Workplace wellbeing initiatives are a waste of employers’ money, say researchers

Workplace wellbeing initiatives, including meditation apps, subsidised gym memberships and free lunches, are a waste of employers’ time and money, a group of researchers has concluded.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) team found that employees would prefer to pursue happiness in their own way, with the employer responsible for providing sufficient work-life balance and decent pay.

The researchers noted that employers should focus more on reducing negative aspects of the workplace, such as bullying, favouritism, burnout and lack of career progression.

The team at LSE’s The Inclusion Initiative (TII) interviewed 100 people across banking, finance and professional services in the UK and created the Beyond Workplace Wellbeing Framework to advise employers. They found that not one of the interviewees was in favour of workplace wellbeing initiatives.

One third of employees reported that the demands of their job, a lack of flexibility regarding the way in which they fulfilled their responsibilities and the way they were treated exacerbated mental and physical health conditions, suggesting that organisational wellbeing initiatives might be “redundant”.

Instead, 51 per cent of employees highlighted the benefits of “autonomous” working conditions, where they had decision making power over how, when, and where they completed their work. Autonomy allowed employees to create a workday that enabled them to be both productive and enhance their own wellbeing and was linked to greater work-life balance for a third of employees.

“If employers want happy and healthy employees, they need to focus on minimising ill-being,” said lead author, Dr Jasmine Virhia, behavioural scientist at TII.

“This calls for an assessment of the way in which organisational practices contribute to the detriment of employees’ physical and psychological health. Our framework provides guidance on how to do this, and our findings clearly demonstrate that employees attend to their personal wellbeing in highly individualistic ways outside of work.”

The researchers endorsed a work model that encourages employers to transition from a “paternalistic” approach to one based on trust, wherein employees are responsible for their personal wellbeing without compromising the productivity necessary to fulfil their roles.

Co-author, Dr Grace Lordan, director of TII and associate professor at LSE, said: “Employers should not be expected to take responsibility for employee happiness, simply because what makes a person happy is personal.

“Instead, they need to deal with the bad things that happen in the workplace head-on, like bullying and burnout, and also provide an environment that is psychologically safe so all colleagues can contribute effectively.

“If employers care about happiness they should provide a decent wage and give enough work-life balance so employees can pursue their own happiness.”