National Workplace Wellbeing Day 

Ibec is proud be hosting National Workplace Wellbeing Day for the 10th year in a row! As the first country in Europe to put in place a day devoted to workplace wellbeing, Ireland is truly leading the way, and April 26th aims to showcase this. As a registered participant of National Workplace Wellbeing Day, you will be amongst the large number of companies publicly showing your commitment to the wellbeing of your staff.

Friday 26th April remains a key opportunity for businesses to highlight available wellbeing supports for their staff, and to celebrate how far they have come in designing strategies that put the ‘whole person’ at their core.

Why get involved?

National Workplace Wellbeing Day offers a moment to rebalance and refocus on supports that will benefit employees' social, mental, and physical wellbeing. It also offer companies a unique opportunity to celebrate and showcase all of the activities that they are putting in place for their employees throughout the year. The benefits of a successful workplace wellbeing programme have been well documented and begin with improved employee health, which can aid in higher levels of both engagement and productivity.
As employers are under increased scrutiny to demonstrate how they are positively contributing to their communities and the lives of their employees, wellbeing can be an excellent focus area as improved wellbeing has a far-reaching impact, not only for your employees, but for their families and communities too.

Focus for 2024

The purpose of National Workplace Wellbeing Day is to raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing in the workplace at a national level, to educate all stakeholders and help employers evolve and excel in their wellbeing strategies. An important aspect of the day is enabling employers to communicate directly to their employees and highlight all the great programmes and activities they have available to staff. By signing up you are making a commitment to your staff that their wellbeing is a priority but also leading the way in your industry.

On the 26 April, we ask employers to spotlight over social media and directly to their staff, the range of activities that they have on offer that benefit their employees' social, mental, and physical wellbeing.

A plan that responds to the needs of your employees is favourable to a one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing. It's important to communicate with your employees to establish what the current pain-points are for people (e.g., lack of social connection or bad habits formed around diet / exercise) and target your activities towards supporting those areas.

Embracing Acts of Kindness

In celebration of National Workplace Wellbeing Day, we're embracing the spirit of kindness with a special initiative: Acts of Kindness. This initiative encourages companies to foster an environment of care and support by incorporating small, thoughtful gestures into the workday. From surprising someone with a coffee, to sharing words of appreciation, these random acts not only brighten someone's day but also contribute to a positive and inclusive workplace culture. By infusing moments of kindness into our daily routines, we not only prioritise the wellbeing of our staff but also cultivate a sense of community and connection that extends far beyond the office walls. Join us in spreading kindness and making a difference on April 26th and beyond. We encourage companies to get creative about how they can bring 'acts of kindness' to life in their workplace and share these efforts on social media where appropriate.

Put the wellbeing of employees into the ‘S’ of your ESG strategy

Businesses have a direct influence on the health of the planet through their role as an employer, and their external influence on the environments and communities in which they operate. Linked to this, Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria is now driving how investors evaluate companies. We believe that mental health and overall wellbeing of employees should form part of the measurable foundation of the ‘S’ within ESG as it underpins the success of business strategy.

We strongly urge employers to consider the broader context of workplace wellbeing and highlight how their business is taking a long-term approach and bringing wellbeing and sustainability into their everyday workplace culture through both small and strategic actions.

‘’We are seeing more and more businesses place wellbeing on the board agenda and greater attention is now being placed on how wellbeing can be recognised as a critical part of a businesses' ESG strategy.’’ - Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec.

Ibec’s KeepWell programme and accreditation offers an evidence-based approach for business to build and measure their wellbeing capital.