The 8 dimensions of employee wellbeing

Thanks to social media, we’ve learned that everyone follows this daily routine:

• 4:00 AM: Wake up and hit the gym
• 6:00–6:30 AM: Journal positive thoughts and feelings for the day
• 6:30–7:00 AM: Make breakfast
• 8:00 AM: Take the kids to school
• 8:30 AM: Walk the dog
• 9:00 AM: Do the hardest task first when you get to work
• 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (or later): Work hard for 8–10 hours
• 6:00 PM: Take the kids to soccer practice
• 7:00 PM: Make dinner
• 7:30 PM: Go for a family walk
• 8:00 PM–Midnight: Work on your side hustle
• Get at least seven hours of sleep before getting up at 4:00 AM to start all over again.

Does this schedule seem impossible? It should. The time blocks literally don’t add up!

There’s a lot of nonsense on social media about how employees should manage their lives and make the most of their time.

But wellbeing isn’t about doing the most. It’s about taking the right steps to be the healthiest, most productive version of ourselves we can be—and that can look different from one person to the next. And for employers, that means looking at your employees’ lives and determining how you can help them fulfill every area.

The 8 dimensions of employee wellbeing

People are constantly looking for ways to improve their wellbeing. Whether it’s through diet, exercise routines or therapy, we have a natural desire to improve our lives. In 1976, Dennis Elsenrath, Bill Hettler and Fred Leafgren worked together to help people live better, healthier lives through balance and awareness. And that eventually led to the Six Dimensions of Wellness model (which includes intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational and physical wellness).

Since then, organizations made some adjustments to the model to include other areas of wellbeing. For example, employee wellbeing adds two more dimensions—financial and environmental wellness.

No matter which version of the model you look at, one thing is true: The individual is at the heart of every model.

Let’s dive into the what and the how of the eight dimensions of employee wellbeing.

Dimension 1: Physical wellbeing

What: When we think of wellbeing, we often think about physical health (weight, BMI and diet to name a few). And while those things are part of a person’s physical health, they’re not the entire picture. An employee’s physical wellbeing also includes exercise, health care, sleep and other physical aspects of their life.

How: Employers can help employees address their physical wellbeing in a few ways:

• Provide reimbursement for supplement subscriptions, gym memberships or entry fees (races, contests, competitions, tournaments).
• Offer vouchers for meeting with a dietitian.
• Build in flexible work hours to accommodate things like doctor appointments and other physical health needs.
• Offer health insurance coverage.

If you’re still unsure of what to offer your employees, talk with them to find out specific ways you can help their physical wellbeing. 

Dimension 2: Emotional wellbeing

What: Employee emotional wellbeing is as much about regularly having a positive attitude as it is knowing how to manage emotions.

How: Employers can offer access to counseling services and other mental health resources. But there is another way they can play a bigger role without adding more to their employees’ full plates: Prioritizing crystal clear communication around roles and expectations. When employees understand their roles and how they contribute to the company mission, they’re more confident and at peace—which contributes to their emotional wellbeing.

Here are some ways you can support your employees’ emotional wellbeing through clear communication about their roles:

• Define roles and responsibilities before you start looking for candidates.
• Document those responsibilities in a detailed job description or role profile the employee and their leader can refer to when they have questions.
• Provide the tools and training your employees need to do their jobs well.
• Meet regularly with your employees to answer questions and give constructive feedback on their performance.

Dimension 3: Social wellbeing

What: An employee’s social wellbeing is all about their relationships at work and at home. The quality of those relationships lays the foundation for trust, cooperation and productivity.

How: Employers can make it easier for employees to get to know their coworkers. Try team-building activities, setting aside specific spaces for collaboration or gathering together, and sharing meals as a team.

And for remote employees, create virtual experiences that bring them together. Try out themed days where they learn about each other, a weekly newsletter written by multiple employees, or virtual happy hours to get everyone talking about something other than work.

More than anything else, don’t forget about team members’ families! Host family-friendly events or even build in extra days off around holidays when employees typically take time off to be with family (like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Dimension 4: Financial wellbeing

What: Employee financial wellbeing involves anything that affects your team members’ money situation—income, debt, budget, professional growth, company benefits, retirement, or health savings account (HSA). You get the idea. But financial wellbeing isn’t about doing all the things. It’s about doing the right things at the right time.

How: The healthier your employees are financially, the better off your company will be. The best way for a business to help its employees be financially well is to invest in a financial wellness benefit. Your employees can learn how to handle their money.

Dimension 5: Environmental Wellbeing

What: An employee’s environmental wellbeing can be affected by their physical surroundings, but the company culture can have an even more powerful influence on their performance and job satisfaction.

How: Would you rather be an employee at a company that’s all about the bottom line where profit and shareholder value are prized above all else? Or would you rather work with a team that’s united behind a mission to make people’s lives better through that company’s products or services—while making money? Most people would choose the second option. It’s important to be profitable to stay in business, but it’s hard to love a job that’s about money and nothing else.

Here are a few ways to make it happen:

• Define your company’s mission, vision and core values.
• Talk about the mission, vision and core values often with your employees to remind them they’re doing work that matters.
• Hire team members who are aligned with your mission and values.
• Hold leaders and employees accountable for upholding the company’s values.

Related: Employees’ expectations for workplace wellbeing are higher than ever

Dimension 6: Occupational wellbeing

What: Job security. Job growth. Company culture. Job satisfaction. Workplace community. Professional development. They all contribute to your employees’ occupational wellbeing (aka how your employees feel about their role and future in your company).

How: When you get down to it, the best way to support your employees is with a strong retention strategy. The result? Employees who understand their roles and their opportunities for growth. They’re happy with the benefits and actually use them!

Here are some steps you can take to improve employee occupational wellbeing:

• Check which perks and benefits your employees regularly use.
• Ask employees which benefits and perks they would like to have.
• Consider internal promotions before doing outside interviews.
• Develop growth tracks (career plans) for every role that define how employees can grow into more senior-level or leadership roles.
• Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss their wins, losses and action steps for growth.
• Create a rhythm of yearly reviews with an employee’s direct leaders to discuss the team member’s progress and future opportunities for growth. (Side note: Leaders shouldn’t share something new in this meeting. If an employee is struggling with something, they should already know about it!)
• Offer professional development training for employees at all levels to help them grow their hard and soft skills.

Dimension 7: Intellectual wellbeing

What: Intellectual wellbeing is like physical wellbeing but for the mind. Instead of dieting and exercising to tone muscles, employees read, learn and explore new ideas to exercise their mind.

How: Muhammad Ali once said, “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” Learning new things and changing the way we think about life is critical for a healthy lifestyle. Employers can support employees’ intellectual wellbeing by:

• Encouraging team members to explore new ideas (like team specific book studies that relate to the work the team does)
• Providing learning resources and materials
• Sending employees and leadership to helpful seminars, leadership events and other educational experiences
• Creating opportunities for employees to share their creative outlets with their coworkers
• Setting the example and sharing new findings with your team

Dimension 8: Spiritual wellbeing

What: Spiritual wellbeing is more than just practicing religion (although that is part of it). It’s also practicing personal beliefs, meditating, praying, evolving values and beliefs, and considering what’s important to each person.

How: Consider spiritual wellbeing from a holistic perspective and leave room for people to express their spirituality within the boundaries of the workplace.

You and your employees are worth being well

As podcast host Dr. John Delony always says, “You’re worth being well.” Exercising the eight dimensions of wellbeing doesn’t just help employees—it helps leaders like you too!

Cliff Neely is Senior VP, SmartDollar.