CIPD Ireland: New research shows investing in employee wellbeing boosts profits and reputation

The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development in Ireland, has released new research showing companies are more profitable and have better reputation rankings when they invest in employee wellbeing.

The analytical study, which was carried out by human resources services company Welliba, used publicly available information on employee experience and wellbeing from sites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Reddit to score organisations and compare them with the RepTrak most reputable companies.

The research reveals that organisations are four times more profitable when they invest heavily in employee wellbeing. It found that top-scoring companies in career growth, learning and development, and in how their brand is perceived by employees dominate RepTrak rankings. 

Key findings:

• Companies that invest in employee wellbeing are four times more profitable than those that don’t.
• Organisations scoring highly in career progression are 2.7 times more likely to be in RepTrak’s top 25.
• Strong focus on learning and development doubles the chances of a high reputation score.
• A positive employer brand perception makes a company 3.7 times more likely to rank as a global reputation leader. 

Alison Hodgson, the CIPD’s Market Director Ireland, said:

“The research findings clearly show that when organisations invest meaningfully in their people they don’t just improve internal culture, they enhance their external reputation and also boost their profits. Employers who prioritise career progression, learning and development, and a strong employer brand are positioning themselves as leaders in the market. At the CIPD, we’ve long championed the link between good people practices and business success, and this data we commissioned with Welliba reinforces just how powerful that connection is.”

David Barrett, the CEO of Welliba.ai, added:

“It is great to work with CIPD to shine a light on the lead people, culture, employee experience and wellbeing factors that drive customer experience, brand and economic outcomes for its members. Being able to use our EXcelerate agentic platform to proactively analyse and report on all the relevant public data on over 110,000 organisations is very interesting to me as psychologist and technologist. However it is through collaboration with CIPD and its members that the true value and impact is brought to life for individual organisations.”