Recent research reveals that employee-oriented challenges like quiet quitting and staff turnover are at the forefront of workplace concerns.
- Nearly three quarters (74%) of employers have bolstered their health and wellbeing support, yet businesses still face significant employee issues.
- Quiet quitting, defined as employees doing the bare minimum, affects 35% of businesses, putting it at the top of the list of challenges.
- Closely following is staff turnover at 34%, prompting concerns about workforce stability.
- Employers are urged to focus health and wellbeing initiatives on these specific issues for enhanced effectiveness.
A recent study from Towergate Health & Protection highlights a major concern among employers: the persistent issues of quiet quitting and staff turnover continue to challenge businesses. This comes despite a marked increase in health and wellbeing support, with 74% of employers stating they now offer more aid than two years ago. Significantly, 42% report providing ‘much more’ support. This underscores a dissonance between the provision of resources and their impact on alleviating specific issues.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Health & Protection, emphasizes the importance of targeted communication and support. She remarks, “While health and wellbeing support has increased significantly, it is vital that it is focused on the right areas and communicated effectively to support both the business and the employee.” This suggests a tailored approach might yield better results, particularly when addressing key issues like quiet quitting, where staff engage minimally, lacking enthusiasm, and staff turnover, a concern for 34% of employers.
Moreover, the study identified other related issues, such as hybrid working (31%), presenteeism (30%), absence rates (27%), and early retirement (24%), all of which intertwine with employee wellbeing. These figures demonstrate that while businesses recognize the importance of supporting their workforce, the current strategies might lack precision in addressing the root causes.
To tackle these interconnected challenges, it is advised that companies invest in discovering the specific needs of their workforce. Utilizing staff surveys, employee forums, and risk profiling, employers can better understand and target the type of support necessary. Clark proposes the need for strategic deployment of resources, warning against the inefficacy of merely increasing expenditure without direction. “Just throwing money at health and wellbeing support will have very little positive impact, and very few companies can afford to do this. A strategic approach must be taken,” she insists.
With many employees functioning in hybrid settings, a digital platform for health and wellbeing support can prove beneficial. It allows for easier access to tailored assistance for employees and enables continuous evaluation of the support’s effectiveness by employers. By doing so, companies can ensure that their measures not only help mitigate immediate concerns but also contribute to long-term employee engagement and satisfaction.
Employers must carefully align health and wellbeing strategies with specific workforce challenges to achieve meaningful impacts.
