Employee Well-being Report: Case Studies of Marks & Spencer and Tesco

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of employee well-being initiatives at Marks & Spencer and Tesco. It begins by defining employee well-being and its significance, emphasizing its impact on work culture, employee potential, sustainability, and operational efficiency. The report then delves into the scope, nature, and limitations of employee well-being, exploring factors like employee satisfaction, work environment, and the influence of organizational resources. Furthermore, it examines the specific well-being strategies implemented by Marks & Spencer, including effective salary structures, a positive work culture, healthcare policies, marathons, and annual weight loss challenges. Similarly, it details Tesco's well-being initiatives. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and offering insights into the effectiveness of these strategies in fostering a healthy and productive work environment.

Managing Human Resources

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................3
Employee Well being.............................................................................................................3
Marks and Spencer well being initiatives...............................................................................8
Tesco well being initiatives....................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Employee well being is defined as a process to improve the employment experiences
of all employee’s associated with corporate organisations (Athota, Budhwar and Malik,
2019). It emphasis on providing proper work culture based on needs of individual employee’s
so that all staff members of company get equal development and growth opportunities in the
organisation. This report is based on the case study of Marks and Spencer and Tesco in
regards to their employee well being policies. Marks and Spencer is UK based retail
organisation established in the year 1884. Tesco is a based company founded in the year
1919. Jack Cohen was the founder of the company. The study evaluates different aspects such
as scope, nature and limitations of wellbeing of staff members. Approaches used in both the
organisations for improving well being of employee’s will also be summarised in this report.
MAIN BODY
Employee Well being
Employee well being is a process that enables corporate organisations to improve
employment experience of all human resources employed in the company. Employee
satisfaction is considered as the primary element which work behind the welfare and comfort
of employees (Axtell and et.al., 2018). Well being of organisational human resources is
closely associated with the work culture of corporate organisation. Some of these elements
can be summarised as follows:
Scope of employee well being
Employee wellbeing plays a crucial role for the corporate organisation in order to
achieve all its objectives and targets. It improves the work culture of company and its scope
is defined in following ways.
Improves employee’s potential: The well being level of the staff members can be denoted
by higher level of employee satisfaction. It explains that how good an employee is treated in
organisation. All corporate organisations sustain good welfare policies for their staff
members and end up by improving potential and abilities of human resources. Improving
employee potential involve giving opportunities to employee’s for learning and grabbing new
skills and techniques that can improve the potential of employment opportunities (Brun and
Cooper, 2016). Well being aspect of human resources in organisation also drives increased

efficiency in operational activities. Organisations aim at developing an environment in which
employees can have freedom to express creative ideas. The comfortable and safe working
conditions also improve productivity of employees and result in increased growth potential of
company in the target market.
Improve work culture: Work culture is a crucial aspect of the corporate organisations.
Employees feel good and safe when work culture of the corporate organisations consider well
being strategies seriously. Work culture is defined as the internal atmosphere of company in
which all operational activities operated and conducted. Organisations which sustained an
effective corporate culture witness improved physical and mental health of its staff members.
It not only enhances the productivity of employees but also deliver an efficient and healthy
workforce. Employee well being resulting from improved work culture also improves loyalty
of employees towards organisation.
Improve employee sustainability: Another element of well managed employees is level of
employee satisfaction in the organisation. Employee satisfaction also help organisation to
achieve low employee turnover and sustainable human resources (Demerouti and et.al.,
2017). It also ensures that all human resources of organisation get equal opportunities to
achieve growth and development. Sustainable human resources of company enable
management to effectively utilise its resources and organisational capabilities and to achieve
success and higher profitability in the target market. It also play crucial role in achieving
higher customer satisfaction rate as employee’s get chances to work more efficiently. It also
contributes in improving operational productivity of company’s operations.
Improves operational efficiency: Employee well being provides effective culture to
employees so that they achieve effective operational efficiencies. Work efficiency and
productivity of staff members leads to gain higher customer satisfaction increased growth
potential.
Nature of employee well being
Work place of corporate organisation comprises plenty of human resources in
different positional roles in organisational hierarchy. In order to accomplish well being
objectives company needs to cope up with all expectations of human resources (Huo, Boxall
and Cheung, 2019). Employee well being depends upon how effective the corporate culture

