What would you love your office to provide to improve your wellbeing?

[NotPennysBoat]

I've got an interview next week where I'll be asked about my ideas for initiatives to implement to improve employee wellbeing, and although I've got a few ideas they all seem pretty standard offerings.

It's a large office-based environment, and obviously only hypothetical at this stage so no restrictions and budget no object (but nothing too silly - weekly visits from Cillian Murphy wouldn't fly!).

I'd love to hear of any amazing things your companies do, or what you wish they'd do!

Go and look at the what works for well-being website and offer an evidence based suggestion. So much office well-being stuff is pointless fluff.

A pay rise for all to match current inflation rates.

We’ve been offered tea bags and coffee. I’m not too excited.

Realistically, I was going to say other stuff like no micromanagement and time watching. But if you're asking this for an interview, you might not want to say that (or you might..?)

For an interview - annual employee appreciation day, genuine career development/company wide progression opportunities, team days out, free lunch/tuck shop/travel expenses paid. Free subscription to wellbeing app. 5 "personal" days a year to take off for your own mental health which doesn't eat into holiday time.

seated massage
hypnotherapy
mentorships
sports teams

Visits from therapy dogs, desk yoga (or normal yoga), organise a steps challenge, book a webinar related to well-being, that sort of thing? Or a bit beyond that?

Coffee lottery where you have a paid coffee break with a random person

Having spent the last two days in the office (usually wfh):-
. Windows that open (they don't, it's muggy as hell)
. Desk fans available to use as needed
. Cold water dispensers (we have these, they are well used)
. Range of desk/seating options (we have standard desks, sit stand desks, communal tables, booths, side rooms etc)

In terms of day to day stuff (eg not new furniture),
. we had a mobile coffee bar in one day (free),
. plentiful stationary to use,
. flexible working (most important),
. Lots of annual leave (plus our birthdays off as well),
. a fund we can use for private healthcare/to buy extra leave/vouchers (if we don't use it for these it's added to our pay)
. Decent IT support

My friends workplace has just introduced Summer Fridays - everyone clocks off at 1 for no reduction in pay until the end of August 2022.

Appreciation box where staff can pop little notes in when someone has done/said a little something to make your day a bit easier

Cake day Friday

What is the job?
Do the company really want to improve employees well-being or is it really about productivity? (I know one leads to the other but it’s still frustrating to get a talk about resilience dressed up as mental health awareness. You know it just means : get better at taking all the shit we can throw at you)

Change the standard 1:1 forms to ask how you are feeling? How are you coping with workload? Is there anything the organisation can do to improve work life? Otherwise many managers won't even ask.

A decent pay rise, fully flexible working, fruit and drinks provided, managers to judge how people may feel about things

Flexible approach to working - WFH/office based, hours etc
Monthly check ins with line manager

I would say none of the well-being stuff means anything unless the fundamentals are there.
Trust in staff
Not being micromanaged
Fair sick leave policy
Compassionate leave
Family friendly
Access to support like counselling
Good annual leave allowance

If all that is there then stuff like yoga, meditation, welbeing catch ups, subscriptions to things like headspace.

A toaster bread and butter. For a mid morning snack. Cheap as chips

A serious-minded, long-term approach to culture change and employee engagement at a corporate level.

Free fruit and desk-yoga are just titting around the edges, really.

-cutlery, crockery, glasses, free tea / coffee and milk - having worked somewhere that didn't provide these the amount of time that was wasted on "fridge wars" over who stole the milk must have added up to more than what it would have cost to provide it! -Also there's nothing worse than visiting an office and not being able to make a drink.
showers, changing and a hair dryer.
-locker space if they have hotdesking.
-break out spaces
-outdoor space / seating for the summer
-no meetings or training sessions over lunchtime
-a dog

Flexible working
well paid
plenty of leave
senior management committed to hiring more staff and ruthless prioritisation when things get tough

not seminars on well being or free fruit

Management that listen.

Tea/ coffee would not go amiss!

The only thing I've found to make a genuine difference is funding first three months union membership. My last CEO did it. Genuinely impressed people as they believed he was prepared to be accountable for supportive practice.

Flexible hours, allocated desk with storage space, excellent IT support.

Depending on the employer it may not be possible to add things that cost. So I'd go for

Cold water (v minimal cost)
Daylight (having worked in an office with no windows)
A locker
Windows that open
Some outside space with a bench for eating lunch when weather permits
Minimal noise

We have:
Vast selection of fruit/teas/coffee/squash and soft drinks
Beers and wine for Fridays
Cereal bars, crisps, porridge and breakfast pastries
Monthly team lunches delivered
Chocolate at Easter and Christmas
Three days off between Xmas and new year not taken off our holiday entitlement
Corporate gym subsidy
Meal and cab allowance for anyone working late to meet a filing deadline
Subsidised dental
Private medical
Hybrid working
Death in service
Summer party
Xmas party
Pizza party last Friday of the month
Departments have their own budgets for monthly socials
Early finish on US holidays as most of our client base is US.
4 days off a year for voluntary work
Company match any fundraising amount we raise for any charity

And people still complain!
Good luck OP!

For what it's worth, I'm very happy with all the wonderful things we get, but if was being greedy I'd like a monthly budget per person to spend on a personal wellness activity, say a massage or for yoga classes? We had this in my old place and I loved it!

Allowing those who can work from home to do so, perhaps only coming in once week or even once a month.

Meetings/calls starting on time and not waiting for anyone.

Assuming the basics are in place ie flexibility, hybrid is needed, good maternity packages.

On a practical level, there was a thread similar before and therapy dogs and daily fruit bowls seemed to be a hit.