Dive Brief:
- Workplace wellness receives plenty of headlines these days, but only 33% of U.S. workers say they regularly participate in employer-provided health promotion programs, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association.
- Additionally, the APA's 2016 Work and Well-Being Survey found just 44% of those surveyed say the climate in their organization supports employee wellbeing, and one in three reports being chronically stressed on the job.
- The APA's survey results found that a critical part of any solution is senior leadership support, as 73% of employees with senior managers who show support through involvement and commitment to wellbeing initiatives said their organization helps employees develop a healthy lifestyle. That contrasts with just 11% who work in an organization without that leadership support, according to the poll. The survey was conducted online by Harris Poll among more than 1,500 U.S. adults in March.
Dive Insight:
Apart from those findings, the APA survey clearly showed strong links exist between support from senior leaders and a variety of positive employee and organizational outcomes. For example, 91% of workers say they feel motivated to do their best when they have leadership support, compared to 38% without leadership support. Also, more than 90% report being satisfied with their job, and have positive relationships with supervisors and coworkers. They are also more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work (89% vs. 17%) and fewer said they intend to leave their job in the next year (25% vs. 51%).
Unfortunately, while leadership support seems strongly connected to how employees feel about their work, only 40% of working Americans said their senior managers are involved in and committed to well-being initiatives.
While well-being and wellness trends get a lot of lip service at U.S. employers today, if the APA survey is any indication, employers have work to do when it comes to supporting such programs.