Business Case For Wellbeing: Employers Must Prioritise Women’s Mental Health

In a rapidly evolving era where disruption is the 'new normal,' organisations that prioritise workplace wellness are at the forefront of creating future-ready and resilient organisations. While organisations are increasingly recognising the link between workplace wellness and business success, the on-ground experience remains inconsistent across India, especially among working women. Our recent research reveals that while at the Best Workplaces, 84% of women feel genuinely cared for at work, this score drops by 9% in the case of Other Workplaces. This underscores a persistent gap in inclusive well-being.

The Best Workplaces understand that creating an experience of holistic well-being far surpasses conventional wellness initiatives. It involves understanding and mapping the lifecycle of working women, and designing programs that support women across key milestones, such as marriage, maternity, caregiving, career transitions, and leadership ascension. Research confirms what inclusive and future-ready leaders already know. Organisations that prioritise the well-being of women outperform the rest.  

Women's Well-being: A Strategic Advantage 

Women's well-being is a critical pillar for the success of any organisation. Best Workplaces are cultivating an ecosystem where women feel heard, represented and valued. Our recent study highlights that 92% of women at Best Workplaces are willing to work for a longer tenure as compared to 72% in other workplaces. Similarly, 91% percent of women at Best Workplaces are motivated and looking forward to coming to work, compared to 68% of women in other workplaces.   

Additionally, an employee is unlikely to truly experience emotional and psychological safety unless they have a positive experience with all four elements of well-being - physical, social, mental and financial well-being. When women experience all four elements of well-being, 96% of them find the organisation a psychologically and emotionally healthy place to work.

Even if one of the well-being pillars is not experienced positively, it chips away at the overall wellness experience of working women. The perception of psychological and emotional safety drops to 75% if three out of the four elements of wellbeing are experienced positively, 47% if two out of the four are experienced positively, 24% if they experience one of the four and 5% if none of the elements is experienced positively.

Key Initiatives to Enhance Well-being of Women at Work:

While wellness initiatives are beneficial for all employees, organisations are becoming increasingly mindful about the unique needs of women and designing tailored programs to support them through pivotal milestones:

Reimagining maternity and childcare policies:

Despite enhanced awareness, India Inc continues to lose women in the workforce at key life-stage milestones like maternity. Retaining mothers-to-be requires a well-established and thoughtful ecosystem that supports working mothers. Organisations that are mindful of this are pioneering simple, yet effective practices to shape better experiences for women on maternity leave.

The initiatives include thoughtfully structured maternity return or career comeback programs, flexible work options post return, paid parental leave beyond statutory norms, access to childcare and creches closer to the place of work, and assigning a buddy to new working mothers to provide ongoing support and companionship.

The Best Workplaces are mindful about aligning the performance process to ensure new mothers experience a fair evaluation. Some progressive organisations are enhancing their policies to support women with related aspects like adoption support, surrogacy, IVF, egg-freezing, access to reproductive care and more.

Recognising the need for shared responsibilities, some organisations are extending paternity leave beyond usual norms. This offers fathers of newborns the opportunity to provide support to their spouse and the newborn when they need it the most.

Networking and Mentorship:

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and mentorship programs can prove to be effective sources of community, inspiration, support and advocacy for women at work. ERGs serve as a platform for women to connect and support one another by creating a safe space to share experiences and discuss how they are dealing with similar challenges.

ERGs can facilitate regular focus group discussions and listening sessions with the leadership team to advocate positive change and boost progress. Additionally, mentorship programs play an instrumental role by coaching women through various life stages and helping them navigate likely challenges across these. Upskilling programs prove to be particularly effective for returning mothers.    

Foster Financial Wellness:

The aspect of well-being that has not been adequately prioritised by many organisations is financial well-being. There is a huge opportunity to enhance financial education among the Indian workforce, especially for women in the semi-organised sectors. Offering courses in financial education and planning, along with structured programs and workshops on financial wellness, can enhance women's confidence and well-being.

When women feel secure in their financial decisions, they are more likely to engage at work and contribute to organisational success. In the long term, investing in financial awareness serves as a strategic lever for well-being and inclusive growth. Creating an equitable culture is fundamental to building high-trust workplace cultures. Hence, the Best Workplaces prioritise gender pay parity as it is critical to advancing financial wellness and long-term equity. Leaders must commit to creating and fostering a meritocratic and equitable culture.

The Future of Work is For All

Proactively managing women's well-being in the workplace is a forward-looking business decision with tangible returns. By creating a safe space where women's well-being is discussed and addressed, workplaces enable women to reach their full potential, which in turn enhances productivity, performance and organisational success. The emphasis lies in cultivating an inclusive culture that gives women a fair chance at winning.

Workplaces that invest in women's mental health and well-being are creating an environment that extends beyond a competitive advantage. Best Workplaces close long-standing gaps that affect women's health, financial wellness, fairness and equity. This investment remarkably strengthens women's current and future well-being at work.

As India Inc reimagines the future of work, the real question is no longer whether we support women’s well-being, but how boldly we are willing to redesign our workplaces to truly let them thrive and lead.

Authored by Balbir Singh, CEO, Great Place To Work® India, and Delnaz Elavia, Practice Head – Consulting, Great Place To Work® India. | Views expressed by the author are their own.