Deloitte, a professional services firm, knows the value of employees who are engaged. With over 70,000 employees in 100 locations across the U.S., Deloitte provides services in audit and risk, consulting, financial advisory, and tax. As a professional services organization, Deloitte is focused on helping clients solve their toughest problems.
It is in this client-driven work environment - where employees need to be at their best - that programs like the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute's Corporate Athlete program and its focus on human energy management flourish.
Why Human Energy?
Employers across the United States are turning to wellness programs to keep health care costs low, to assist employees to be healthy and productive and to attract the best talent. So it is no surprise given its size, that Deloitte should have a well-being initiative. But why focus on human energy in particular?
According to Jen Fisher, National Managing Director of Well-being, Deloitte LLP - before people can take care of each other, they need to be able to care for themselves. This is the tenet of a human energy program.
Making well-being a part of daily life and focusing on how to maximize performance through what one puts into - and how they use - their body enhances their overall performance. By maximizing an employee's potential, they can be at their best at every moment, even under intense pressure, not only at work but in their personal lives as well.
"Our people are our greatest asset," said Fisher. "Well-being is not mutually exclusive to delivering value to clients - in fact, it's a critical factor in a high-performance culture. Research shows that people with more balance in their lives tend to be happier and more engaged at work. They perform better and tend to be healthier too.
When they can produce high-quality work and live their lives fully - everybody wins. The Corporate Athlete training complements our well-being offerings by providing a multi-disciplinary approach that connects body, mind and purpose, in line with our own approach to well-being."
Rolling Out the Program
In order to create an effective program that supplies employees with the tools they need, Deloitte generated a pilot program consisting of 700 individuals to test the Corporate Athlete program. To start, they conducted surveys, focus groups and discussions to gauge the well-being needs of their population. They learned that employees wanted resources to support their well-being, thus they began offering more learning opportunities.
These workshops, developed and delivered by Corporate Athlete coaches, were designed to address things like fatigue, and teach employees how to increase their performance through better energy management.
This program is one of many learning opportunities offered as part of Deloitte's wellbeing approach and it is now offered throughout the year to employees of almost every level. So far, over 3,000 professionals have participated, a figure they want to double by the end of the 2017 fiscal year.
"Our pilot program was incredibly well-received and initiated a lot of excitement and engagement around well-being," said Fisher.
Another crucial step with the rollout was bringing their leadership onboard. Company leaders were encouraged to actively participate in the offerings, share their health stories and discuss the importance of well-being with their teams regularly.
Making an Impact
The Corporate Athlete program has had a lasting effect on the employees of Deloitte and the company as a whole. Teaching employees to become more productive and effective under pressure through managing their time and energy effectively drives a culture of well-being.
It helps connect personal purpose, mindfulness, and daily behaviors ensuring that energy investments are aligned with one's values and beliefs. Proper energy management helps people feel more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, stress resilient, and completely aligned with whatever mission is most important to them.
Employees are sharing their successes and championing the program to their coworkers - helping drive a culture of well-being further into the company.
"We receive very positive feedback from participants," said Fisher. "They share how the program transformed their lives with me. I have seen many participants step up and champion well-being behaviors, activities, and discussions in their own teams as a result. It has become an important driver of embedding wellbeing into our culture by encouraging and supporting daily well-being behaviors."
These individuals are crucial, not only to the Corporate Athlete's program success, but the success of any well-being program. These champions are the role models and billboards of the program rolled into one. They set an example, and allow for open and honest discussion among employees.
"There is no one size fits all when it comes to well-being," added Fisher. "So it's important that every professional at Deloitte share their needs and support each other on their well-being journeys, and Corporate Athlete is helping us do that."
Making Energy Management Work for You
In the end, the Corporate Athlete program is helping to support a culture of well-being at Deloitte. Focusing on human energy can be a difficult transition, but Fisher has some words of wisdom for those starting it themselves.
"You need to be truthful with yourself about your behaviors, lifestyle choices, and priorities. You should be prepared to face those realities head-on - learning how to align your energy with your mission. And as employees, we need to make sure that our energy management program complements an overarching strategy to make well-being part of our workplace culture so that our people can put what they learn into practice."
