Workplace welfare versus workplace wellbeing

HAVE you ever taken part in any workplace wellbeing sessions? What’s the difference between this and workplace welfare?

The explosion of ‘workplace wellbeing’ initiatives in recent years has been unprecedented, with large and medium companies and organisations signing up to provide their employees with access to yoga, meditation, gym membership and online courses, or afternoon sessions of similar.

For most, this was and continues to be provided with the best of intentions, with a view to supporting their workers through the challenges of Covid, the cost of living crisis, and the stress of this fast-paced daily life.

However, the numbers of workplace wellbeing initiatives have recently begun to decrease, and the question being asked is “why”? Theories include that these sometimes viewed to be ‘tokenistic’ gestures don’t always work, and that workers can actually resent the offering of these services as part of a working day when, on the other side of the wellbeing coin, they aren’t provided with a suitable place to eat their lunch, not to mind time to change into exercise gear for a pilates session!

The term ‘workplace wellbeing’ refers to all such extracurricular offerings that promise to make you feel happy and rested and content, both physically and mentally. 

And while research shows that they can be beneficial, there is no benefit to building a house on sand. 

And that is what some companies are doing when offering these supports to employees. The essential foundation of ‘workplace welfare’ is very often being overlooked.

A recent social media post showed a picture of a fridge and microwave in a healthcare worker’s room at an NHS hospital, padlocked with signs forbidding doctors to use them, and demanding they be cleaned out after use. This was met with mass indignation and frustration. Doctors were not being provided with the most basic of facilities to utilise during their breaks, and in addition, the workplace atmosphere was apparently toxic.

Workplace welfare is different to workplace wellbeing in that it refers to the basic essentials or minimum requirements in environment and services for an employee to be able to do their job effectively and safely. Adequate toilet and eating facilities, with appropriate ventilation, sufficient cover on the rota, appropriate breaks incorporated into the day, suitable support in terms of management and guidance, high quality leadership, intolerance of workplace bullying, sufficient boundaries around overtime, and importantly, appropriate recognition with praise and pay for work well done.

This is a non-exhaustive list of things that an employer can do to improve the worker’s experience, and overall physical and mental health. Welfare has to come first and foremost, the rest then has the potential to follow.

Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ illustrates excellently how at the very minimum these things are required for us to function and thrive. They form the base of our wellbeing pyramid. Only then should we consider adding to the wellbeing experience with additional offerings, the top of the pyramid, to reach one’s potential. It’s not to say that these additional wellbeing supports won’t be helpful, they can be excellent for creating space and boosting physical and emotional development amongst a workforce – but not if they’re perceived as a tick box exercise, or a shifting of responsibility over to the employee.

Training in how to be ‘resilient’ is in some scenarios becoming a scapegoat tactic, where the most basic of workplace needs are not being met. 

If all supports are in place, then of course some additional mindset trainings can be useful. But not as an ‘instead of’. That’s what workers are growing to despise, and rightly so. Employers have a responsibility to engage in these offerings in a more supportive, integrated way. Wellbeing is a culture shift, not just one session on a Friday afternoon.

A holistic workplace wellbeing approach places the employee at the centre and asks ‘what can we do for them’, rather than ‘what can we do to get more from them’. Ironically, that’s when the relationship blossoms, the employee thrives, the employer steps into their role as an authentic and supportive partner, and everyone reaps the rewards.

Dr Michelle O’Driscoll is a pharmacist, re searcher and founder of InTuition, a health and wellness education company. Her research lies in the area of mental health education, and through InTuition she delivers health promotion workshops to corporate and academic organi sations nationally. See intuition.ie