Talk to SME owners, and you’ll soon come across the view that wellness programmes are just for big boys and girls. In other words, wellness is fine for corporations with telephone-number budgets — your Apples and your Googles — but not for UK-based Widgets Ltd with a staff of (let’s say) fifteen.
It’s a completely understandable perception. For one thing, owners and managers of SMEs typically occupy a zone somewhere between time-poor and time-non-existent. A wellness programme just looks like something else to manage. There’s also the issue of return on investment — essentially, is there any? For some, there’s also a nagging feeling that they’ve been burdened with responsibility for their employees’ mental and physical health.
Our recent blog posts have looked at why each of these needn’t be the mountainous problem that it seems. Once set up, good wellness programmes can practically run themselves; an effective wellness programme should provide a solid ROI; and responsibility for wellbeing must always be shared between employer and employee.
Still, articles are only ever a one-sided conversation, and SME leaders need more. They need to discuss their needs and concerns with providers. They have to see what’s on offer and how it works. Above all, they must be able to envisage how an intervention might fit with their own unique team and work environment.
The simplest way of doing all this is through a consultation.
Consultations: we love them, you need them
We always encourage any SME leaders thinking about wellness programmes to consult with one or more industry professionals. It’s the most direct method of communicating your team’s and business’s needs, sanity-checking what a provider is offering, and discovering whether they are a good fit.
In fact, that issue of best fit means that consultations are particularly valuable for any SME looking at employee health and wellbeing. With lower levels of resources than big companies, it’s critical that SMEs get the most appropriate provider first time. A consultation can prevent you investing in a programme that doesn’t really meet your needs, with the associated waste of money, effort and time.
As a health and wellness consultant, naturally we see our free consultations as a key part of explaining our own offering specifically designed for small businesses. For example, we can:
- Gain a better understanding of your organisation’s wellbeing needs
- Talk through our unique data-driven philosophy.
- Discuss how our system gives each employee tailored, actionable insights.
In short, we love consultations, because (with no false modesty!) they let us show what sets ART Health and our One Wellbeing product apart.
However, just as importantly, our consultations let businesses ask all the nitty-gritty questions that they should ask any potential provider. Consultations also provide something even our technology can’t measure: that indefinable, but important, overall vibe that tells you whether a provider is really walking the walk.
Whether you’re at the first stages of investigating health and wellness solutions, or want to investigate a company that’s caught your eye, we think that consultations remain an invaluable part of your research and due diligence.
ART Health Solutions is a wellbeing consultancy, providing effective, science-based wellbeing recommendations. Our bespoke solutions are generated by gathering data directly from the organisation and its employees. Having proven our methods working with large, multinational corporations, we’re excited to bring our expertise to small and medium-size UK businesses.
To learn how we can benefit your company, please contact our friendly team.
