Is wellbeing a viable career pathway in the public sector?

​How personal wellbeing brings organisational wellbeing

Over the last three years, the spotlight has increasingly shone on employee wellbeing. All the statistics point to the same conclusion – organisations that invest in the wellbeing of their employees will see greater productivity, improved performance, increased profits, and better retention of talent.

So it’s no surprise that many HR professionals are interested in moving into this evolving specialism. It’s preventative, positive, progressive and it often encompasses other areas such as equality, diversity and inclusion – another growing specialism that has firmly found its place within most organisational structures. It’s all the 'sexy' stuff.

Less firefighting, more future thinking

Countless conversations I have with aspiring HR professionals end up following a similar path though. They want to move their career away from employee relations, dealing with sickness, absences, performance management, grievances etc. and be involved in the more ‘strategic’ work. That means playing a part in the bigger picture projects and being involved in innovative initiatives that make a positive, longer-term impact on the employee experience and the organisation’s culture.

And whilst no one wants to talk about the pandemic anymore, it’s clear to see why there’s been this recent shift in the market. Whilst HR functions are there to uphold employment law, and support leadership with people related matters, this reactive problem solving takes resilience, and over time this understandably wears thin. Individuals want to be involved in something proactive and engaging, building something for the future, rather than constantly firefighting.

On top of this, there’s also a new generation of talent entering the workforce, who have very different expectations of their employer. That emphasis on work-life balance, hybrid working options and personal wellbeing is now a non-negotiable for most.

How are public sector organisations managing wellbeing?

Bearing in mind the budget constraint within public sector organisations, I was curious about:

• How often these opportunities are really becoming available for an individual to move into the wellbeing field? 

• At what point can, or do, public sector organisations invest in and build out a specific wellbeing function?

• With major restructures happening around every corner, is it a safe time to be pursuing a career in this specialism?

• And whether you do or don’t have a wellbeing function, how do you ensure that the initiatives and support available reach those employees who need them most?

There isn’t a blanket approach, as expected. Even within comparable organisations, in local government for example, some do have wellbeing partners and others can’t afford that luxury.

Organisations that have invested in wellbeing functions wholeheartedly champion their existence. They almost instantly pay for themselves. The added value and impact are easily measurable through performance metrics and people data.

Interestingly, a considerable number of professionals who have carved out functions and careers within wellbeing, haven’t actually come from HR. Many have moved into this new space from an internal comms background. In these instances, the gap within organisations hasn’t been in the benefits and initiatives they have in place for their employees, but rather in communicating these across the business. It’s been about raising awareness and driving engagement.

In other organisations, we’re seeing the health and safety functions expand their remit to focus more predominantly on staff wellbeing, shifting the dial from their typical association with safety. Occupational health teams also naturally encompass ‘wellbeing’ within their remit, albeit they aren’t seen as commonly within organisations today. There is also an argument to be made that these teams don’t always cover the full range of wellbeing initiatives that might be needed, because wellbeing encompasses not only mental and physical health, but financial health, inclusion, ethical standards, the list goes on...

So for most of our HR clients in the public and third sector, designating head count in this area is a luxury they simple don’t have budget for. There are too many other business critical priorities, and time doesn’t allow for proof of concept, so this responsibility continues to fall on HR advisors and business partners.

What would a wellbeing function actually do?

However, for many HR directors within our network, regardless of tight budgets and lean teams, this generalist model suffices – because like EDI, wellbeing is a lens you apply to everything you do. So what does a wellbeing function need to focus on?

• Good contractual provisions with relevant EAP/OH providers.

• Consistent staff surveys and data analysis of these insights.

• Strong leadership and management development to ensure they are fostering a team environment and culture that empowers and supports employees to engage in wellbeing initiatives.

• Creating staff networks or communities to champion these different priority areas and embed respect for employee wellbeing within the culture.

Wellbeing is intrinsically tied to an organisation’s culture, and with many organisations across the sector going through huge change and transformation, it’s more important than ever.

The future for wellbeing in the public sector

With the natural disparities in public funding, it’s hard to say whether this new evolving career pathway will have the opportunity to solidify its place across all of the public sector and what form it will take. Some may consider it a risky career move in the current climate, although there are too many different variables to explore in that debate. But when you look back 10-15 years, HR business partnering wasn’t a job title or approach commonly seen across HR. This was a new way of working that evolved and embedded itself as best practice. So perhaps there’s a place for a new way of approaching HR and employee relations that allows aspiring HR professionals to widen their scope, balancing both the reactive and proactive work, in a more well-rounded role. We have seen this across some major departments already but like most things, its not a one size fits all approach.

Either way, I’m hopeful the market continues on this trajectory, and I carry on meeting passionate, aspiring HR professionals that want to make a real impact in their organisations, with employee wellbeing front and centre.