The Rise Of Chief Wellness Officers: What Lies Ahead For India Inc?
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the relevance of employee wellness in the corporate world and its role in achieving holistic business success. With organizations striving to create healthy and productive work environments by prioritizing employee well-being, a relatively new role has emerged: the Chief Wellness Officer (CWO). Before we explore what this role entails, let us take a step back and examine why it came into existence in the first place.
According to the State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report, 44% of the employees surveyed stated they felt stressed at work for most of the day. But that isn’t all. What is not surprising is that the distribution of these numbers is nearly equal across various modes of work: 43% for exclusively remote; 45% for hybrid; and 38% for on-site. Earlier reports by Gallup have recorded similar numbers for employee stress, highlighting the fact that while organizations and leaders have been speaking about employee well-being since the pandemic, it has not translated into practical action.
This consistently high rate of stress should worry leaders and employees alike. The impact of stress is only compounded by the ever-increasing rates of lifestyle complications and diseases, interrupting the physical, mental, and emotional health of employees while also negatively affecting their financial and professional well-being. This has a direct impact on organizational productivity, employee engagement, and overall job satisfaction. Companies that prioritize employee wellness tend to experience reduced disengagement, increased employee retention, and improved performance levels. Considering all of these factors, Indian businesses are gradually opening up to the idea of bringing CWOs on board.
CWOS will be responsible for designing and implementing holistic wellness programs within organizations. They focus on creating a culture of well-being, addressing both physical and mental health aspects of employees but not limited to that. They will have to collaborate across the organization, including HR, operations, and finance, to integrate wellness initiatives seamlessly into the company's overall strategy.
The role of a CWO will entail the following:
- Developing a strategic plan to build and sustain a well-being program for their organization and not limit it to mental or physical well-being.
- Businesses still need to be convinced of the benefits of wellness initiatives, as every effort may not be measurable or have a direct impact on business. Therefore, a CWO will have to ensure leadership buy-in and manage stakeholders successfully.
- Creating an effective ecosystem, including an organizational culture that fosters the concept of overall wellness.
- Drive change and adoption through advocacy and ample training to ensure everyone stays updated with the latest research and trends in employee wellness.
Parting thoughts
While the role of the Chief Wellness Officer becomes popular, organizations must be careful of one pitfall - an imbalanced focus on just the physical well-being of employees. For instance, a fintech company recently launched a program to incentivize weight loss/management aimed at driving fitness/better physical health in the organization. While their intention may have been right, they did not take into account the various medical conditions that might make it difficult for some people to lose or manage weight.
It is important to keep in mind that for any employee well-being initiative to be successful, it must be inclusive and focus on boosting holistic wellness, not just one aspect of it.
