Explain two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace.

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5OS07 Wellbeing at work

This unit explores the importance of wellbeing in the workplace and the relationship with people practices and organisation strategy. The design and development of effective wellbeing programmes is examined to meet people and organisational requirements.

Preparation for the Tasks:

• At the start of your assessment, you are encouraged to plan your work with your assessor and where appropriate agree milestones so that they can help you monitor your progress.
• Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
• Pay attention to how your evidence is presented.
• Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
• Completing and acting on formative feedback from your assessor.
• Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
• Explain two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace.
• Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets and related online material on these topics as well as key research authors on the subject.

You will also benefit from:

Case Study

Insursave Ltd is a growing insurance company that provides a range of products and services to customers mainly in the 25-70 age range, covering home, car and personal insurance need.

The company has operated across three sites in the UK: Edinburgh, Bristol and Peterborough and following a recent acquisition it now has a fourth site in Leeds bringing the current workforce from 3347 to 4554 employees.

The vast majority of the workforce consists of front-line call handlers which is the entry level role to the business. There are also specialist insurance claims handlers and underwriters as well as three tiers of managerial roles. The senior leadership team (SLT) has expressed concerns about the level of inexperience amongst the workforce following two years of high attrition after the pandemic and more recently the increase in sickness absence.

The following charts outline the types of roles, age profiles and tenure across the business as well as current absence reasons.

The cost of attrition, absence and constant recruitment to replace leavers has become a major challenge for the business. The SLT believes that the best support and service to customers comes from a healthy and stable workforce with knowledgeable employees who understand the products and services.

The Senior Leadership Team has asked you to provide a written paper about wellbeing.

Part one of the paper will explain the value of wellbeing and the factors that are relevant to the workplace.

Part two of the paper will include a bespoke proposal for an employee wellbeing programme that targets key employee groups.  The programme must be suitable for Insursave Ltd and the role that key stakeholders would play in improving wellbeing at work.

Having carried out some research and an anonymous survey you have identified that:

• employee attrition was higher post the pandemic but has recently stabilised to pre pandemic levels
• there is a higher number of new employees with less than five years’ service; these tend to be within the younger age profile of under 30-year-olds
• muscular skeletal absence reasons are more prevalent in the higher age profiles
• mental health absence is more prevalent in the age groups over 26 years and with longer serving employees
• a recent employee engagement survey stated that managers did not feel equipped to support mental health and well-being at work in particular for colleagues suffering from chronic illnesses
• management capability varied between new managers who felt ill equipped and lacked confidence to deal with people issues relating to absence and well-being and those longer serving who adapted a more caring approach but did not adhere to company policies for managing long term absences

Written paper – part one

Part one of the paper should cover a wide understanding of wellbeing and its relevance to the workplace and should respond to the questions one to six below. Your responses should be wide ranging, making use of academic theory and thinking, and include practical examples to illustrate your points.

Whilst you can refer to the case study in your responses, it is not a requirement to do so in this part of the paper. It is more important to demonstrate the breadth of your knowledge and understanding.

To help the reader, please make use of headings and assessment criteria references to signpost the criteria being addressed by your response. You should also ensure that references and sources drawn upon are acknowledged correctly and supported by a bibliography.

Questions one to six

1. Explain two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace. (AC 1.1)
2. Discuss, with examples, how wellbeing can be managed to support organisational goals. (AC 1.2)
3. Assess the benefits of adopting wellbeing practices in organisations. (AC 1.3)
4. Evaluate the contribution made by key stakeholders (listed below) to improving wellbeing at work.

• People professionals
• Leadership and management
• External partners (AC 2.1)

1. Discuss how wellbeing can interact with other areas of people management practice. (AC 2.2)
2. Analyse how organisational context shapes wellbeing. (AC 2.3)

Your evidence must consist of:

• Part one of a written paper covering questions one to six above.

• Approximately 2000 words in total, refer to CIPD word count policy.

Written paper – part two

Part two of your paper should respond to questions seven to ten below. Your responses should relate specifically to the Insursave Ltd case study provided above.

To help the reader, please make use of headings and assessment criteria references to signpost the criteria being addressed by your response. You should also ensure that any references and sources drawn upon are acknowledged correctly and supported by a bibliography.

Questions seven to ten:

1. Assess Insursave Ltd’s needs in relation to employee wellbeing and identify two wellbeing initiatives that would help address these needs. (AC 3.1)
2. Design (in summary form) a wellbeing programme/initiative that would address onearea of Insursave Ltd’s needs.  Your design summary should include the need being addressed, the key components of the programme, the people involved/affected, and the potential wellbeing benefits to be gained. (AC 3.2)
3. Explain how your wellbeing programme would be implemented in a way that is suitable for Insursave Ltd. (AC 3.3)
4. Explain how your Insursave Ltd wellbeing programme would be evaluated and monitored. (AC 3.4)

Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist

You may find the following checklist helpful to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet the task. This is not a mandatory requirement as long as it is clear in your submission where the assessment criteria have been met.

Assessment Criteria marking descriptors.

Assessors will mark in line with the following assessment criteria (AC) marking descriptors, and will indicate where the learner sits within the marking band range for each AC.

Assessors must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each assessment criteria within the unit. Assessors should use the mark descriptor grid as guidance so they can provide comprehensive feedback that is developmental for learners. Explain two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace.Please be aware that not all the mark descriptors will be present in every assessment criterion, so assessors must use their discretion in making grading decisions.

The grid below shows the range for each unit assessment result based on total number of marks awarded across all assessment criteria. 

To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Low Pass) or above for each of the assessment criteria.

The overall result achieved will dictate the outcome the learner receives for the unit, provided NONE of the assessment criteria have been failed or referred.

Please note that learners will receive a Pass or Fail result from the CIPD at unit level. Referral grades can be used internally by the centre.

Marking Descriptors

Explain two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace.

Wellbeing Theory 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a foundational theory in psychology that postulates that human beings have five levels of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualisation. The theory suggests that lower-order needs must be met before individuals can attend to higher-order ones. In the context of the workplace, this means that employees require certain conditions (adequate pay, job security, positive working relationships) before they can reach their full potential.

For example, if employees at Insursave Ltd feel that their basic needs (safe working conditions, adequate pay) are not being met, it is unlikely they will focus on higher-level objectives such as job satisfaction or personal growth. Therefore, Maslow`s theory implies that addressing employee wellbeing at all levels of need is essential for cultivating a motivated, productive workforce.

Wellbeing Theory 2: The PERMA Model

The PERMA model, developed by psychologist Martin Seligman, focuses on five pillars of wellbeing: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. It suggests that individuals achieve a sense of wellbeing by fostering positive emotions, engaging deeply in work, cultivating meaningful relationships, and finding purpose and achievement in their roles.

In the case of Insursave Ltd, the high attrition and stress levels, particularly among younger employees, may be mitigated by fostering a work culture that promotes positive emotions and engagement. Employees who are deeply engaged with their work and find meaning in their tasks are less likely to suffer from burnout or mental health issues. By providing opportunities for personal growth and recognising accomplishments, Insursave Ltd can boost employee morale and reduce turnover.

Continued...