Evaluating a Case Study

Order Description Critically Evaluatin" rel="nofollow">ing a Case Study 1. Outlin" rel="nofollow">ine the problems or issues faced by the organisation prior to takin" rel="nofollow">ing action as well as the strategy taken to address these issues. 2. Does evidence suggest that the issues were effectively addressed? Why or why not? 3. Critically evaluate the strategy used by the organisation. Do this through discussion of supportin" rel="nofollow">ing or conflictin" rel="nofollow">ing theory and research from the field of organisational psychology. a. What are the advantages of usin" rel="nofollow">ing an employee-led defin" rel="nofollow">inition of wellbein" rel="nofollow">ing rather than a model from the literature? 4. Based on your critical evaluation, and in" rel="nofollow">in consultation with the literature, would you recommend any further action for the organisation to take in" rel="nofollow">in relation to these issues? Explain" rel="nofollow">in. 5. Aside from the outcomes described in" rel="nofollow">in this case study, would you expect any other potential benefits or drawbacks with the implemented approach? 6. Would you expect this strategy to be effective for other organisations? Why or why not? Assessment Two Case Study The BGL Group: an evolvin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme From its begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ings as an in" rel="nofollow">insurance underwriter 20 years ago, the BGL Group has developed and expanded to become a major fin" rel="nofollow">inancial services company. It now employs more than 3,000 people in" rel="nofollow">in several different areas of the busin" rel="nofollow">iness, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing legal services, in" rel="nofollow">insurance brands and the price comparison site comparethemarket.com. Interestin" rel="nofollow">ingly, although BGL is successful and consistently reports in" rel="nofollow">increased profits, its plans for the future are not solely profit-based. Instead, the BGL strategy explicitly states that in" rel="nofollow">increasin" rel="nofollow">ing employee engagement and meetin" rel="nofollow">ing CSR (corporate social responsibility) targets such as charitable givin" rel="nofollow">ing, are just as important to the busin" rel="nofollow">iness as profits and customer satisfaction. The wellbein" rel="nofollow">ing programme at BGL is of central importance to this strategy. As Steve Dewar, Senior Manager for Wellbein" rel="nofollow">ing, says ‘BGL sets ambitious targets but has a habit of meetin" rel="nofollow">ing them too! And we recognise that if we want to contin" rel="nofollow">inue to drive the busin" rel="nofollow">iness forward, we need people who are healthy, fully engaged and have fun workin" rel="nofollow">ing here.’ There are two main" rel="nofollow">in reasons that well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing is seen as so important at BGL. Firstly, it is a natural expression of the BGL culture, which genuin" rel="nofollow">inely puts employees at the centre of the organisation. BGL not only recognises that it has a duty of care towards its people, but there is also a sense that treatin" rel="nofollow">ing employees well and providin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing support is the ‘right thin" rel="nofollow">ing to do’. Secondly, BGL believes that well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">initiatives provide a good return on in" rel="nofollow">investment: they can help to sustain" rel="nofollow">in high performance, reduce absenteeism and contribute to attractin" rel="nofollow">ing and retain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing talented people. The origin" rel="nofollow">inal wellbein" rel="nofollow">ing programme The well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme was origin" rel="nofollow">inally in" rel="nofollow">introduced in" rel="nofollow">in 2010 followin" rel="nofollow">ing an in" rel="nofollow">internal employee opin" rel="nofollow">inion survey which asked employees whether they thought BGL took their well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing seriously. Results showed that 69% of employees agreed, a fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ing that provided the stimulus to improve what was becomin" rel="nofollow">ing a key driver of engagement. The ‘My Wellbein" rel="nofollow">ing’ programme was born, consistin" rel="nofollow">ing of four main" rel="nofollow">in pillars: 1. My Health – which in" rel="nofollow">included subsidised private health care, eyecare vouchers and access to an employee assistance programme (EAP). 2. My Fitness – in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing discounted rates to local gyms, sports massage and a lunchtime walkin" rel="nofollow">ing club. 3. My Happin" rel="nofollow">iness – support on dealin" rel="nofollow">ing with money issues and personal legal matters. 4. My Relaxation and Energy – subsidised osteopathy, at-desk massage and sleep workshops. Just two years after its launch, the 2010 survey showed that the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme was already havin" rel="nofollow">ing a positive effect on the employees, with 85% agreein" rel="nofollow">ing that BGL took their well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing seriously: a 16% in" rel="nofollow">increase in" rel="nofollow">in 18 months. Mark, who join" rel="nofollow">ined the company recently, emphasises how different it is to work at BGL compared with his previous employer. ‘The company genuin" rel="nofollow">inely seems to care about us and I’m really enjoyin" rel="nofollow">ing my work. We have in" rel="nofollow">inter-team competitions with prizes, i use the on-site gym several times a week and the annual Fun Day is a great day out with my family. It makes me proud to work here!’ For the first couple of years, although different proposals, in" rel="nofollow">initiatives and offerin" rel="nofollow">ings were added to the programme, there was little measurement of what kin" rel="nofollow">ind of impact they were havin" rel="nofollow">ing or whether the employees were fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ing them useful. Now, however, efforts are bein" rel="nofollow">ing made to review and refin" rel="nofollow">ined the offerin" rel="nofollow">ing and to take a more proactive, planned approach to developin" rel="nofollow">ing the programme. One of the drivers for this is the rapid growth that BGL is undergoin" rel="nofollow">ing, and which is set to contin" rel="nofollow">inue over the next few years. The management at BGL recognised that growth at this speed and the in" rel="nofollow">increasin" rel="nofollow">ingly diverse workforce would brin" rel="nofollow">ing challenges that a coherent and well-resourced well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme could help to meet. The development of the programme As a first step in" rel="nofollow">in refin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the programme, an in" rel="nofollow">internal employee survey was conducted, specifically lookin" rel="nofollow">ing at awareness, usage and the usefulness of the various services and benefits. The survey also asked employees to rate their overall health in" rel="nofollow">in a number of categories in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing fitness, sleep, emotional well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing and energy. Results showed that there was high awareness among the staff of the general well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme and that they really appreciated its provision. However, there were varyin" rel="nofollow">ing levels of awareness of the different elements of the programme. Some in" rel="nofollow">initiatives, such as providin" rel="nofollow">ing free fruit to all employees, were well known, while others, such as access to the EAP, were not. In addition, the survey identified that some elements of the programme, for example, access to doctors for second opin" rel="nofollow">inions, were rarely used, while other elements, such as the on-site gym, were very popular. The survey also asked employees for suggestions for future well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing offerin" rel="nofollow">ings, with the aim that the company will in" rel="nofollow">invest in" rel="nofollow">in the most popular suggestions. For example, many employees said they would like to see fitness classes and yoga provided on site, and so BGL is now talkin" rel="nofollow">ing to potential service providers and has begun a pilot of aerobic classes in" rel="nofollow">in the on-site gym. Another suggestion was help with quittin" rel="nofollow">ing smokin" rel="nofollow">ing – but as this was less popular, rather than providin" rel="nofollow">ing the service directly, BGL is goin" rel="nofollow">ing to provide lin" rel="nofollow">inks and poin" rel="nofollow">ints employees in" rel="nofollow">in the right direction so that they can access support themselves. Alongside the in" rel="nofollow">internal research, BGL also engaged a consultancy to conduct external research: case studies of other companies with well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programmes that could provide a benchmark and a review of the academic literature on the elements of a successful well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme. This research identified several elements that BGL was already doin" rel="nofollow">ing, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing usin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing to drive retention and engagement, havin" rel="nofollow">ing an employee-led offerin" rel="nofollow">ing which provides the services that employees themselves say they need, and bein" rel="nofollow">ing committed to an ongoin" rel="nofollow">ing programme. The research also identified a few thin" rel="nofollow">ings that BGL could work on to make the programme more effective. These in" rel="nofollow">included havin" rel="nofollow">ing a clear return on in" rel="nofollow">investment measures, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in their CSR reprtin" rel="nofollow">ing and lookin" rel="nofollow">ing at how a positive and more formal approach to flexible workin" rel="nofollow">ing could help develop the busin" rel="nofollow">iness. This last poin" rel="nofollow">int is a particularly important challenge for BGL because it has traditionally encouraged a culture of face-to-face engagement and regular networkin" rel="nofollow">ing based on conventional workin" rel="nofollow">ing hours. Overall, the research demonstrated that while the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing offerin" rel="nofollow">ing did not need to undergo radical change, it would benefit from contin" rel="nofollow">inuin" rel="nofollow">ing evolution and development. Based on the in" rel="nofollow">internal and external research, and in" rel="nofollow">in consultation with BGL’s Executive Board, the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme is bein" rel="nofollow">ing simplified and rebranded in" rel="nofollow">into two main" rel="nofollow">in areas: My Workplace and My Health. My Workplace focuses on creatin" rel="nofollow">ing an environment which will stimulate, in" rel="nofollow">inspire and refresh. Some of the in" rel="nofollow">initiatives bein" rel="nofollow">ing considered here in" rel="nofollow">include providin" rel="nofollow">ing outdoor meetin" rel="nofollow">ing pods, changin" rel="nofollow">ing the look and feel of buildin" rel="nofollow">ing exteriors and in" rel="nofollow">increasin" rel="nofollow">ing the natural light in" rel="nofollow">in offices. BGL is also discussin" rel="nofollow">ing the in" rel="nofollow">introduction of a cycle-to-work scheme, and so consideration needs to be given to the extra facilities that will be needed to support this, such as secure bicycle parkin" rel="nofollow">ing and additional showers/changin" rel="nofollow">ing rooms. The My Workplace aspect of the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme also in" rel="nofollow">includes traditional health and safety issues: Steve Dewar was formerly Health and Safety Manager and explain" rel="nofollow">ins that the H&S policy will ultimately be transformed in" rel="nofollow">into a broader and more engagin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing statement: ‘We’re movin" rel="nofollow">ing away from old fashioned compliance statements to demonstratin" rel="nofollow">ing a commitment from the top that we want to create an environment that supports our long term physical and emotional well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing.’ The second area, My Health, is underpin" rel="nofollow">inned by nutritional education and lin" rel="nofollow">ine manager train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing, and in" rel="nofollow">includes both physical and emotional/mental health. Some aspects of the origin" rel="nofollow">inal well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme as bein" rel="nofollow">ing retain" rel="nofollow">ined and improved, such as more access to sports massage and osteopathy, and healthy eatin" rel="nofollow">ing options at the on-site restaurants. But there are also bigger developments afoot, for example buildin" rel="nofollow">ing well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing suites at all sites, considerin" rel="nofollow">ing on-site gyms at other locations and in" rel="nofollow">introductin" rel="nofollow">ing organised team sports. In addition, train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing for lin" rel="nofollow">ine managers will in" rel="nofollow">include resilience train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing: how to improve their own resilience but also how to develop it in" rel="nofollow">in their teams and support people as and when they need it. Current challenges and benefits of the programme In rollin" rel="nofollow">ing out this revamped well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing, BGL is facin" rel="nofollow">ing several challenges. One of them is strikin" rel="nofollow">ing a balance between ‘push’ and ‘pull’. This is the challenge of respectin" rel="nofollow">ing employees’ private lives and not tryin" rel="nofollow">ing to in" rel="nofollow">interfere in" rel="nofollow">in their out-of-work activities and lifestyle, while still recognisin" rel="nofollow">ing that non-work life is in" rel="nofollow">intricately connected with work performance. for example, it is well known that good nutrition and exercise are important to our general health and vitality and subsequently our ability to perform well at work. But how can an organisation really in" rel="nofollow">influence the food and exercise choices that employees make? BGL’s approach to dealin" rel="nofollow">ing with this is to offer healthy eatin" rel="nofollow">ing options in" rel="nofollow">in the work restaurants and free fruit in" rel="nofollow">in the offices, provide on-site gyms or reduced local gym membership, and allow employees to take advantage of these offers if they wish to. By makin" rel="nofollow">ing the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing packages as attractive as possible, BGL is aimin" rel="nofollow">ing to encourage employees to make in" rel="nofollow">informed decisions about health and nutrition that will ultimately have a positive impact on their work. A second major challenge is to fin" rel="nofollow">ind ways of alignin" rel="nofollow">ing the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme with HR systems, policies and processes. Havin" rel="nofollow">ing join" rel="nofollow">ined-up systems will ensure that the programme is easier to admin" rel="nofollow">inister. For example, a cycle-to-work scheme has tax advantages for participatin" rel="nofollow">ing employees and may even in" rel="nofollow">involve salary sacrifice. This would clearly be much easier to admin" rel="nofollow">inister if it was lin" rel="nofollow">inked directly with payroll. Alignment of the well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme with absence reportin" rel="nofollow">ing and turnover statistics will also make the return on in" rel="nofollow">investment (ROI) easier to calculate. Calculatin" rel="nofollow">ing this ROI is the third challenge for this organisation. It is not easy to directly measure what impact a well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing programme is havin" rel="nofollow">ing on employees, but BGL is focusin" rel="nofollow">ing on three key performance in" rel="nofollow">indicators: absenteeism, attraction and retention, and employee engagement. Bein" rel="nofollow">ing able to measure these and demonstrate improvements is an important part of justifyin" rel="nofollow">ing the expenditure on well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing as the Group expands. The company’s commitment to employees’ well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing is emphasised in" rel="nofollow">in the BGL Group’s values, which in" rel="nofollow">include ‘Just ... be happy’. BGL believes that well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing can contribute in" rel="nofollow">in specific other areas too. To take an example, another of its values is ‘Just ... be creative’ and many activities contribute to encouragin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">innovation and creativity among employees. From idea labs and forums where employees can post their improvement ideas for development, to break out rooms where they can go for in" rel="nofollow">informal meetin" rel="nofollow">ings or a break from their normal work, to fun competitions, there are many thin" rel="nofollow">ings that help to improve well-bein" rel="nofollow">ing and also encourage collaboration and creativity at work.