What is wellbeing washing?
Wellbeing washing is when a company means well and tries to improve employee wellbeing by offering perks or one-off events.
Trouble is, it doesn’t actually address the real problems affecting their team’s health and happiness.
Here’s what it can look like:
- Bringing in cake when someone’s stressed, but they’re still working late every night.
- Suggesting someone takes a day off, but their workload is still crazy when they get back.
- Buying a mindfulness app that nobody uses.
Why might it make things worse?
When your team sees nice gestures that don’t fix their actual problems, they notice.
They’re grateful you care, but they also know you don’t see what’s really making work hard for them.
Over time, this can feel a bit hollow. When someone’s drowning in deadlines, free fruit doesn’t help.
What do your team actually want?
Your team doesn’t need expensive programmes. They want their working day to be less of a struggle.
- Realistic deadlines that account for other work
- Being able to pick up a sick kid without guilt
- Having their hard work noticed regularly
- Chances to learn something new or take on different responsibilities
- Being able to say “this deadline isn’t possible” without drama
What can you do about it?
Ask what’s actually making work difficult. You might be surprised by the answers.
Check if your policies actually help. Can people use their holiday without hassle? Does your sick leave policy work in practice?
Why does this matter for your business?
When you fix the things that make work harder than it needs to be, people stay longer and perform better.
They tell their friends your business is a good place to work.
When there’s too big a gap between the gestures and the reality, good people might start looking elsewhere.
Want help with checking what’s working?
If you’re not sure whether your team feels properly supported, let’s have a chat about what’s working and what isn’t.
Message me and we can work out what’s worth keeping and what needs changing.
