Wellbeing initiatives: Perks or Plasters? 

It’s not easy being responsible for people in an organisation – one day running a yoga class is a great thing, the next, it’s a so-called sticking plaster. There is a lot of noise online about how employees don’t ask for yoga or don’t want fruit baskets. So what do they want? And does this mean that yoga and other wellbeing initiatives are a waste of time?

It all comes down to getting the basics right. Think of culture as the base of a pyramid, where things like flexibility, trust, security and safety live. If you have these in place, then adding wellbeing perks like workshops, yoga classes, and cycle-to-work schemes on top, will only add to an already great company culture.

Where it goes wrong is skewing the pyramid the other way. If as an employee, I’m not trusted to work autonomously, my job security is threatened as a means to ‘motivate’ me, I can’t get to a dentist appointment easily, or care for my sick child without worrying about the hassle involved – I’m not in a good company culture. 

If the company then, without having my basic needs met, runs a talk on stress management for example, it’s not going to sit well. In fact, it reeks of hypocrisy, even toxicity. Can you imagine being in a relationship where you have sleepless nights because the security of the relationship is constantly threatened, then being told the problem isn’t that, but it’s your screen time and caffeine levels? It sounds like an unhealthy relationship and one you’d probably want to get out of. The principle works the same for companies. 

There are key warning signs for leadership that their culture isn’t in the right place. High absenteeism, presenteeism, attrition problems and difficulty hiring are all indicators that your culture may need some work. By addressing culture first and ensuring the base of the pyramid is healthy, you not only save time and money, but you’ll reap the rewards of wellbeing perks, events and workshops tenfold.

This is when yoga is actually a great thing. With a healthy culture in place, yoga classes can do what they were designed to do – give time away from our desks to move, connect and feel better. There is a reason yoga was the first wellbeing perk to enter the workforce – it works! The Global Wellness Institute cites several studies proving that yoga significantly reduces anxiety and even leads to increased connectivity of the emotional regulation centres of the brain. 

So despite all the noise online, yoga or any other wellbeing initiative is not a sticking plaster. As long as your culture isn’t something you’re trying to mask!

If you want your wellbeing efforts to really make a difference, but think your culture or policies need some work first, we can help. Vita Wellness runs a Culture and Engagement Programme, designed to help leadership teams get the base of the pyramid right, before adding on wellbeing workshops, classes and events.  

In summary, without a culture of safety, security and respect for employees, wellbeing initiatives like workshops and classes can quickly become sticking plasters. However, with culture in the right place, these initiatives really come to life and do what they are designed to do – help and care for people, whilst fostering a positive and healthy working environment.