Aon’s Global Wellbeing Survey shows Asia Pacific (APAC) companies place value on employee welfare to enhance performance, but the report calls for improvements to their “one-dimensional” approach.  

The survey found that 67% of APAC employers said wellbeing was a top three priority for their company, up from 48% in 2020. APAC employees were slightly more likely to rank their company as “excellent or very good” compared to global averages.  

Aon says the push comes as evidence increasingly shows a relationship between employee wellness and higher performance indicators, noting data that suggests improved wellbeing factors can enhance a company’s performance by at least 11% and up to 55%.  

“An increasingly volatile business environment combined with evolving employee expectations exacerbated by Covid-19 requires that organisations change the way they think about building a resilient workforce,” Aon APAC Health Solutions CEO Tim Dwyer said.  

“Our study demonstrates the importance employers in the region place on employee wellbeing. Not only have they increased their financial investment, but more businesses are reporting integrating wellbeing with their business strategies and company culture.”  

Aon says 85% of APAC organisations have a wellbeing strategy, a sharp rise from 55% in 2020, with mental health and burnout among the top wellbeing issues.  

However, the survey notes that APAC companies are still lagging behind other regions in incorporating emotional wellbeing into their company strategy, saying “there is mismatch between what is offered and the issues that need to be addressed”.  

“As businesses in the region allocate ever-greater investments to improve the wellbeing of their employees, our data reveals gaps in what businesses think is important versus what employees need and are offered,” Aon APAC Head of Advisory and Specialty for Health Solutions Alan Oates said.  

“Organisations must therefore avoid implementing one-off individual wellbeing initiatives with no connection to a larger business plan.  

“Using data and analytics to identify employee needs and aligning interventions with those needs will ensure organisations make better decisions to improve wellbeing and overall workforce resilience.” 

Click here to access the report.