Why health & wellbeing support are key to recruitment & retention

We’ve all got the memo that wellbeing is important–but according to a major new survey, it could make or break your recruitment and retention strategy.

The survey, by Towergate Health & Protection, polled 500 HR decision-makers in the UK.

?      42% said their support for the health and wellbeing of staff was a key reason people stayed with the company.

?      31% said health and wellbeing support was a key reason people chose to work for them.

?      18% said not offering adequate health and wellbeing support was hurting their ability to recruit and retain people.

When asked what had increased in importance the most for recruitment and retention:

• 42% said support for health in general
• 26% said support for mental health
• 19% said the overall health and wellbeing package
• 11% said social interaction through work
• 9% said communication of support offered
• 9% said support for financial health
• 8% said an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy

In other words, this is a situation that calls for wide-ranging, holistic support.

Implementing a good health and wellbeing programme

The survey has shown that a good health and wellbeing programme is vital for recruitment and retention. And it’s not enough just to have one–to make a real difference, it needs to be clearly communicated to employees, easy to access, and easy to manage for both employees and employers alike.

The four pillars of health and wellbeing

Emotional, physical, financial, and social health are the four pillars of health and wellbeing. The study shows that to attract and retain talented employees, organisations must focus on all four.

Employees’ needs, priorities and demands have changed dramatically since the start of the pandemic. Employers need to keep pace with this change–because recruitment and retention are going to keep on growing in importance.