WINNING WORKPLACE WELLBEINGA five-step guide

CONTENTS Our experts 2

The diagnosis 3

Step 1 – Aim high 4

Step 2 – Address your core audience 5

Step 3 – Embrace VOI 6

Step 4 – Be authentic 7

Step 5 – Make to measure 8

About Virgin Pulse 9

1

OUR EXPERTS

DR DAVID BATMAN

Dr David Batman is the International Occupational Health

Adviser for Virgin Pulse, and a member of the Science

Advisory Board at Virgin Pulse Institute. He has been

a medical practitioner for more than 40 years and a

registered Specialist Occupational Health Consultant for

the last 30 years.

Before joining Virgin Pulse, he was GCC’s Chief Medical

Officer. And previously, Head of Occupational Health and

Safety for Nestlé in the UK and Ireland.

His expertise covers risk assessments, health surveillance,

return to work and rehabilitation procedures; he has

a particular interest in mental health issues in the

workplace.

DR RON GOETZEL

Dr Ron Goetzel, a member of the Virgin Pulse Science

Advisory Board, is Senior Scientist and Director of the

Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS) at the

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is

also Vice President of Consulting and Applied Research

for IBM Watson Health.

DR BJ FOGG

Dr BJ Fogg is a leading behavior change expert, Director of

Stanford University’s Persuasive Tech Lab, one of Fortune

Magazine’s “10 New Gurus You Should Know”, and a

member of the Virgin Pulse Science Advisory Board.

2 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

“As a practicing specialist in occupational medicine for more than 30 years, I have seen increasing declines in employee health. This decline is related to two significant health issues – obesity and its associated health conditions, and an ever-increasing rise in psychological ill health.

“It’s now time to build business success based on a fit, healthy and resilient workforce.”

– Dr. David Batman, International Occupational Health Adviser for Virgin Pulse

As Dr. Batman says, the modern workforce is in a critical

state, and the health and wellbeing of employees are

suffering. 87% of the world’s workers are disengaged1. And

sedentary office culture is being linked to lifestyle-related

conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

estimate that illness costs employers $225 billion

annually in the US alone3. Up to 60% of this cost is due to

presenteeism4 – employees showing up to work when they

aren’t physically or psychologically fit to be there.

Expectations on HR and Benefits leaders have never been

higher. Yet it can be difficult to know where to

start in such a complex climate.

This five-step checklist can guide you, providing a blueprint

for more effective workplace wellbeing. Use it to enhance

your strategy, then create the kind of healthy, resilient

culture that drives every successful business.

THE DIAGNOSIS

1. Gallup. The worldwide employee engagement crisis. 2016. Available here.

2. Harvard Health. Too much sitting linked to heart disease, diabetes, premature death.2015. Available here.

3. CDC Foundation. Worker illness and injury costs US employers $225 billion annually. 2015. Available here.

4. Harvard Business Review. Presenteeism: at work – but out of it. 2014. Available here.

3 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

STEP 1 AIM HIGH

The first step in creating a successful wellbeing strategy is

getting buy-in from executives and senior management.

CEOs and boards will be more willing to grant funding for

a program that connects back to their overall business

objectives – whether that’s reducing healthcare costs and

absenteeism, or increasing employee engagement –

so define what the pain points are.

Buy-in also requires a solid business case, so build health

and wellbeing momentum across departments and

business functions, not just in HR.

Talk to your CFO about the costs of not investing in

wellbeing. Approach legal and discuss the health and

safety risks. More importantly, talk to the employees

whose very livelihood and productivity depends on the

right program.

¢ CASE STUDY In 2016, Virgin Pulse partnered with Community

Housing Limited, a non-profit providing affordable

housing. They wanted to find a way to get their global

workforce – spread across 25 offices in inter-state

Australia, Timor and Chile – healthy and engaged.

Converting that desire into business outcomes

wasn’t without challenges, however. “One of the

biggest hurdles we faced was getting buy-in from

leadership and from those who really stood to benefit

from the program,” said Lee-Anne Walsh, Business

Transformation Manager at Community Housing.

“There was some resistance initially, but this was

overcome by creating other wellbeing champions.

“When the board and senior management also

participated in the program, they lead by example

rather than simply endorsing the initiative.

“If there’s one piece of advice I would give, it’s this: buy-in is essential. If you don’t have it, you can’t do it.”

4 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

STEP 2 ADDRESS YOUR CORE AUDIENCE

It’s easy – and tempting – to enroll healthy, active, engaged

employees in a wellbeing initiative then, at the end, point

out how successful they’ve been.

But this approach leaves out high-risk employees, who need your support most.

To overcome this common blind spot, it’s critical that your

program is designed to attract and engage everybody, and

that it is particularly concerned with those employees who

will provide the most return on the health and performance

metrics that matter to your organization.

