The rise of wellbeing champions — special report

Wellbeing champions in the banking sector

Wellbeing champions are as much a feature of the wellbeing infrastructure within the banking sector as they are everywhere else. At Bank Workers Charity, we often deliver wellbeing-themed webinars to the champion networks of banks, and we’ve seen at close quarters just how vital they have become to the success of their employer’s wellbeing strategies. We feel that their contribution has rarely been spotlighted and that some recognition is long overdue. Hence our decision to profile them here in this Special Report section of the Banking Wellbeing Pulse.

Champions are heavily invested in the wellbeing agenda of their organisations. And they are there in huge numbers, often over a thousand employees will be actively involved in large champion networks. It is to their enormous credit that they undertake their wellbeing responsibilities alongside often very demanding day jobs.

Wellbeing champions frequently have a special commitment to a particular aspect of wellbeing. For some it might be mental health, for others financial wellbeing, whilst others may be committed to helping the business do more around menstrual health. This passion often stems from a personal experience, where a specific wellbeing issue has touched their own life or that of a friend or family member. Such personal connections fuel a commitment to helping colleagues who are similarly affected by that issue. Others simply value wellbeing for its own sake and are keen to join a community dedicated to building a strong wellbeing culture within their workplace.

The champion’s role

Wellbeing champions operate at many levels organisationally and contribute in different ways. At an organisational level they function as a bridge between wellbeing leads and the employees they’re trying to reach. They raise colleague awareness of the wellbeing strategy and help bring it to life. And as the role has matured, they’re increasingly providing insights and upward feedback from their discussions with colleagues about the strengths and weaknesses of individual wellbeing initiatives.

The champions can also be a source of inspiration for new ideas or approaches that will enhance the wellbeing offer. Indeed, some of the most exciting wellbeing programmes Bank Workers Charity has seen across the sector have been initiated by employees themselves, rather than originating from the top of the business. Increasingly champions are being used by wellbeing teams as a testing ground for new ideas or for piloting wellbeing programmes destined to be rolled out to the rest of the workforce.

The history of wellbeing champions

One of the earliest employers to introduce wellbeing champions was Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. Since 2012 they have trained up 180 health and wellbeing champions. Importantly, in what has now become best practice, the role was carefully thought through from the outset, putting in place the right infrastructure to ensure the network’s success. That included a clear job description, with explicit expectations around activities like maintaining a high profile within the workplace. Other NHS employers have followed their lead, but champions have also become widespread in the private sector.

It was perhaps during the Covid pandemic, a period of huge uncertainty, that wellbeing champions truly came into their own. Employers’ concerns for the health of their workforce resulted in an unprecedented focus on employee wellbeing that, as we’ve seen, continues to this day. More businesses introduced champions and many of those with an existing network expanded them. Indeed, the NHS Plan for 2021 actively encouraged NHS employers to create champions networks as the key step to creating a wellbeing culture.

Lloyds Banking Group network of Wellbeing Advocates

We wanted to know more about the contribution of wellbeing champions in the banking sector, so we spoke with Emma Stacey, Group Health and Wellbeing Lead at Lloyds Banking Group. She is responsible for one of the UK’s largest and most effective networks (in this instance, of wellbeing “advocates”). She explained that their network evolved from an already existing cohort of mental health advocates who had proven their value over the preceding years. But, conscious of the fast-paced evolution of their wellbeing proposition, which was becoming a clear strategic lever for the business, Emma had a more comprehensive focus in mind. She “tore up the script” to create a new network with a much more explicit wellbeing remit. The network is managed through Emma and her wellbeing team. She now has a volunteer army of 1,800 advocates located across the business, who support the delivery of the bank’s wellbeing agenda.

One of the criticisms of some wellbeing champion models is that individuals receive their training but are then left to pursue their role organisationally, with too little in the way of support infrastructure, especially when things don’t go to plan. This lack is especially problematic when the role involves being a point of contact or support for colleagues experiencing mental health problems. Emma was especially conscious of this, given many of her network’s previous backgrounds as mental health advocates. She ensured that safeguarding processes were in place should an advocate find themselves outside their comfort zone when supporting a distressed colleague. A clear escalation process is in place and gets mobilised swiftly if an advocate needs help, guidance or psychological assistance. The existence of this layered support mechanism is pivotal, giving the advocates the confidence they need to execute their role, knowing that a safety net is there, if ever it’s needed.

In the broadest sense, the wellbeing advocates are there to bring life to and embed the bank’s wellbeing strategy. Emma explained how valuable the network has proved itself to be, when it comes to the introduction of new programmes. All good strategies are built around the researched wellbeing needs of the workforce. Lloyds Banking Group exemplify this approach, taking extra care before introducing any new initiative. They elicit the views of different organisational stakeholders to establish that the proposed wellbeing initiative is of the highest quality and is certain to meet employee needs.

The advocates, with their knowledge, insights and frequent contact with the workforce, are a key part of this consultative process. They are the perfect community to engage with before testing out new apps, programmes or initiatives.

The advocate perspective

We also wanted to hear from one of the advocates to understand what motivates them and to gain their perspective on what it means to be part of a wellbeing network. We spoke to Lloyds Banking Group’s wellbeing advocate Catriona Macdonald.

Catriona surely speaks for advocates and champions everywhere, who happily volunteer their time and energy to promote wellbeing within their businesses. The banking sector is in the forefront of workplace wellbeing in the UK, and this report highlights some of their pioneering initiatives. The contribution of wellbeing champions to their success can’t be overstated.