of organisation is. Resources of company also play crucial role in developing an effective
work culture. In case the organisation has effective resources it will support company
management to provide all the suitable amenities that can support the human resources of
company to operate functions efficiently. Amenities also involve providing luxury resources
to employees. All such organisations cater effective amenities to its employee’s such as
houses, cars and other resources so that employees can feel comfortable and safe and can
focus on operational productivity. The resources cater by organisation affect employee
satisfaction rate and their sustainability it helps organisation to retain employees for long
term. Attention restoration theory can also be analysed to ascertain the impact of nature on
efficiency and employee well being at work place.
Attention Restoration Theory: Attention restoration theory is an effective theory enables to
assess the effect of nature of employees over their efficiency and well being in organisation.
This theory emphasises that if employees get proper attention from colleagues and higher
designated authorities, then they feel more secure and safe. Thus their retention and well
being rate is higher. Gaining attention from other people at work place improves the
employment experiences and employee satisfaction. This theory also states that if
organisation is located at an attractive location then it has positive impact on overall health of
employees. Many other aspects also influences employee well being such as sunlight,
atmosphere, surrounding and other factors associated with nature. In case the organisation
structure allows sun light, proper ventilation and air then it improves work place atmosphere
and there are less chances of employees to feel sick (Jaiswal and Dyaram, 2019). Nature of
employees is keener towards the amount of luxury organisation serves to its work force. In
case of such organisations where the human resources are effectively catered with luxury
amenities and service employee satisfaction rate is higher. Designs of organisation structure
also impact over the nature of employee’s in regards to the well being of employee’s. If the
organisation infrastructure comprises attractive designs, paintings and other attractive factors
it improves the concentration and mental well being of employee’s at work place.
Limitations of employee well being
Employee well being also comes up with certain limitation that restrict the
employment experiences of employees.
Involve high cost: Emphasis on well being highly depends upon the amenities provided by
the organisation. In order to cater employees with effective amenities organisation require

high investment of financial resources. Financial resources are limited and in order to meet
the expectations of employee’s, management of company needs to invest significant amount
of resources. The amount invest in catering amenities restrict the competitive advantages of
company as management is not able to invest such resources for the growth and development
of company’s operations. Company’s cut such amount invested in well being initiatives
which otherwise could have been used in future development projects of company.
Uncertainty: Employee well being is an uncertain process as employee satisfaction is not
certain in nature. Many times the efforts put in to improve the employee satisfaction comes
up with negative impacts over the human resources of company. Employee well being
program also requires huge investment to improve the infrastructure and other amenities to
improve the employment experiences in company (Kaplan, DeShon and Tetrick, 2017).
Uncertainty is also high due to fluctuating nature of human resources.
Communication complexity: Communication is a crucial factor involve in all operational
functions of company. In order to give advantages of all the initiatives run under the
corporate organisation it is crucial to convey effectively the advantages attached with the
program or initiative with all employees of company. Due to communication complexity
many times management do not convey the proper advantages of its initiatives. It also result
in unsatisfactory human resources of the company.
Impact employee turnover: Employee turnover is a crucial aspect of organisations.
Employee well being sustained low employee turnover as it enables company management to
sustain employees for longer period in the organisation (Bos, Boselie and Trappenburg,
2017). Market competition also impact over the employee turnover. Even in case of high
investment from the company, there is an enough chance for company generating high
employee turnover in the organisation.
Marks and Spencer well being initiatives
Organisation culture of Marks and Spencer is well effective to contain the low
employee turnover in the organisation. Company management in Marks and Spencer
involved in following functions to improve the employee well being in the company.
Effective salary: Management of Marks and Spencer always contains specific focus over
sustaining low employee turnover in company. Outcomes play crucial role in maintaining
high employee sustainability irrespective of all the amenities proved at work place

