Did you know that using Human Resources (HR) data could help improve wellness in the workplace? HR data analytics refers to the analysis process performed on HR data with the specific intention of improving employee performance and satisfaction. The goal of this analysis is for organizations get the best return on investment from their associated labour costs while providing employees what they need to function more productively.
Much research has been undertaken to link employee wellness with performance. A survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics identified that one-third of working-age Australians have at least one of eight selected chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes and osteoporosis. This equates to an annual cost to employers of around $34 billion.
Why Employee Wellness Matters
Employees who aren’t well physically or mentally won’t be working to their full potential or up to the standards set by their company. Employees may miss many days or just be less productive overall—both of which can affect business operations and processes in a negative way. If left unchecked, the phenomena’s of absenteeism and presenteeism can ultimately result in higher costs of business or worse, substantial losses in the long run.
If employees are suffering from ailments like depression or anxiety, they may also be demotivated, resulting to sub-par performance, tardiness, or even absences. Meanwhile, employees who are physically lethargic or inactive can find they contract or contribute to conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. The possibility of increased tardiness or absences becomes more imminent with hospital visits and frequent medical check-ups.
As such, giving employees an avenue to improve their own physical or mental well-being through company wellness programs is important, especially for businesses in highly stressful fields such as media and public relations. The end result not only affects the employees themselves but also the company’s overall performance.
How Can HR Data Analytics Help?
Through proper analysis, HR data can give decision-makers a clearer picture of what’s happening in the many areas of employee performance and development, including their physical and mental wellness. They then can accurately and efficiently determine which kinds of workplace wellness programs or measures will best suit their employees’ needs.
For example, if HR data indicates that a significant portion of the employee population is suffering from stress or demotivation, programs or seminars aimed at guiding or teaching them ways to deal with stress can be used to help resolve the issue.
In more extreme cases, HR data analytics can also lead to an adjustment in company policies, such as working hours, if a company-wide change is needed to address workplace wellness issues.
If you are going to offer or build a wellness program for your employees then you should determine what kind of data should be used. Whilst some wellness data would be considered confidential, there are certain pieces of information you can derive key insights from. These include:
- Attendance
- Productivity (which can be calculated in different ways depending on the task or job requirements)
- Known disabilities or diseases
- Possible or frequent injuries (should employees be involved in physical labour, analysing the data related to on-the-job injuries can help you prevent them)
- Data from periodic voluntary company surveys and polls
- Reports on company events such as seminars and team building sessions
If you can take this data and interpret it successfully, you can reach out to those underperforming employees to help them find solutions or plan wellness programs that will benefit them. For example, if data derived from HR surveys reveal that many employees feel they’re becoming less motivated or productive because of the lack of physical activities (sedentary lifestyle) available in the workplace, consider programs such as weekly after-hours yoga sessions or company-sponsored sports activities that reward those who participate or win.
HR data analytics also enables management to be better prepared for the future. Data collected from sources such as employee survey forms, attendance, and employee assessment during company events such as team buildings and seminars tell them just how well their wellness programs are doing.
From there they can find ways to improve their wellness programs further or hire/devise news ones customised to really fit employee needs in terms of mental and physical well-being. The end result in the long-term of utilizing HR data range from better productivity and employee engagement to reduced losses due to less employee absenteeism.
If your organisation lacks focus in HR data analytics, you are missing opportunities to engage your workforce. If employees don’t feel as though they have a support system and their wellness problems are not addressed, the company’s overall productivity may suffer and employee turnover rate might increase, which is extremely costly in time and money for managers, especially those in the HR department.
Do Employee Wellness Programs Really Work?
Absolutely—if accurate HR data is used and analyzed and the proper steps are taken after. A way to help ensure success is to incentivize the program to encourage employees to join. The incentive may be in the form of gamification, minor employee rewards (e.g. freebies), or it might be just the general feeling of inclusiveness and belonging to a caring company.
There is a link between employee health and wellness and how they feel and perform in the workplace. As such, it’s necessary to be committed to the physical and mental well-being of your employees.
At WellteQ, we help companies develop employee wellness plans and programs that fit their culture and specific requirements, guiding them towards better overall productivity and achieving holistic health in the workplace. To learn more about how we can help, explore our employee health solutions.
