SMEs believe that tackling stress and burnout is the most important action on wellbeing

Both employees and employers feel that managing stress and burnout are the most relevant topics for health and wellbeing initiatives in the workplace. 71% of the SME employees list actions relating to resilience, stress, and burnout as the most important areas for employers to focus on. SMEs do this mainly by way of individual follow-up (51%), resilience training (46%) and time management training (41%).

Jolien Joriskes, vitality expert at Mensura: “This is no coincidence, of course. Stress and burnout are one of the major causes of absenteeism in SMEs too. In practice, I find that there is a lot of interest in tips on sleeping better, especially in companies that employ shift workers. In addition, smoking cessation support is still in high demand among SMEs that record a higher percentage of smokers than the general population.”
 

Jolien Joriskes, vitality expert at Mensura: “Stress and burnout are one of the major causes of absenteeism in SMEs too.”

Significant: half of employees confirms that their employer offers vitality initiatives, but 60% of employers state they do so. “There might be a difference in perception at play here,” explains Jolien Joriskes. “Employees might take certain initiatives for granted more easily. For example, free fruit (69%) and bicycle allowances (63%) are popular schemes.”

Yet, however well-intentioned, such initiatives are often standalone and as such, partially miss their mark - says Jolien. “If a workshop or the annual Health & Safety Day is not framed as part of a wider health plan, it lacks cohesion and a clear narrative. As a result, employees are less engaged in the actions or fail to see the big picture. At the same time, it also reduces its impact.”

This is why communication is the key word for SMEs that want to have a positive impact on their employees’ lifestyle and health. “Why do we believe - as an organisation - that taking such initiatives is important? What do we want to achieve? Answering these questions within a clear vision with specific objectives is crucial,” says Joriskes.

However, the SME workplace has to battle against more than mere communication issues. “Plenty of SMEs ask their external services for help with specific problems or difficulties. Usually, there is an even less-developed preventive mindset. First and foremost, they will focus on legal requirements. The fact that SMEs do not have the same budgets as larger organisations and that there is less time available with the internal prevention adviser or HR obviously plays a decisive role here. My advice for SMEs is to still maximise the use of motivational communication to reap the full benefits of their efforts to keep their employees physically and mentally healthy.”
 

The figures come from a large-scale Mensura survey by research firm Indiville, which polled employers and employees of SMEs 20 to 250 employees on their vitality, resilience, and lifestyle habits. The study zooms in on prevention and well-being policies in the workplace, on attention to health among employers (business managers and HR directors) and their employees outside working hours. The survey was completed by 1,190 respondents.