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Olubukola Lanipekun-Lawal, head of human resources at FSDH Merchant Bank, noted that beyond KPIs (key performance indicators) and profitability, businesses must incorporate a well-being culture.
She stated this during a panel session on designing wellness programs that work, during a Talent Management conference organised by BusinessDay and Great Place to Work, titled: Aligning Employee Well-being with profitability in Nigeria’s workforce”.
The conference drew a lineup of human resource professionals and leaders across various Tier 1 companies in Nigeria.
The discussion highlighted the necessity for organisations to adopt a holistic approach to wellness.
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It also spoke on the need for a critical synergy between leadership, innovation, and engagement in cultivating a thriving wellness culture. By prioritising these elements, organisations can foster environments where employees are not only supported but empowered to excel.
According to Lanipekun-Lawal, leadership plays a central role in shaping organisational well-being, serving as the driving force behind company culture and employee engagement.
“Leadership is pivotal to organisational well-being because leadership sets the tone at the top and gives direction; also, without a clear commitment from leaders, wellness initiatives risk faltering. “If the leadership doesn’t see wellness as important, it won’t happen”.
She cited an example of how her organisation embraced a broader, more inclusive approach to wellness.
“We began to introduce different initiatives… not just physical well-being, but emotional, psychological, and financial initiatives”.
“Since COVID, we’ve kept a hybrid model… we ensure our people stay connected whether remote or at work,” she explained.
Involving employees in designing wellness programs
The panelists also underscored the critical role of regular feedback mechanisms, such as employee satisfaction surveys and focus group discussions, in shaping effective action plans.
For instance, Lanipekun-Lawal highlighted the importance of employee engagement, citing how her organisation has periodic employee engagement programs, underlining the value of consistent interaction and communication.
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Similarly, Olanike Martins, chief people officer at Premium Trust Bank, emphasised that wellness must transcend individual initiatives to become part of organisational culture.
She cited the bank’s Employee Involvement and Participation (EIP) model, which integrates employee feedback into the design and implementation of wellness initiatives.
The role of leadership in employee wellness initiatives
Gbemiga Owolabi, director of organisation and human resources at Lafarge Africa Plc, also underscored the significance of aligning wellness programmes with the organisation’s core purpose. “It starts from the purpose,” he noted, stressing that any initiative must reflect the company’s values to gain credibility.
He also highlighted the pivotal role of leadership, stating that support from both senior executives and line managers is indispensable to the success of wellness strategies.
Linking wellness efforts to business outcomes
Tracy Afolabi-Johnson, senior consultant at Philips Consulting, shed light on the challenges of linking wellness efforts to measurable business outcomes, a key demand from organisational leaders.
“Connecting soft wellness initiatives to hard business metrics is one of the trickiest parts,” she acknowledged, advocating for a deeper focus on behavioural changes and employee engagement as reliable indicators of wellness programme success.
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Afolabi-Johnson also emphasised the power of employee feedback in refining initiatives to meet genuine needs.
Olumuyiwa Olulaja, group head, human capital management at Firstbank, who moderated the event, reiterated the importance of touch-basing with employees on wellness initiatives, implementing it, and making use of metrics in measuring its success.
“HR leaders can’t be in a room with management designing value for the workforce without involving them. That is extremely important.”
“Number two is being ruthless with the implementation of that initiative which is extremely important”
“Number three is the metrics—because if your initiatives are not working, you should have an opportunity to course-correct. If you don’t have metrics to measure your initiative, then that initiative will not work”, he concluded.