(Sivapragasam and Raya, 2018). If the company management could effectively cope up with
the expectations of employee in regards to the salary and incentive benefits than the
organisation will be able to maintain low employee turnover by sustaining human resources
for the longer time in company. Company management of Marks and Spencer provide
effective salary structure that can meet up all the materialistic requirements of employee’s
employed in the organisation.
Maintain Effective work culture: Management of Marks and Spencer give specific focus
over sustaining an effective work culture at the organisation. Work culture play crucial role in
improving employee loyalty towards the corporate organisation (Stiglbauer, 2017). Work
culture of Marks and Spencer give equal opportunities to all employees to grow and develop
irrespective to any discrimination. Company management also focus over the development of
employee’s of company by channelizing different employee development programs such as
training and development activities, corporate social responsibilities initiative with the
support of employee’s of company and other employee development activities that also
improve the work culture of company.
Health care policies: Management of Marks and Spencer highly promote employee well
being at the work place. In order to improve the employee well being company management
in Marks and Spencer focus over providing health care benefits to employees. Company
management has taken initiative to contribute in the health care of employee’s by sponsoring
health care treatment of all employees’ of company. Contribution in the health care of
employees improves the employee satisfaction. These health care benefits provided by Marks
and Spencer are not only restricted to employees of company but also involves family
members of employee’s.
Marathon: Management of Marks and Spencer organise every year a marathon to improve
the employee well being at the organisation (Su and Swanson, 2019). Organising marathon is
more like an employee bonding initiatives of the company. Every year company management
host a marathon to promote physical health of its staff members along with the aim to
improve social awareness on various social issues.
Annual Weight loss challenge: Marks and Spencer also hosts annual weight loss challenge
as a part of its employee well being initiatives. This challenge involves all employees of
company to loss the weight. The winner of this challenge gets special recognition at event in
form of certificate. This is an important initiative run by Marks and Spencer which aims two

objectives one is to improve the physical health of human resources employed in company
and the second is to improve the employee orientation towards own development and health.
All the above initiatives run by company management of Marks and Spencer aims to
improve the employee well being at the organisation. It also improves the employee
satisfaction rate in the organisation.
Tesco well being initiatives
Management of Tesco give specific focus over well being initiatives related to human
resources of company. Management of Tesco believes that in order to improve the
sustainability and growth potential of company it is crucial to keep the work force happy in
respect to the employment in the organisation. Company management operate following
initiatives as a part of the employee well being.
Work place health program: This is an important initiative run by management of Tesco to
improve the satisfaction of employee’s. Under this initiative company management serves
free health care benefits related to treatments of employee’s (Urbanaviciute, Udayar and
Rossier, 2019). Health care benefits are among the crucial advantages corporate organisation
can cater as health care is considered as very expensive. By catering free medical treatments
company management improves the standard of living of its human resources.
Partnership with Gym pass: James Goodman people director at Tesco Company has
initiated gym pas membership for all its work force. Under this scheme all employees will be
able to get access of free gym training. This is a crucial initiative run by management of
Tesco to improve fitness of its work force. This employee well being initiative improves
health care of employee’s of company. Company management is aiming to have a healthy
work force in the organisation as the human resources play key role in improving growth and
development opportunities of the organisation. This initiative has turned out to be a
successful initiative of the organisation as the employee’s has taken part in this program to
improve the mental health as well as physical health.
Colleague Briefing Sessions: Tesco has also initiated the colleague briefing sessions in the
organisation. This session involve all employees of company to have a good and open
communication with all other human resources of company. This is a quarterly session held
by company management where all leaders in different teams interact with each other
(Wieneke and et.al., 2019). All employees of company get chances to make bond with

employees of other operational departments. Thus it provides opportunities to employees to
give opinions on different operational aspects of the company so that higher operational
efficiency can be achieved. This initiative improves the employment experiences of all
employees of company. It also improves the psychological stress of employee.
Face Box: Face Box is another crucial campaign launched by Tesco Company. Under this
initiative all employees of company get chances to become the face of Tesco. This is a crucial
employee well being strategy management of Tesco has applied which also improved the
employee loyalty towards the organisation.
CONCLUSION
This report has concluded different aspects of employee well being. Different scope
of employee well being such as improving work culture of company, improving employee
potential, improving work efficiency of employee and other associated scope are discussed in
this report. With the guidance of attention restoration theory nature of employee well being
has also projected in this report. Limitations like high cost, uncertainty and other associated
limitations with employee well being has also projected in this report. Marks and Spencer
initiative such as effective salary, health care advantages and other initiatives ha summarised
in order to improve the productivity and safety of employees. Tesco company programs such
as work place health program, gym partnership to improve the health, face box initiatives has
concluded in order to improve the physical and psychological health of the staff members.

REFERENCES
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