Be inclusive in the communication of health and wellbeing,

but specific in its design. Remember that no two people

have the same attitude, physical strength, self-discipline

or motivation.

Likewise, not all employees need the same help at the

same time. Some may need assistance with nutrition

and physical activity. Others might need help with

engagement, or to change their habits and behaviors

around stress and sleep.

¢TIP

“Dramatic changes can be hard to sustain. Instead, focus people on making small changes that are meaningful to employees. Help your people feel successful on their journey. And then trust the process: Change leads to change.”

Dr. BJ Fogg, member of the Virgin Pulse Science Advisory Board, leading expert on behavioral change

5 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

STEP 3 EMBRACE VOI

Traditionally, the success of health and wellbeing

has been measured solely in dollars.

But value on investment (VOI) models allow businesses

to understand how wellbeing impacts a wider range

of non-financial metrics that are also important. Like

engagement, productivity, resilience, and the ability

to attract and retain talent.

Carefully define which of these metrics you want

to report on.

Then measure value on investment by focusing

on the following areas:

• Population health improvement – Aim to improve

the health and wellbeing of all your employees by getting

them engaged and committed to improving their habits.

• On-the-job performance – Measure engagement,

presenteeism, and the extent to which health and

wellbeing may affect performance at work.

• Your reputation – Consider where you are on the list

of businesses that prospective employees most admire.

In a knowledge economy, that may affect the type of

talent you attract and retain.

¢TAKEOUT

“Let’s expand our view of what’s important and measurable. My new rule of thumb is that an ROI of 1:1 is good enough if you can demonstrate significant improvements in VOI measures important to the business.”

Dr. Ron Goetzel, member of the Virgin Pulse Science Advisory Board, leading researcher in support of VOI

6 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

STEP 4 BE AUTHENTIC

A successful wellbeing strategy looks and feels authentic –

something that’s easier said than done.

Currently, the visual language of workplace wellbeing

is often clichéd and clinical. Even though inauthentic,

medical images don’t inspire employees into the already

difficult task of habit change.

To cut through, treat employees as your prospects

in wellbeing, much like marketing would treat your

prospective customers.

Like marketers, talk to employees in a tone that’s

personal and trusting and you’re already dealing with

an engaged audience.

Also, if your strategy is being rolled out to an international

workforce, use translated content that engages

and inspires action. Don’t opt for safe messaging

in standard English.

Country champions can help you build a better picture

of what the local issue is (reducing healthcare costs?

Increasing morale in a tough economy?) and allow you

to weave that insight into your messaging.

¢ AUTHENTICITY CHECK • Watch your visual language

• Create local champions and let their feedback

inform your strategy

• Engage with current and cultural affairs to make

your content locally relevant

• Use translators that engage and inspire action

7 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

STEP 5 MAKE TO MEASURE

5. Virgin Pulse Member Survey 2016.

In business, there’s no place for ‘nice-to-have’ expenses,

so health and wellbeing needs hard numbers behind it.

And the only way to position wellbeing as an investment,

rather than an expense, is to show that you are making

quantifiable improvements across all the factors outlined

by your VOI model.

Was it engagement? Health scores? Reduced

absenteeism? Whatever the challenge, make sure you

tie its solution back to the overall business strategy.

And for this, you’ll need software. A single operating

system that creates efficiency, history and data.

By harnessing the power of platforms and technology,

you can measure VOI, ROI and also see longer-term

trends that inform future planning and investment in

the health and wellbeing of your people.

Find out how our solutions can help you connect health and wellbeing to business outcomes – and get results like these.

¢THE VIRGIN PULSE DIFFERENCE5

44%

of employees feel

more productive

46%

of employees are

more engaged

28%

of employees who use

Virgin Pulse take less

sick days

51%

of employees say

they are more

energetic at work

64%

of employees credit

Virgin Pulse with

making their company

a better place to work

8 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com

FIND OUT MORE AT:virginpulse.com

globalchallenge.virginpulse.com

Virgin Pulse, part of Sir Richard Branson’s famed

Virgin Group, helps employers create workforces that

are happier, healthier and ultimately more productive

in all aspects of their personal and professional lives.

The company’s modern, mobile-first platform delivers

a personalized user experience that utilizes gamification

to engage users in building habits that inspire meaningful

and measurable change across individuals and businesses.

By helping employees thrive at work and in all aspects of

life, Virgin Pulse is helping change lives and businesses

for good.

Unlike narrowly focused employee health solutions,

Virgin Pulse’s solutions span the full wellbeing spectrum –

from traditional wellness to strategic wellbeing – providing

organizations with solutions that are appropriate for them

today and tomorrow.

More than 2,500 organizations representing many of

the Fortune 500 and Best Places to Work have selected

Virgin Pulse’s solutions to engage their workforces and

drive their businesses forward.

ABOUT VIRGIN PULSE

9 © Virgin Pulse 2017 • virginpulse.com