Creativity is essential in the fashion apparel and retail industry, but it’s also a business that also generates significant internal and external competitive pressures on employees.
In response, many companies are looking at ways to mitigate that pressure and help workers foster a better work-life rhythm. Here, Dilan Gomih, founder of Dilagence, a company focused on helping businesses boost their performance by delivering impactful well-being programming, content, and workforce strategies to help their employees thrive, discusses the challenges retailers and brands face when employees are mentally and emotionally struggling and how implementing certain policies and wellness programs can help.
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WWD: Millennials and Gen Z are driving workplace culture shifts. How do their expectations around wellness differ from previous generations, and what are some key areas brands are still falling short in addressing?
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Dilan Gomih: While previous generations may not have relied on their organizations to support their well-being, Millennials and Gen Z employees do. Why? Because it is where they spend a greater amount of their waking hours at work. Now there is an increased expectation for organizations to foster employee productivity by supporting mental and physical well-being as well as provide accessible resources to advance in life.
The newer generations want the acknowledgement that every worker is a human that shows up to work, and thus it’s very helpful to have support with what falls by the wayside at work: managing mental and physical health, financial planning, caregiving (of parents, children or otherwise) just to name a few.
As a result, brands can think of well-being as part of business performance strategy — because it’s part of engaging, retaining, and attracting talent. The less time it takes an employee to find and use a benefit, the more time they spend working and the better that work will be. More importantly, particularly post-pandemic, talent is looking for organizations that offer well-being benefits and feel increasingly comfortable leaving workplaces that don’t. Takeaway: offering well-being benefits is part of an effective, smart hiring and talent retention strategy.
The reality is that times have changed, and that’s a great thing. Lunch-time yoga may have been nice signaling in the past, but today it likely isn’t valued or utilized if an employee doesn’t have time to use it in a fast-paced environment. There is power in acknowledging that the newer generations in the workforce view well-being holistically and adapting to that. This way brands can invest in resources that they will get credit for, and save costs by eliminating the ones that are not only undervalued but waste money because they are underutilized.
WWD: What specific wellness offerings have you seen resonate most with younger employees, especially in retail and fashion, where workplace stress can be high?
D.G.: Mental health is incredibly important to newer generations in the workforce. Younger employees also value choice and flexibility when it comes to wellness offerings. They want the autonomy to decide how they use their wellness benefits, which is where reimbursement or ideally stipends can be effective. Where this becomes a win for brands is over time, companies can see how these funds are being spent and strategically invest in offerings the data shows employees care about as opposed to wasting money on the ones they don’t.
We have also found it powerful to offer educational programming on why managing well-being boosts performance and work more efficiently. Understanding that physical activity actually helps your brain to think better leads to a win-win; a healthier employee and better work product. It also enables employees to understand how to use benefits to their advantage. Knowing that movement makes your mind better, according to Harvard Medical School research among others, can lead to an employee deciding to use the fitness app they have at their fingertips.
It’s worth acknowledging that one size doesn’t fit all — and it doesn’t have to. Platforms like Wellhub (formerly Gympass) also excel because they offer a comprehensive suite of benefits, from fitness classes and gym memberships to mental health resources and mindfulness apps. This allows employees to personalize their wellness journey and choose the options that best fit their needs and preferences.
WWD: What unique challenges do RTO (return-to-office) policies pose for employee wellness, and how can brands mitigate these issues without compromising productivity or culture?
The pandemic changed how people view work and life. Employees have a greater desire to find meaning and fulfillment with how they spend their time — and for many, a great deal of time is spent at work. However, for many this led to insights and appreciation for the ability to take a walking call, reduce commute time (or have no commute time at all), and the flexibility to seamlessly transition from work to family and social life.
If you’re considering an RTO mandate, what does your talent feel like they are losing from the mandate and how can you acknowledge and potentially mitigate these concerns in a way that supports the business? For example, if employees are concerned about commute time, can you offer X days a month where employees can choose to WFH? Can you lessen the anxiety around face-time culture by explicitly stating that post-6:00 p.m. it’s okay if email response is slower so employees can tend to outside needs like family, health or otherwise?
At the end of the day, every company and leadership team has the right to decide what type of culture and work ethos drives their brand. However, it is worth understanding what attracts, motivates, and retains the talent they want to support the needs of the business.
WWD: How can brands better align their employee wellness programs with their overall mission and culture, particularly in the fashion industry where creativity and innovation are critical?
D.G.: Creativity, innovation, and staying ahead of trends are essential for success in the fashion industry. This approach should also extend to employee wellness programs. Leverage this to understand who is working for you, what they care about, and cut the programs they don’t care about. They may not care about chair massages from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., but that investment could be better spent by offering flex dollars to go get a massage when they want.
Stanford University researchers found that movement fosters creativity. So encouraging walking meetings, standing up in between meetings, and utilizing potential fitness perks can lead to a better work product and a healthier culture.
WWD: Burnout has become an epidemic, particularly among younger employees. What are the most overlooked, yet impactful ways brands can tackle this issue?
D.G.: Burnout is a pervasive issue but it’s important to reframe the conversation. Often people focus on the extremes — either being “super high-functioning” or completely burned out. The reality for most employees lies somewhere in the middle, operating in a state of “just getting by.” Addressing this middle ground is critical.
One overlooked yet impactful way to tackle burnout is by offering programming that helps employees to understand their own energy, recognize their own stress signals, and take proactive steps to get back to higher states of productivity.
WWD: What role should leadership play in normalizing and advocating for wellness programs, and how can they lead by example to create a healthier workplace culture?
D.G.: The most powerful action managers can take in promoting wellness and a healthier culture is leading by example. The reality is that employees may worry about perception and as a result become hesitant to use PTO or utilize fitness and mental health benefits. A senior leader once shared with me that he didn’t feel comfortable going to the office gym until he saw his boss do it. The most effective way to mitigate this concern is to normalize the policies by doing. Take the PTO, use the benefits, and most importantly, share that you’re doing it with the team. When leaders are well, the team is well.
WWD: How can brands ensure their wellness offerings are inclusive and accessible to employees of all backgrounds, roles and income levels?
D.G.: Start by involving your employees. Understanding your workforce is a lot like understanding your audience in fashion — who are you serving, and how do you know what matters to them? Just asking goes a long way. Whether it’s surveys or a quick focus group with representatives from each aspect of your workforce, eliminate as much guesswork as you can to understand your talent.
Also, many organizations already annually take stock of their workforce demographics and here are just a few examples of ways to use this to better tailor your well-being programming. If you’re noticing a greater share of Gen X employees in your workforce, you may consider that for these members of the “sandwich generation” the responsibilities of caregiving may be a source of anxiety and stress (both financial and mental). As a result, caregiving assistance (rather than leave) could be a helpful way to keep them producing and highlight that you understand the need. For women in the workforce, offering resources that support every aspect of the health journey (from reproduction to menopause) can help highlight an investment in caring for women’s leadership development in the workforce.
Finally, offering educational programming that highlights free ways to manage well-being can be very well-received. Fundamentally, there are many practical ways to incorporate movement, mindfulness, and overall health that move the needle on both short-term productivity and longevity. Even a fast walk can be an impactful preventative action against cardiovascular disease risk, for example.
Education can be both impactful and cost-effective when it highlights small, achievable changes like getting incrementally more sleep, incorporating movement breaks during the day, or practicing quick stress-relief techniques. These approaches don’t require expensive equipment or memberships and can be easily integrated into any role or schedule.