If HR professionals want to measure the level of employee satisfaction and the strength of their organisation overall, having sound data on employee wellbeing is paramount. In our most recent survey, we discovered that even though 70% of HR leaders have data on absenteeism and mental health – less than 20% of HR professionals think they have enough to make a business case for wellbeing out of it. While employee wellbeing has become a top priority for organisations seeking to attract and retain talent, enhance productivity, and foster a positive workplace culture – HR professionals should know how to use data to help optimise their initiatives and ensure their programme’s success. In a recent interview with HR Grapevine, YuLife’s own CMO Lauren Berkemeyer walked through 4 actionable ways HR professionals can leverage data better to drive success in their employee wellbeing programmes. For YuLife’s full report on the Data Gap in Employee Wellbeing Programmes, Download YuLife’s latest ebook here. The Importance of Data Collection in Wellbeing Programmes“Working with 1000s of companies across the UK, naturally, HR professionals are in really in charge of the heart of the business,” says Lauren. “And so much of that is how you're measuring recruitment, employee performance, employee engagement, training and development.” And that’s where employee wellbeing data comes in especially handy. Improving data tracking can show you the gaps in the wellbeing support you’re offering your team – but also can help you reach wider goals in the company. “It's not always a byproduct of pain necessarily, it can also be a byproduct of wanting to really grow and excel and be a force of nature that that people really want to work for – and be a leader in how you look after your teams.” An example of this could be the mental health crisis: “If you can get ahead of that and give the support and the tools, and an EAP isn't everything, it helps 2-3% of the population,” says Lauren, “What other tools are you putting in place to actually prevent some of those issues in the first place earlier on and move it upstream?“Then it's also, if you let's say, want to be the number one employer for this industry in the UK, how are you partnering with best-in-class tools and technology [that] give you the data that helps elevate your own strategic priorities,” she says. And this isn’t news – 90% of HR leaders state that they want to start using employee wellbeing data in their strategy this year. But there’s also a gap in data and HR’s knowledge of how to implement it.The Gap in Data Collection for Employee WellbeingIn order to make a case for wellbeing, you have to have the right data and know how to use it. But, only 7% actually feel confident they know how to use that data to drive ROI. “What we found as we're talking to our customers, is that they're not that happy with the data they're getting. And the data isn't necessarily always informing them in a way that they can really build that business case for further investment,” says Lauren. “What we're finding is that there's a lot of confusion, foundationally, there's data that the company gathers based on their own control, what they can kind of identify in terms of how their people are from absence rates to retention, but actually is the vendor working with them in a collaborative way to amplify those core benchmarks?”So what can HR professionals do today to start taking action towards gathering better data and implementing it to improve their employee wellbeing strategy? 1. Work with vendors to find the quality data you need – flip the scriptWhen collecting wellbeing data from vendors and outside companies, many HR leaders are handed reports for their data – and the burden shouldn’t just lay on HR’s shoulders to decipher it. “There's definitely a role I believe that partners and vendors like us can play in really amplifying the impact that the data can have to move people up on the boardroom agenda,” she says. “How can vendors better equip their customers with the data that helps, that's relevant to their own story, and that's really important?” But what do you do when those vendors don’t take the necessary steps to go above in beyond in supporting your orgnisation’s wellbeing programme? “What I do encourage our customers to do is, when a vendor will say, ‘Here's your report’, almost flip that upside down and treat it more consultative,” suggests Lauren. The key is to ask them questions and really understand how you take the metrics you’re being given and build them into the foundation of your monitoring strategy.2. Collect the “so-what” data There’s a lot of noise out there when it comes to employee wellbeing data collection. It’s important to know exactly what type of information you’re collecting – and also make sure it’s going to be relevant to your goals. “The quality, the relevance of the metrics means something,” Lauren begins. “And so I always do the ‘So What?’ test, to make sure that you can really not only quantify, but qualify, and really explain the value of that data and the relevance of it to the wider organisation.” She explains how she quantifies the impact of YuLife as a benefit: “We know we're driving upwards of 80% engagement, which is unheard of from an employee benefit. But then how does that affect the organisation as a whole?” “It's about how you use data to connect those dots. How do you think holistically? What are the mechanics?” explains Lauren. “So, for example, if I said to a CEO, ‘This is amazing! 80% of the employees are currently participating in YuLife!’, that doesn't mean anything really to him unless you actually then say how it's impacted the wider organisation. [...] So whether that is looking at your core business objectives, [or] how you're delivering on those and how you're reporting back on those," she says. "For us at YuLife, we're helping [with] wellbeing, but [we're] also doing benchmarking around absenteeism, productivity and working with our customers to achieve those core business impact metrics."Rather than showing high engagement rates of 80% to your leadership – make the connection of how that impacts business performance and productivity. For example, with an 80% engagement rate in benefits, YuLife has seen this translate into employees feeling 85% more productive and generating a 181% ROI.3. Understand your industry benchmarks Especially when trying to get ahead in the industry using data, you have to know your industry competition. “What's really good, too, is to understand your industry and to use benchmarks,” Lauren says. Being able to show your KPIs in relation to other businesses out there, even on platforms such as Glassdoor, is a great barometer for many leaders and can help you make a strong business case for more investment. “I think it's also saying: ‘Well look at that, look at this positive feedback we're getting!’ and maybe it's referencing a program you put in place, then you can say and compare to this similar business,” she says, “those are more qualitative benchmarking. And then beyond that, you also will be able to do more foundational benchmarking from a numerical perspective. But they complement one another really well.”Especially speaking to C-Suite leadership, knowing how to formulate numbers against competition is key in making the case for wellbeing. 4. Leverage AI AI is developing quickly, and being integrated more and more into business practices and data-tracking. Yet our survey found that only 23% of HR leaders use an internal dashboard that collects and tracks data automatically. Leveraging the new developments of AI is a simple way to automate processes and remove any strain or confusion – while also providing the most up-to-date data for making a business case. “With the development of AI and technology, it just feels like there is a role, from a back end perspective, to integrate the data and the results more effectively across multiple vendors across multiple programmes,” believes Lauren. Especially when it comes to looking more holistically at the health of a business and how employees are performing, engaged and involved, “There's definitely some innovation I believe, and we're at the tip of the iceberg that really can help drive a more cohesive understanding of the organisation's health.”“Ultimately, you need a good a good ROI that you can back up,” concludes Lauren. “So whether that is looking at your core business objectives, how you're delivering on those and how you're reporting back on those – I think how you get them to actually think more is to treat the leaders and the execs as humans.”To do that, it’s about taking stories and explaining how you are helping people.“There's a lot to be said about human connection, human story and human impact. And the numbers do that but then the “So What?” is the story right behind the numbers.” About YuLife.YuLife is working to reimagine the insurance industry by protecting lives, rewarding living and inspiring life. We’re on a mission to transform traditional insurance into a life-enhancing experience each employee will value and use daily. How does it work? Our award-winning app uses behavioural science and game mechanics to reward your people for living well while offering protection in case of crisis. And with our top-rated employee assistance programme, your team gets access to mental, financial and social support, virtual GPs, nutritionists, life coaches and more to help them live their best lives.Because we believe that your employees should benefit from their insurance from day one – and that wellbeing should be accessible every day, for everyone.Request a demo for your team today.