The Future Corporate Wellness Initiative: Trust

Career Climbers / 18th February 2019

Wellbeing continues to rise up the list of priorities for corporations; many companies are investing heavily yet they may be just throwing more money into a billion dollar, still-unproven corporate wellness industry. While wellbeing programmes may seem like a solution to reducing lack of engagement, burnout and anxiety issues in their workforce, perhaps companies should be looking to work-related burdens instead.

Steelcase believes that creating a culture of trust is far more important to employees’ wellbeing than an expensive wellbeing programme; to achieve this companies must:

• Try to encourage a flat, organic structure that make it easy to share information, ideas and feelings between people at the same level
• Encourage free flowing communication between managers and subordinates, such that the latter feel heard and empowered
• Allow for flexible work arrangements, giving people greater control of their personal and professional lives
• Provide a true learning environment

Trust instils feelings of mutual respect, integrity and fair process. Unfortunately, too many organisations are permeated by fear and paranoia. When this happens, creativity disappears by the wayside – and so does true wellness.