A quick summary:
Employee wellbeing platforms can boost productivity, reduce absenteeism, and improve job satisfaction. They combine mental, physical, and financial health support in one place, benefiting both employees and HR teams. Here's what you need to know:
- Key Benefits: 83% of users report increased productivity, with absenteeism dropping by 30% and healthcare costs reduced by 25%.
- Core Features: Platforms include benefits dashboards, personalised access, and secure data handling.
- Focus Areas: Support for physical health (e.g., gym memberships), mental health (e.g., counselling), financial planning, and professional development.
- Setup & Success: Easy to implement with a 97% employee uptake rate; HR gains time savings and real-time insights.
Organisations using platforms like Heka see lower turnover, quicker project completion, and happier teams. Read on to learn how to choose the right platform for your needs.
What is an Employee Wellbeing Platform?
An employee wellbeing platform brings together support for physical, mental, and financial health in a single online space. It offers tailored resources for employees while giving HR teams a centralised way to manage and monitor these initiatives.
Main Features
These platforms function as digital hubs, simplifying benefits management and creating personalised wellness experiences for employees. Here’s what they typically offer:
- Benefits management: A dashboard for HR to track engagement and measure effectiveness.
- Personalised access: Customised recommendations through individual accounts.
- Analytics: Insights into usage and the impact of wellness programmes.
- Privacy: Secure and confidential handling of personal data.
Core Areas of Focus
Modern platforms are designed to support multiple aspects of employee wellbeing, including:
- Physical health: Options like fitness classes, gym memberships, and sports activities to boost energy and help prevent injuries.
- Mental health: Services such as counselling, meditation, and stress management to promote balance and resilience.
- Financial health: Tools and education for financial planning to enhance security and reduce stress.
- Professional development: Resources for learning and skills training to support career progression.
According to Shakira Beach, People Director at The Goat Agency, Heka is equipped to meet all these wellbeing needs.
Next, we’ll dive into the key tools these platforms offer and how to set up your Heka environment.
Platform Features and Setup
Employee wellbeing platforms provide tools that simplify benefit management while improving the overall employee experience.
Main Tools and Features
Key Features
- Benefits management dashboard: A central hub for HR to track engagement, usage, and costs.
- Employee portal: Offers employees a monthly allowance and tailored benefit suggestions.
These tools make it easy to implement Heka in just three steps.
Getting Started
Initial Configuration
Set up the platform by defining the monthly allowance and choosing relevant wellbeing categories.
Heka boasts an impressive 97% employee uptake rate.
Measuring Success
Track important metrics to evaluate how well the platform is working:
- Levels of employee engagement
- Benefit usage rates
- Employee satisfaction scores
According to Heka users, 83% report feeling more productive when they have access to the platform.
Ongoing Management
To keep the programme effective, HR teams should:
- Regularly review usage trends
- Update available benefits as needed
- Collect employee feedback
- Fine-tune offerings to better meet staff needs
Results for Companies and Staff
Using a wellbeing platform can lead to noticeable improvements in productivity.
Staff Performance Improvements
- Absenteeism dropped by 30% within six months
- Job satisfaction increased by 40%
- Projects were completed 15% faster
- Healthcare costs decreased by 25%
Consistent use of wellness services helps staff manage stress better and maintain higher energy levels.
Wellbeing platforms also make HR operations more efficient.
HR Time Savings
These platforms go beyond improving individual performance by simplifying HR tasks, allowing teams to focus on strategic goals.
Streamlined Benefits Management
- A central dashboard to track engagement
- Real-time monitoring of service usage
- Easy-to-use reporting tools
Real-World Impact
One mid-sized tech company, struggling with a 15% annual turnover rate and high levels of stress, saw 70% of its employees engage with the platform within six months. As a result, turnover dropped to 8%, and stress-related healthcare claims were reduced by 20%.
Must-Have Platform Features
To maximise engagement and help meet HR goals, your platform needs to offer specific features that go beyond the basics. Here's what to look for:
Wellness Options
A well-rounded platform should address multiple areas of wellbeing, including:
- Physical and mental health support
- Financial guidance and career development
- Family services, such as fertility and menopause support
Platform Access and Security
It's essential to balance user accessibility with robust security measures and privacy protections.
Access and Analytics
- Ensure compatibility across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices
- Provide instant reporting and personalised recommendations
- Track key metrics like engagement, usage, benefit uptake, and ROI
Security and Privacy
- Maintain compliance with regulations
- Publish transparent data policies
- Offer participation on a voluntary basis
These features not only improve efficiency but also link user engagement directly to broader HR objectives.
"97% of Heka customers say the platform helps them achieve their strategic HR goals"
Platform Selection Guide
Once you've outlined the key features you need, focus on these criteria to guide your decision:
Decision Factors
- Ensure the platform can support your team's current size and future growth across all locations.
- Look for seamless integration with HR systems to reduce manual work and save time.
- Choose a platform that provides flexible benefits and personalised options for employees.
- Verify compliance with UK GDPR regulations to safeguard health data and maintain employee trust.
Feature Comparison
- Wellbeing options: Covers essentials like physical and mental health, plus extras like financial planning and learning and development (L&D).
- Analytics tools: Includes usage tracking, real-time insights, and ROI measurement.
- Accessibility: Compatible with web, mobile, and tablet devices for ease of use.
- Management tools: Offers reporting features, automated recommendations, and engagement tracking.
- Onboarding support: Provides clear success metrics, such as participation rates, utilisation, productivity improvements, and HR time savings.
- Quick setup: Comes with guided resources to help you start engaging employees right away.
Up next, we'll address the most common questions HR leaders have about these platforms.
Common Questions
Below are clear answers to key questions about the platform's value and its impact.
Top Questions Answered
How do these platforms support both employees and employers?
Heka provides personalised support for physical, mental, and financial well-being. This helps reduce absenteeism and healthcare expenses while improving employee engagement.
What kind of ROI can organisations anticipate?
Organisations often see quicker project completion, lower spending on benefits, and a lighter HR workload. These changes lead to noticeable cost savings and happier employees.
How can organisations track success?
Focus on metrics that match your goals. Monitor engagement levels, productivity improvements, absence rates, cost savings, and satisfaction scores.
Summary
Employee wellbeing platforms provide clear returns, with 83% of users noting increased productivity. Organisations also benefit from lower staff turnover, fewer absences, and quicker project completion times . Heka offers tailored benefits, flexible solutions, and a real-time dashboard, helping HR teams achieve their goals while improving employee wellbeing
