Using Individualism and Company Culture to Boost Employee Health

January 06, 2020 - PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC’s) Well-Being Learning Project highlights how employee health is the result of a symbiotic relationship between employees and their company in which individualism and company culture are needed to sustain healthy behaviors.

The study covered 1,425 individuals across the country. Researchers took six months to gather data on participants’ attitudes and behaviors to their work performance. The Well-Being Learning Project looked at four measures of well-being, five outcomes of well-being, eight healthy habits and attitudes, and 15 influences in the individual’s context or environment.

The four measures of well-being were happiness, burnout, engagement, and passion.

“The results of this study support a critical new workplace well-being equation,” the report said. “When corporate well-being practices are combined with individual employee commitments to embrace healthy behaviors and attitudes, there is a measurable positive impact not only on the individual but on their teams, as well as perceptions of client relationships and overall organizational success.”

The roles that healthy leadership and company culture play in supporting employee health are well-documented. 

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However, the PwC Well-Being Learning Project emphasizes the balance between focusing solely on individual development or zeroing in on company culture. 

First, PwC suggests giving employees more freedom to pursue health habits that are meaningful and beneficial to them. Employees are more likely to persist with the habit and achieve positive results if they create their own well-being plans.

At the same time, employers should still recognize the critical role that teams play in an individual’s health and should encourage an environment of respect and inclusiveness that values each individual as an integral part of the whole. A company-wide outlook that values each individual’s contributions can positively influence team collaboration and even client relationships.

Thirdly, the report finds that prioritizing well-being in the life of the workplace will ensure that it is a priority in the lives of individual employees. Employees need to witness the company executives engaging in healthy behaviors as much as they need them to be a part of their team culture.

Lastly, the report suggests using wearable devices to track health progress. The data can be used to forge team identity and even build relationships with clients.

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In general, flexibility and respect for life outside of work, education and upskilling, using digital platforms to organize well-being journeys and ideas, and forging team accountability plans all help turn healthy habits into healthy lifestyles, the report said.

“Well-being is change that we believe in. It is for our people, but it is also by our people,” PwC explained. “That shift—from well-being as a ‘corporate initiative’ to well-being as a cultural norm—along with new ways of working is key to greater adoption and results across the firm.”

These suggestions were based on unique insights reached through the research.

Whereas many employers and payers focus on discerning the right areas to focus on improvement for their populations, PwC found that no matter what the area, the actual health activity does not make much of a difference on impact. Engaging in any health activity will result in positive outcomes.

However, three healthy habits stood out from the rest: recognizing one’s own accomplishments, gratitude for one’s position and life, and having a healthy habit to restore one’s energy. People with these traits were more likely to have positive feelings for their jobs, a strong PwC People Engagement Index, and to avoid burnout.

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Employees cannot sustain their own healthy habits in an unhealthy environment. Their leadership and team have a significant impact on the employees’ ability to have healthy habits. 

Leaders and team members who are inclusive, respectful, and value well-being are critical to maintaining a healthy culture. The study specifically calls the first two “strong predictors” of certain well-being measures. 

Additionally, those who receive feedback from managers and who feel that their work has meaning or significance are moderately likely to demonstrate all four well-being indicators.

Healthy habits help save employers’ money on turnover. The study found that employees’ intent to leave a firm is a strong indicator of actual turnover, an expensive activity for the employer. But employees who engaged in more healthy habits had a higher likelihood of staying with their firm.

Healthy habits also led to a more positive perspective on both one’s position and one’s company.

Technology remains a primary tool in enabling healthy habits among employees.

Employees who used technology to track their health habits had more positive associations with the team’s work and relationships with the client.

Employee well-being is becoming increasingly multi-dimensional as employers come to understand how social determinants of health affect their employees’ performance. One report recently included financial, community, social, and mental healthcare as areas in which employers should look to invest. 

But even as large employers invest millions in developing complex wellness programming, this PwC report adds yet another layer, one in which the employee is at the helm of their own wellness instead of the employer and the company culture serves to strengthen their resolve for healthy living. Employers and payers providing employer sponsored health plans that can balance both individualism and healthy company culture may see more success with their wellness programming in 2020.