as stress and anxiety, came to the forefront during the pandemic, driving home the importance of well-being and accelerating the adoption of well-being programs by Corporate India," she added.
The survey also showed that organisations have started looking at well-being as a must-have and it is here to stay as employees begin to return to work.
Use of technology
When it comes to use of technology for the well-being, the survey showed that there is a perception of it being expensive.
Poddar explained that only 19 percent of small organisations use technology as compared to 53 percent large companies. Compare this with the West where technology is the mainstay of workplace well-being programs, she added.
"Adoption of technology — apps, gamification, digital platforms — in wellbeing programs is a must in these work-from-home times to improve employee well-being and connectedness," she said.
According to the RoundGlass survey, 61 percent of the organisations conduct awareness sessions and workshops on mental health and well-being.
She added that about 51 percent held mindfulness and meditation sessions and 44 percent offered stress management through employee assistance programs (EAPs). However, only 34 percent offered employees access to counsellors for one-on-one sessions.
