Random acts of kindness are something we hear about, and perhaps occasionally, you are fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of such an act. The idea behind random acts of kindness is to make it the norm rather than an ‘once in a while’ occurrence.
I read a statistic recently that made me think about this idea of creating norms.
Willis Towers Watson reported the following results from a recent survey:
· (86%) of employers said that mental health, stress and burnout are a top priority;
· However, half (49%) have not yet formally articulated a well-being strategy for their workforce and
· only a quarter have already articulated and adopted a well-being strategy.
This tells me that most organizations (75%) in this survey are doing random acts of well-being. Without a strategy, your organization’s wellness and well-being offerings are just random acts of well-being, not the norm.
What does a random act of well-being look like? You’ve seen it. It is the once in a blue moon activity that takes place, like the one time a farmer market is brought to the workplace. Or the challenge that is run once a year. Or the failure to link benefits with programs in the workplace.
When an organization develops and implements a well-being strategy, it shows that is making the well-being of the employees a priority and is making an investment in it.
A well-being strategy paints a vision of what a culture of health in the workplace looks. It assesses the drivers of well-being in the workplace and seeks to eliminate or minimize those aspects that diminish employee well-being.
A vision is only as good as the plan to carry it out. A strategy must also identify the goals, objectives, resources to be allocated (read: money, staff, etc.), and owners of each. With a strategy and plan in place, each element of the well-being initiative is thought out, and tied to not only the needs of the workforce but their interests.
Let’s keep those random acts of kindness coming, while you also create a solid employee well-being strategy in your organization.