Technology company improves employee resilience and work-life balance through series of wellbeing initiatives

The approach

Causeway’s wellbeing strategy included carefully selected benefits and provisions, aimed at employees and their families, encompassing physical fitness, nutrition, health, resilience, lifestyle and financial wellbeing.

Some of the benefits include:

• An EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) and counselling.
• Physical activity discounts.
• A healthcare cash plan.
• Onsite health checks, physiotherapy and massage services.
• Free fruit and healthy refreshments.
• Resilience and nutrition workshops.
• Yoga classes and walking groups.
• A Cycle to Work scheme.
• Financial wellbeing support.

And some of the wider provisions include:

• Family and flexible working options.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity options.
• Childcare Vouchers.
• Showers and cycle racks.
• Volunteer days.
• Access to expert consultations and advisors.

Reviewing HR data revealed increased patterns of behaviour and abstractions correlating to times of heightened pressure. Furthermore, personal responsibilities were frequently at the heart of the matter. Male colleagues, in particular, were perceived as reluctant or embarrassed about discussing personal problems and pressures, since this can be seen as a weakness. Many men at the organisation focussed on their physical health but did not consider their mental health.

In order for the team to meet their key objectives, they decided on a multi-pronged approach across the six key areas of wellbeing. The approach included increased communication, targeted promotions for the benefits and services available and education aimed at improving awareness and understanding of mental health. Practical tips were also provided on stress prevention, stress management and building resilience.

The HR team at Causeway used their research to help fuel an innovative and creative communications plan to engage employees. This included increased education, aimed at improving the understanding of anxiety, stress and impact on the body and mind, along with practical tips on stress prevention, management and building resilience, and expert advice on nutrition.

Strategically, Causeway tailored its communication strategy to appeal to sports enthusiasts in the business, by adding the concept of becoming “a corporate athlete.” Also, to overcome negative perceptions, the term “mental health” was replaced with “building resilience” and “healthy minds.”

The HR team also created a fun campaign to promote and recognise carers as “Unsung Heroes” to create a sense of openness and pride. Along with this campaign, they promoted benefits focussed around “life journeys,” making it easy for employees to identify with benefits relevant to them – including self-care, starting a career, buying a home, getting married, having a baby, caring for relatives or retirement.

To communicate these new offerings, the Causeway team used a variety of channels to get the message to the right people – including emails, posters, flyers, social media, personalised packs, and coffee mornings at Causeway’s on-site cafes. Since 100% of employees were registered on the company’s employee engagement hub, “Causeway Lifestyle,” the team had another avenue to promote and support the campaign and its communications.

The responsive design of the employee engagement platform ensured that important information and benefits were accessible on the go, from any device, at any time – which was important for many field-based employees. Monthly promotions, features, events and communication were aligned to national campaigns and exciting, digestible content (including videos, discounts and employee stories) was added each month to encourage more visits and also inspire employees.