While ALCHEMY is a coaching business it is our belief that good career decisions are made when we are physically and mentally well. Ensuring that all of our clients consider their wellness has led to the development of our Wellness@Work program, which is now approaching its 7th year. Evidence based and focusing holistically on the cognitive, emotional and behavioural of wellness, within 6 weeks of attending our Wellness workshop, delegates have experienced:

16% decrease in workload pressure

8% decrease in stress levels

5% increase in focus & concentration

(2014 research study)

Achieving sustainable positive changes in employee wellness is what organisations should be focusing on yet in our experience few organisations are laying the foundations for creating a culture of Wellness. Most organisations report having some Wellness initiatives in place (predominantly focused on EAP and physical aspects of health) yet these are largely implemented in an ad hoc fashion.

Over the past year, we have reviewed dozens of organisations internationally and their approach to wellness. We discovered that 4 elements differentiate those organisations who are having a sustained impact on the wellness of their staff.

1) Wellness is an integral component of the business and people strategy (not an ‘add on’)

2) Executive involvement; [impact is limited when the executive is excluded]

3) Wellness and staff outcomes are measured and monitored regularly

4) Initiatives are tailored to staff needs and are constantly evolving.

As business psychologists, evidence and measurement are critical to what we do. A recent ALCHEMY survey of HR professionals, based on the above findings, confirmed that the biggest impediment to Wellness program success is lack of measurement. 83% of respondents reported that they did not use ongoing measures to track staff Wellness.

It is very hard to achieve success if you do not know what success should look like.

If you are looking to start your organisation off ‘Well’ in the New Year we recommend you start with some sound diagnostics. Contact us to have a 1 hour whiteboard session where we can help you assess your readiness for a more comprehensive and successful Wellness program. We will also share with you what the best organisations are doing globally.