If the push for greater diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) in the workplace has taught employers anything over the past decade or so, it’s that “cookie cutter,” “one-size-fits-all” approaches to anything do not work. Strategies that aim to be “generalisable” feed off narrow and often harmful generalisations; the “one size” in question in a “one-size-fits-all” approach is often tailored exclusively to fit white, straight, binary individuals—who oftentimes fail to benefit from such an approach themselves.
At the root of these shortcomings lies the truth that high-quality research and accurate, in-depth data is needed to design comprehensive and effective people strategies. People cannot be read at a glance; that’s exactly what gives way to the stigma, ignorance, and discrimination we see today. To truly understand people’s needs and how to help them, variables such as their age, gender, race, ethnicity, class, and family backgrounds must be properly considered—and that cannot be accomplished from a distance. When it comes to crafting strategies that speak to the needs and interests of one’s employees, those employees need to be involved in every step of the process.
People’s identities aren’t singular or siloed; rather, they are an amalgamation of intersecting identities shaped by various outside influences including where one lives and works, the family or culture one was born into, how they were raised, the communities they belong to, and more. As a leader, HR or people manager, you cannot account for one identity without accounting for the others. That would be like implementing a solution to address gender discrimination in the workplace in efforts to support your female staff when the issue they’re actually facing is a lack of consideration for their caregiving responsibilities; it’s not inherently unhelpful or wrong to try to implement that strategy—gender discrimination is of course an issue that employers should strive to prevent or mitigate—it’s just not going to be that effective as an intended driver of employee wellbeing when the current impediment to staff’s wellbeing remains unchecked.
To maximise the efficacy of their wellbeing strategies, therefore, employers need to engage with the very employees they desire to help. They need to take the time to thoroughly examine and inquire into the diverse identities and backgrounds of their staff. They need to ask them exactly what they want or need help with, and they need to actually integrate that feedback into the framework of their overall strategy. After all, doing so is in and of itself already an integration of employee feedback: as nearly two-thirds of UK employees say they wish their employers would encourage regular feedback to improve DEI efforts, whilst more than 60 percent of organisations admit to having received requests from staff for demographic wellbeing support.
Designing a Targeted Wellbeing Strategy: How Consulting Groups Can Help
Of course, conducting such in-depth research into the complex and intersectional identities of one’s workforce is much easier said than done. That’s why consulting groups exist to help. By partnering with a team of expert consultants with industry knowledge and experience in cross-cultural people management, global benefits implementation, research and data analysis, and more, employers can ensure that they have the resources and manpower needed to both satisfactorily gauge and respond to employees’ stated needs, wants, or interests.
This is achieved thanks to consulting groups’ ecosystemic approach to wellbeing, encompassing solutions such as:
All of which ensure that all employees have the chance to be and feel heard at work; to feel seen and respected by their employers; to have access to all that is guaranteed to them by right; to be adequately protected from undue or unjust harm; and to have the opportunity to voice concerns, provide feedback, or seek additional support at work.
Specific optimisation tools like employee needs assessments, wellbeing questionnaires, psychosocial risk evaluations, and feedback systems can be particularly helpful in helping organisations to understand the demographics of their workforce and how they interact with work conditions, systems, and wellbeing outcomes in order for them to make informed decisions about how to respond appropriately. As part of their “five-step process to success,” consultants can also help employers to:
- Define or target specific issues to address (i.e., to determine what’s causing greater distress in LGBTQIA+ employees, for example, or to discern the cause of high turnover among female workers)
- Create and evaluate potential solutions to the problem(s)
- Implement those solutions (i.e., deploy processes, coordinate training, etc.)
- Evaluate the performance of those solutions (i.e., record and measure results, assess effectiveness, gather testimonials, etc.)
At the end of the day, employers understand that their people are unique, and deserve to be treated as such. What will be best for one group of employees at another organisation might not necessarily be fit to serve their own workforce. And that applies to more than just those differences employers can spot with their eyes. Part of what makes a ‘person’ or ‘human-centred’ approach to care so effective and so essential is the fact that it takes into account everything that makes a person who they are—beyond what they look like or what a piece of paper might say about them, but how they see themselves and how they relate to others and the world around them.
It doesn’t have to be a guessing game, and it doesn’t have to be a burden on employers, either. Latest trends unfortunately show that a whopping three-quarters of employers do not incorporate demographic consideration into their wellbeing strategy, citing fears that it’s “too complicated to achieve,” or entails too much risk. But the truth is that not doing so is what ends up costing employers money, resources, and staff, as benefits go under- or completely unutilised, whilst employees feel unvalued and uncared for.
On the contrary, by implementing a wellbeing strategy structured around accurate, personalised data, research shows that employers can strive to earn up to a $9 ROI for every dollar they invest into such an initiative—a whopping 800% net gain. And it all starts with taking the time to truly see, listen to, and understand one’s people.
