Greater accountability and transparency needed to address worsening well-being of employees: Report

Around 85% of the C-suite executives feel organisations should be required to publicly report their well-being metrics, but only around half are currently doing this. And while 84% of the C-suite surveyed say their company has made public well-being commitments, just 39% of employees agree, indicating that leaders should elevate the visibility of these initiatives.

Lack of transparency of well-being metrics is an obstacle to workforce health, according to the findings of a survey by Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence. Majority of those who participated in the survey said that they have experienced decline in workforce wellbeing. Among the participants, only around one-third admitted that their health improved while the majority of them said that their health worsened or stayed the same last year. Furthermore, compared to last year, a greater number of people — 60% of employees, 64% of managers, and 75% of the C-suite — say they’re seriously considering quitting for a job that would better support their well-being.

However, executives have failed to recognise this. More than 3 in 4 C-suite leaders believe their workforce’s health improved.

At the same time, only 42% managers feel empowered to help their company achieve its well-being commitments while others see rigid company policies, a heavy workload, and an unsupportive workplace culture as obstacles to support their team members.

Leaders need to be made accountable for well-being

78% of the respondents feel that leadership should step down if they fail to maintain an acceptable level of workforce well-being. 

Around 72% of those surveyed believe executives’ bonuses should be tied to workforce well-being metrics.

“Leaders should be immensely concerned that work continues to be the primary reason why people are both physically and mentally unwell,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence. “Employees need to be able to take time off and disconnect, and they shouldn’t be in a constant state of stress and exhaustion due to their jobs. Work can and should be compatible with well-being — and it’s up to leaders to deliver on that promise.”

The changing work culture has prioritised people over profits. To achieve this, leaders should increase their support for their managers, and they also should hold themselves and their organisations more accountable.

The survey conducted among 3,100 employees, managers and C-level executives across the US, UK, Canada and Australia, also found that employee well-being has worsened across all dimensions.

Human sustainability is a way forward, but companies should step up their efforts. Organisations that are embracing this concept may be helping their employees become healthier, more skilled and more connected to a sense of purpose and belonging, and they can also be supporting their suppliers and communities. However, while 89% of the C-suite say their company is advancing human sustainability, just 41% of employees agree.

In view of the situation, leaders should take greater accountability around matters of health and embrace a focus on human sustainability, and they should also do more to empower their managers.

“Organisations have much to gain from metrics that can help them better understand and communicate about worker well-being,” added Jen Fisher, Deloitte’s U.S. chief well-being officer. “The majority of the leaders surveyed agree that sharing this information could build employee trust and help them attract talent. And while publicly disclosing these metrics may seem radical, it has a precedent with the evolution of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.”