Understanding wellbeing dimensions and conducting needs assessments

The video addresses Assessment Criterion 3.2 of the CIPD Level 5 unit 5OS07 – Wellbeing at Work, focusing specifically on how to identify which dimensions of wellbeing require attention before a programme is designed. It draws on the CIPD's multi-dimensional model of workplace wellbeing, which distinguishes between physical health, mental health, financial wellbeing, and social wellbeing as interconnected areas. Rather than treating these as a checklist, the video situates them within the evidence-gathering process that should precede any programme design decision.

Central to the video is the methodology of conducting a workplace wellbeing needs assessment, covering both quantitative and qualitative data sources. Quantitative indicators discussed include absence rates, turnover statistics, occupational health referrals, and employee assistance programme utilisation, while qualitative approaches span employee surveys with open-ended questions, focus groups, one-to-one interviews, and exit interview analysis. The video also introduces environmental scanning as a method for contextualising internal data against industry-specific health risks, workforce demographics, and broader economic pressures affecting employees.

Once data sources have been considered, the video turns to prioritisation, presenting four criteria — prevalence, severity, feasibility, and strategic alignment — as the basis for selecting two or three wellbeing areas for focused attention. It also addresses how chosen areas should be defined with precision, distinguishing between, for example, workload-related stress, role ambiguity, and change-related anxiety as distinct targets requiring different interventions. This specificity is framed as a prerequisite for both coherent programme design and the identification of measurable success criteria.