Nothing wields a more profound influence on the triumph or downfall of business than the enigma of workplace culture. This verity finds its zenith in the domain of employee health and well-being, where a deleterious culture can subvert even the most impeccably crafted employee programs.

Presently, employee well-being in the United States languishes at an unprecedented nadir. As per venerable sources such as Gallup and CDC, the feeble state of employee well-being precipitates adverse physical and mental health, corroding profitability through diminished employee engagement, heightened turnover, substandard customer service, and augmented healthcare expenditures.

This pervasive ailment on a national scale underscores the failure of workplace cultures to bolster employee well-being. Our research at the Returns On Wellbeing Institute reveals that employers are fostering workplace cultures diametrically opposed to the well-being of their employees, particularly in the realms of:

• Inadequate remuneration (a preeminent catalyst for stress and diminished engagement)
• Insufficient staffing (casting a pall over morale and intensifying stress)
• Incompetent managers (a chief instigator of stress, despondency, and diminished self-esteem) • Absence of leadership (with CEOs and boards neglecting employee well-being)

In essence, workplaces seem myopic in their outlook, contributing to the deterioration of employee health, both directly and indirectly. This occurs by overburdening and undercompensating nearly half the workforce, fostering perilously elevated stress levels that culminate in compromised health and lackluster workplace performance and customer service.

Furthermore, despite numerous companies investing in wellness programs centered around physical fitness, the focus is often myopic, fixating on mitigating obesity, curbing smoking, and reducing blood pressure. Simultaneously, the work environment, characterized by prolonged working hours, unpredictable schedules, and scant vacation time, leaves little room for physical fitness and work-life equilibrium.

While companies might harbor a belief, albeit unsupported by concrete evidence, that their wellness initiatives yield returns on investment (ROI), they remain oblivious to the perceptions and acceptance levels of employees regarding these well-being endeavors. This ignorance begets workplace cultures apathetic or even adversarial to well-being initiatives.

Culture as the Bedrock Consequently, for companies aspiring to derive positive ROI from enhancing employee health, the bedrock must be workplace cultures. Cultures precede programs, for they are the fertile grounds that determine the fate of employee well-being initiatives.

A workplace culture comprises unspoken norms dictating what it truly means to be an employee within the organization. These are the authentic core values, often distinct from the ones displayed on posters or found in employee handbooks. In essence, workplace cultures tacitly convey “How things are done around here.”

Cultures are ingrained and reinforced through leadership styles, procedures, and perceptions of what is esteemed, rewarded, or penalized.

Cultures are not immutable; they can undergo transformation. When deliberately conceived and executed as the cornerstone for effective employee well-being strategies, they can yield the following outcomes:

Elevated Participation. A culture of well-being can foster employee trust and amplify enthusiastic participation. A supportive workplace culture communicates to employees that the well-being program is not merely a tactical maneuver to enhance the company’s bottom line but is genuinely in their best interest.

Ubiquitous Peer Support. Endeavoring to improve one’s well-being in isolation is formidable. Supportive cultures fortify healthy lifestyles, nurturing teamwork that contributes to enhanced mental/emotional well-being. Colleague support can surmount inertia or lack of motivation, injecting an element of engagement and enjoyment.

Enhanced Management. Data underscores the profound impact managers wield on the well-being of their direct reports. Cultures of well-being motivate and incentivize managers to prioritize employee well-being as the most efficacious means to meet their targets.

Optimal Business Outcomes. A wealth of data, from Gallup to Deloitte, attests to the fact that elevated employee well-being translates into heightened engagement, culminating in significantly superior business results across all metrics.

Cultivating a Well-being Culture To ensure workplace cultures align with employee well-being, an assessment and re-engineering are imperative. The focus must shift to culture itself as the primary strategic priority, managed with defined objectives, timelines, and accountabilities.

Evaluate the prevailing culture Understanding the existing workplace culture in relation to employee well-being is the preliminary step. Scrutinize how the current culture either buttresses or undermines optimal employee well-being. Consider aspects like incessant availability, implicit discouragement of taking vacations, indifferent management, and remuneration below subsistence levels.

Deploy surveys, focus groups, and in-depth dialogues across the organization to directly glean the needs and desires of employees.

Make employee well-being a fundamental value permeating all organizational processes, policies, leadership attributes, and even the criteria used to evaluate managers and leaders. Introduce changes that signal a commitment to improving employee well-being, with recognition and rewards as tangible manifestations.

Engage employees in program design and implementation Enlisting employees in the selection and design of specific well-being programs ensures the appropriateness of choices and instills a sense of ownership. This mirrors and reinforces a supportive culture.

In instances where stress is a prevalent issue (and it invariably is), consider resilience training. If depression permeates the workplace, collaborate with managers to develop initiatives that destigmatize seeking early and effective treatment. This, too, constitutes a cultural transformation. Acknowledging the prevalent financial struggles of many workers, infuse the culture with education and opportunities to alleviate financial stress and enhance personal finances.

Revise manager evaluation criteria A common adage posits that people don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad managers. Consequently, companies must realign managers through training and resources, enabling them to evolve into effective leaders, a matter of cultural significance.