P-185 the Effectiveness of Well-Being Interventions in the Workplace

Abstract Introduction Mental health and well-being is a growing concern for organisations and policymakers across many occupations and industries. A 2022 report by the Health and Safety Executive in the UK revealed that the rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression and anxiety has shown signs of increasing when compared to pre-pandemic levels and in 2022 accounted for 51% of all work-related ill-health (HSE, 2022). On a positive side, in the UK more organisations than ever offer interventions to promote employee well-being (CIPD, 2020). Most current approaches focus on enhancing personal resources and creating an environment that is more health conscious (Richardson, 2017). For example, interventions aimed at building personal resilience or mindfulness are increasingly more common and have increased in the UK from 16% in 2015 to 33% in 2020 (CIPD, 2020). While this increased interest in employee well-being is encouraging, to date it is not clear what types of well-being interventions organisations should be looking to provide, to whom, and how different types of interventions may benefit employees. The overarching aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of well-being interventions. Methods The study is based on a qualitative research design and draws on 32 semi-structured interviews with employees, managers, and mental health champions in four UK-based organisations. Results, discussion and conclusion The findings highlight positive and negative implications of well-being interventions, which appear much more complex than those reported in previous literature. More importantly, the study shows there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to mental health and well-being. Practical and policy implications are discussed.