Dive Brief:
- More than half of HR professionals in a recent survey say they are looking to improve employee engagement (60%), productivity (53%) and organizational culture (52.8%) through well-being. Well-being is no longer being seen as strictly an HR initiative -- it is rather a business imperative.
- For the second straight year, Virgin Pulse partnered with Human Capital Media, the research arm of Workforce magazine for the State of the Industry: Employee Well-being in 2016 survey, which details how and why organizations are budgeting, implementing, measuring and improving employee well-being programs.
- According to the report, 89% of respondents at the director level and above cite improving employee productivity as the top HR priority in 2016, with engagement (87.5%), and corporate culture (85.8%) following closely behind. More than 97% agree that employee well-being programs can positively impact the achievement of each of these broader business priorities and goals.
Dive Insight:
As well-being programs evolve and become a core part of business strategy for engaging, retaining and recruiting top talent, budgets for these initiatives are growing. More than a third (39.1%) of large companies and more than a quarter (28.1%) of small companies report well-being budget increases. These increases come as organizations increasingly view employee well-being as a driver of business success.
"In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, employees are being asked to do more at work while balancing personal priorities and responsibilities. We know these competing demands can affect engagement and culture within organizations," said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin Pulse. "By focusing on well-being as a way to create and motivate productive, thriving workforces, leading employers will see the return on their investment in ways that meaningfully impact their business in 2016 and beyond."
