Five data-driven ways to improve your workplace wellbeing

Employee wellbeing is often seen as a buzzword or a tick box, but it is so much more than that. All employers should prioritise protecting the wellbeing of their team not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will inevitably boost productivity and business outcomes. Whilst strides have been made in this area, there are still many hurdles to overcome to build a predominantly healthy and happy workforce.

Our latest research reveals the state of play when it comes to workplace wellbeing across a number of different industries, including accountancy and finance; the report is a great indicator of the steps that need to be taken to improve wellbeing strategies going forward.

The good news? The vast majority of employers overall (97%) believe positive employee wellbeing is important to their organisation’s success. The bad news? Half (50%) of finance professionals feel as though their organisation doesn’t do enough to support their wellbeing at work.

In this article, I look at the ways in which finance professionals are struggling most and share five pieces of advice you can action today to improve your wellbeing, backed up by our research insights. So, without further ado, let’s delve into the key findings. 

1. Over half (51%) of finance professionals often feel stressed at work

All jobs come with their stressors and many people can relate to feeling overwhelmed at work every once in a while. However, with five in ten finance professionals stating they often feel stressed out, it’s time to look within at the root causes to help reduce workplace worry and improve overall wellbeing. 

It’s crucial to reflect on your workload and discuss any concerns with your manager, in order to reestablish boundaries and avoid having way too much on your plate. Our research illustrates that high workload is the main factor contributing to poor wellbeing for 45% of those working in finance. Whether that looks like adopting a new time management approach or learning to say no to additional responsibilities, addressing the things that are causing you stress is the first step to feeling better and to protecting your long-term wellbeing.

2. 89% of employees confess to working outside of their contracted hours

Although maintaining a positive work-life balance has been proven to promote both wellbeing and productivity, the vast majority (89%) of finance professionals say they work outside of their contracted hours to some extent. If you’re working into the evening every day for instance, without having time to switch off, you’re more likely to feel drained by the end of the week. You may have got more emails answered in those extra hours, but is it to the detriment of the work you carry out the next day feeling tired and run down? Working excessive overtime is a recipe for burnout, so ultimately it’s vital to be mindful of when you’re calling it a day and the impact this is having on how you feel and how you function.

3. A quarter (25%) of staff can’t disconnect from work whilst on annual leave

In an ideal world, annual leave is a prime opportunity to set your workload aside and take some much-needed time for yourself. However, I appreciate this isn’t always doable; as our research demonstrates, a quarter of finance professionals say they’re unable to disconnect from their role and responsibilities whilst on leave. 

My advice is to switch off where possible – it can be useful to prepare an in-depth handover so it’s clear who can help with anything urgent in your absence. It’s also a good idea to limit access to work emails whilst on holiday, as modern technology means having your never-ending to do list and unanswered emails at your fingertips, making it much harder to properly disconnect.

The purpose of annual leave is to take time away from work so you can come back feeling reset, whereas spending all your time on leave worried about your job is likely to lead to burnout.

4. Four in ten professionals don’t use their organisation’s wellbeing initiatives

Our research shows that many people don’t take advantage of the wellbeing support their company has in place. Although it’s up to your employer to clearly communicate when it comes to the wellbeing initiatives they have available, you can also proactively ask about the support you can gain access to.

If your organisation takes employee wellbeing as seriously as they should, chances are there will be some valuable wellbeing initiatives for you to tap into, so make sure you’re utilising the guidance and support that’s out there to help improve your wellbeing.

5. Over a quarter (28%) don’t feel their employers spoken commitment to wellbeing aligns with action

An employer claiming they care about the wellbeing of their team is one thing, but putting this into practice is another. It’s up to you to give honest feedback about where your organisation is falling short and what wellbeing initiatives you’d like to see in place, to help your employer pair their spoken commitment to wellbeing with meaningful action.

Many organisations formally send out feedback forms to find out how their workforce feels, so take this opportunity to have your say. The more transparent you are, obviously within reason and always remaining professional, the more you can help inform and shape a stronger wellbeing strategy within your organisation. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can also share your thoughts with your manager in your one-to-ones.

Almost three quarters (72%) of finance professionals believe their employer doesn’t do enough to support their mental health specifically, so this is clearly an area where employers need to up their game, and hearing from their team first-hand what support they need can be a significant step in the right direction.

As published in CICM Magazine.