Victoria Brocklesby, COO and Co-Founder at the UK’s leading manufacturer of aluminium doors and windows, Origin, speaks to us about the importance of employee wellbeing, a business’ moral duty to look after its staff, and the employer benefits that come from fostering a happy workforce.
We spend a shockingly high percentage of our lives at work. Indeed, we spend more waking hours with our colleagues than we do with our friends and family. With this in mind, organisations have a responsibility to create supportive environments that cater to employees’ physical and mental needs.
However, this is not always the case. All too often, we see headlines about how stressful it is to work within the construction industry and how talent leaves as a result. Indeed, at the moment, 22% of construction firms are suffering from staff shortages and face an average lead time of four months to fill positions.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Prioritising employee wellbeing not only helps attract, but also retain valuable talent. By putting their people first, preventing stress, and fostering a welcoming and supportive environment, companies allow individuals and organisations to thrive.
Why Businesses Need to Prioritise Wellbeing
Looking after the mental and physical health of your staff is morally the correct thing to do, and it comes with a host of business benefits.
Staff shortages are a major pain point within the industry, putting a strain on the construction and manufacturing sectors like never before. This means retaining staff is crucial to business success. Whilst salary remains a key driver in keeping staff at a company, it does not mean they are happy to be there. By prioritising employee wellbeing and ensuring employees are genuinely looked after, you will create a workforce that is genuinely happy and engaged at work. This means they are less likely to leave. Research by Gallup highlights this. It found that employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall wellbeing are 69% less likely to actively search for a new job.
This is significant, especially when you consider that healthy and happy employees are more productive. According to Headspace, 70% of employees report that they have missed work this year due to mental health issues. Plus, further Gallup research shows that employees who are well looked after are 71% less likely to experience burnout and 3x more engaged at work. They will also be safer, minimising the number of incidents and preventable sick days.
Reducing staff churn will also save your business money in recruitment. According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost per hire in the UK is £3,000. When you consider the employee turnover rate in the UK construction industry is around 20%, you can start to see the scale of the issue.
Now is the time for reactive businesses to reprioritise staff wellbeing to foster a healthy working environment and reap the business benefits. But how?
Put Wellbeing First
When it comes to staff wellbeing, prioritising what employees actually want is key. It should not be about making the business seem caring, but doing its utmost to support its staff, nurture relationships, and create a happy and committed workforce.
I have four key considerations:
- Culture
Externally, everyone knows Origin for manufacturing premium-quality aluminium doors and windows, but internally, it is our company culture that is the top priority. As a family business, fostering a close-knit community and a sense of belonging has been a vital part of our success, even as we have grown. The family business feel, and prioritising our company values of care, trust, and respect sit at the heart of everything we do.
- Benefits
All our employees have access to workplace benefits. Up until a few years ago, this was a Gymflex package. However, we realised that the uptake amongst staff was low, and this approach wasn’t serving our employees as well as it could. So, we went back to the drawing board. After a consultation process, we settled on a cash plan scheme. This takes a more holistic approach to employee wellbeing by offering gym memberships alongside subsidised healthcare, 24/7 virtual GP appointments, mental health support, and retail discounts. These things together make for a much more meaningful benefits package and uptake increased to over 70% as a result. We even extended the package to our employees’ families because they are an extension of the Origin family.
- Learning management system
Having an effective training and learning system not only means your business can upskill its employees, but it shows your staff that you care about their career progression and wider learning. At Origin, we invested in a new learning management system that allows our employees to complete courses related to their job role and broaden their knowledge in other subject areas, such as mental health.
- Active Listening
Alongside showing that you care about staff’s health, they also want to know they are heard and that their opinions matter. At Origin, we hold regular town hall-style meetings with senior members of the company to allow our employees to ask questions, give feedback, and make suggestions. Everyone is listened to, with every idea and concept given fair consideration.
But remember, whilst there is no one-size-fits-all approach, any strategy must be genuine and have the interests of your employees at its core. For instance, there’s no point investing in a cycle-to-work scheme if your employees are all based remotely. Looking after employee wellbeing is more than simply introducing benefits, it’s about enhancing their entire experience at work.
Conclusion
There are so many ways to look after your staff’s mental and physical wellbeing. Finding the right approach has the ability to transform lives and businesses.
What’s crucial is that any initiatives implemented are meaningful and designed to genuinely benefit your employees. Without this compassion, any benefits or wellbeing package will be ineffective.
Find out more about the UK’s leading aluminium door and window manufacturer.