From Policy to Practice: Embedding DEI in Wellbeing Strategies

By Anjali Malik, Associate specialising in employment law and commercial disputes at Bellevue Law

Employee wellbeing is a cornerstone of organisational success, influencing engagement, productivity, and retention. Yet wellbeing initiatives often fail when they adopt a “one-size-fits-all” approach. To be truly effective, they must account for the diverse experiences of employees, particularly those linked to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. These characteristics shape how individuals experience work, stress, and support systems.

Why Culturally Competent Support Matters

Cultural competence means understanding and respecting diverse backgrounds, values, and lived experiences. Without it, wellbeing programs risk being performative or exclusionary. Key actions include:

• Inclusive policy design: Embed DEI principles in wellbeing strategies from the outset.
• Representation in decision-making: Involve diverse voices in shaping initiatives.
• Continuous education: Train leaders and HR teams on cultural awareness, unconscious bias, and inclusive communication.

Culturally competent support is not just about avoiding harm, it actively promotes trust, belonging, and psychological safety. When employees feel understood and valued, they are more likely to engage with wellbeing resources and thrive at work.

Disability and Mental Health Mental health remains the leading cause of work-related ill health in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive highlights that, in 2024/25, 964,000 workers reported stress, depression, or anxiety caused or worsened by work, accounting for 52% of all work-related ill health and 62% of working days lost – amounting to a staggering 22.1 million days in total. The economic impact is equally significant, with poor mental wellbeing costing employers £42–45 billion annually through absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover.

Wellbeing Intersection: Generic Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are not enough to tackle the scale of the problem outlined above. Tailored interventions, such as neurodiversity-friendly resources, flexible working arrangements, and proactive mental health check-ins are critical to getting people back to work – and helping them stay there successfully.

Practical Recommendations:

• Conduct accessibility audits for physical and digital environments.
• Offer mental health first aid training for managers.
• Create clear processes for requesting reasonable adjustments without stigma.

Cultural Competence Tip: Train managers to recognise invisible disabilities and mental health struggles without bias. Use person-first language and avoid assumptions.

Race and Cultural Identity

Studies show that race, ethnicity, nationality and cultural identify significantly influence workplace wellbeing. Research by the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, for example, illustrates that Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani employees earn 15–16% less than White British workers doing the same job, while Indian and Chinese employees earn more, highlighting systemic disparities. Such differences in treatment may translate into stress, a reduced sense of belonging, and/or limited access to wellbeing resources.

Employees from minority ethnic backgrounds also report higher exposure to micro-aggressions and bias, which can erode psychological safety and increase mental health risks. Intersectionality compounds these challenges – with women of colour often facing some of the greatest disadvantages in career progression and wellbeing outcomes.

Wellbeing Intersection: Psychological safety and belonging are core to wellbeing – and feeling accepted for one’s identify (whether culturally, ethnically or otherwise) plays a key role in achieving levels of safety. Initiatives should include diverse representation in leadership, anti-racism training, and culturally sensitive mental health resources.

Practical Recommendations:

• Provide access to culturally competent counsellors and multilingual support.
• Implement bias reporting mechanisms and act transparently on complaints.
• Celebrate cultural events inclusively, ensuring they are employee-led rather than tokenistic.

Cultural Competence Tip: Embed cultural diversity into wellbeing programs, representation matters in imagery, language, and examples – but ensure this is done in collaboration with the workforce, to encourage ownership, rather than taking a top-down approach.

Religion and Belief

Faith and belief systems shape identity and wellbeing. Yet barriers to embracing them in the workplace persist. Perhaps surprisingly, Kandola’s ‘Religion at Work’ report states that 19% of employees had requests for annual leave for religious festivals rejected, and 47% did not feel comfortable discussing religious celebrations at work. For many, being unable to explore their religion or beliefs in the workplace equates to being unable to be their full selves at work. Such experiences can lead to stress and feelings of isolation, as well as being potentially discriminatory.

Wellbeing Intersection: Respecting religious practices fosters inclusion and reduces stress. Policies should accommodate flexible working during religious observances and provide quiet spaces for prayer or reflection.

Practical Recommendations:

• Create multi-faith spaces for prayer or meditation.
• Publish guidelines for inclusive event planning (e.g. catering for dietary restrictions). Adhere to them in celebrating events and occasions relating to multiple faiths, as appropriate, following consultation and collaboration with the communities in your workplace.
• Offer floating holidays so employees can take time off for religious observances e.g. Ramadan.

Cultural Competence Tip: Educate teams on religious diversity to prevent stereotyping and ensure inclusive scheduling.

Sex: Menopause and Paternity Leave

Menopause is a major workplace issue and as the working population ages, it’s one that will become increasingly prevalent. According to UK Government statistics, 94% of women experience symptoms at work, with 63% reporting that these symptoms negatively affect their working life, yet 90% of workplaces have no formal menopause support. With nearly 4 million women aged 45–55 employed in the UK, this is a critical wellbeing concern.

Another potential wellbeing time bomb involves paternity leave. With statutory paternity leave entitlement among the lowest in Europe at one to two weeks, only 16% of employers offer enhanced paternity pay, and fewer than 10% provide extended leave beyond four weeks. Shared parental leave remains poorly understood with take-up extremely low. Cultural barriers often discourage men from taking the limited leave to which they are entitled anyway, perpetuating gender inequality (e.g. if dads can’t afford to stay home and/or work less) and impacting family wellbeing.

Wellbeing Intersection: Menopause support should include awareness campaigns, flexible working, and access to specialist advice. Paternity leave (and/or more clearly structured shared parental leave) should be normalised and supported without career penalties.

Practical Recommendations:

• Develop a menopause policy with practical adjustments (e.g. temperature control, flexible hours).
• Provide manager training on supporting employees during life stages.
• Normalise paternity leave and flexible working for fathers through leadership role modelling and communication campaigns.

Cultural Competence Tip: Frame policies to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage open dialogue.

Wellbeing and DEI are inseparable. By recognising how protected characteristics intersect with wellbeing and prioritising culturally competent support, organisations can create workplaces where every individual feels valued, understood, and empowered to succeed. This is not only a moral imperative: it’s simply good business sense. Inclusive wellbeing strategies drive engagement, which in turn increases innovation and builds resilience, making them essential for any forward-thinking organisation.