Chapter 4

Streamlining

Something which will reduce people’s opinion and uptake of anything wellbeing related, is if they have to go to multiple different places. Look for an all-in-one platform that consolidates your physical, mental and financial wellbeing offerings. This is proven to improve uptake, as nobody needs to remember different links and login details.

It also helps you as a business, reducing the amount of admin you need to do, as well as saving the expense of multiple piecemeal platforms.

Global choice

We touched on this earlier, but it really is important to look for a partner that can cater to employee needs everywhere. Take financial wellbeing as an example. People want to save money on their shopping — but the places they shop at will be different depending on where they are.

Don’t just think about where your employees are now. Think about where they could be in 6-12 months time, as borderless working continues to take off. You may have people working in all four corners of the globe (if they aren’t already) — can you provide wellbeing help for all of them?

User-friendly experience

Of course, an all-in-one platform sounds great, but it should also be accompanied by a genuinely easy user experience. Make sure you ask any potential partners to give you a proper demo of their site, as well as their mobile app (and if they don’t have an app, you should run for the hills!). Remember you want something that will work globally, so get colleagues in other countries to test as well.

Also see if they offer Single Sign-On capabilities. This means your employees can log in with their existing details, rather than having to remember new usernames and passwords.

Rigorous reporting

In order to see the Return On Investment, you need access to plenty of data — and you want it with minimum effort. Your wellbeing partner should be able to provide you with in-depth usage reports, while also maintaining any confidentiality for your employees..

The more comprehensive data you can get, the better. For example, the Perkbox platform actually gives our customers the ability to benchmark their performance against competitors in the same industry. This is also something that can be used during the recruitment process to set yourself apart from competitors.

Data security

You can’t underestimate the importance of security certifications (your IT team will thank you for it!). After all, if employee data is going onto an external platform, you want the piece of mind that it’ll stay safe. Look for partners who have something like the ISO 27001.

Final thoughts

Employee wellbeing is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s something every employee deserves and expects. The cost of living crisis has made financial wellbeing support critical, while the impact and fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed physical and mental wellbeing right up to the top of the agenda.

Building a super strong strategy that covers these three areas is something you need to constantly work at. Hopefully this guide will help you get off the ground. Once you get started, you’ll be on your way to a happier and healthier workforce.