Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) The ongoing pandemic and the shift to work from home (WFH) have given a big push to corporate wellbeing programmes, but most of the employers interviewed (65 per cent) said they find it challenging to engage employees in these programmes, according to a report.

More than 50 per cent of organisations offer benefits such as health screenings and health awareness or meditation sessions to their employees, a big shift from the days of basic company health insurance and gym memberships, according to the report by global holistic wellbeing organisation RoundGlass.

The organisation's third annual flagship report, titled 'Wellbeing at Work Survey 2020-21', is based on interviews with over 400 leaders across 15 industries.

RoundGlass founder Sunny (Gurpreet) Singh said, "Although most organisations are doing well at taking care of employees' physical and mental wellbeing, many are missing out on addressing the big picture — Holistic Wellbeing, or wellbeing across the seven pillars including physical, emotional, financial, professional, social, community and planetary."

Companies also need to use technology more prolifically and creatively to democratise wellbeing and make it accessible to all, he added.

According to the report, 66 per cent companies view their wellbeing programmes as an employee engagement activity but ironically, 65 per cent of these say engaging employees in these programmes is the biggest challenge.

Only 24 per cent companies report an average employee participation rate (EPR) of more than 50 per cent, it said.

Low awareness and buy-in among line managers about the wellbeing programme is a factor contributing to low EPR, the report added.

RoundGlass Global Head (Mental Health and Meditation) Prakriti Poddar said, "To optimise the potential impact of a wellbeing programme and bring real benefits to employees and the company, organisations also need to foster a culture of wellbeing." HRS hrs

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)