A survey carried out by business group Ibec shows a big gap between companies’ ambitions and actions on wellbeing issues.

The organisation’s first Annual Corporate Wellbeing Barometer found that 61% of the 479 companies surveyed reported strong support for workplace wellbeing measures at a senior leadership level.

Only 31%, however, had a defined strategy on the issue in place, while only 27% had a specific budget for wellbeing issues.

61% of companies surveyed do not measure the impact of their wellness programmes.

Bike-to-work tops list

On average, companies have six workplace wellbeing programmes in place. The most popular initiatives were the bike-to work-scheme (74% of companies), mental health supports (61%), flu vaccinations (47%) and bereavement supports (45%).

Ibec’s director of member services, Sharon Higgins, said that while the 61% support figure for wellbeing measures was encouraging, it was clear that many organisations needed to be smarter about how they implemented wellness programmes and tracked their progress.

“Breaking down the stigma around mental health issues is still an ongoing challenge in the workplace and it’s important that employers create an open culture that highlights the importance of mental health and supports employees who are experiencing wellbeing issues,” she said.