Workplace Wellbeing is a hot topic these days. And rightly so. Why wouldn't we want to focus on something that will increase staff morale and staff retention, lower stress, improve absenteeism and educate workers on exactly what their company can do for them across all areas of health and wellbeing. I still remember how excited I felt when I first heard the term and I immediately set out to find out as much as I could about it. Not realising that this could actually be a job people do, I found myself on a quest (a quest I'm still on) to make this an area of focus in every job I do.
While many companies think they have #workplacewellbeing covered because they offer yoga or mindfulness sessions and replaced the staff room biscuits with a fruit bowl, it is about so much more. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great if companies are doing that, but workplace wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from how employees feel about their job and work environment, to health and safety measures, financial wellbeing as well as physical and emotional wellbeing. All of these things come together to create a holistic measure of our #wellbeing at work.
Good workplace wellbeing strategies will lead to employees who feel safe, engaged, satisfied and healthy at work. This will have a positive effect on absenteeism and presenteeism and productivity increases. Who doesn't want a motivated and happy workforce?
So what areas should you focus on to create a holistic view of wellbeing in your workplace? I think a good place to start is with your workforce. You could use a tool like Survey Monkey to send out a survey to all employees asking for their thoughts on how they feel at work. Cover topics such as workplace culture, financial wellbeing, emotional support, physical health. What would your employees like to hear and see more of at work? Would they like more knowledge in a certain area? Do they feel they can be healthy at work? Do they know where to go if certain issues arise? By giving employees a voice and enabling them to share their personal views. you are creating a sense of empowerment and of being valued. Relationships between employee and employer will benefit from allowing the employee to be heard and to have a say in certain aspects of their work.
To cultivate a positive culture ensure your values are clearly communicated and that you are living those core values as an organisation. Create an inclusive culture where workers feel valued, nurtured and supported irrespective of race, gender, religion and sexual preferences. Create a culture of clear and open communication, employees must feel they can share ideas and opinions, they must know where to go if they want support in a certain area and they should feel they can do this at any time. Creating a culture of collaboration and teamwork will increase the morale of your workforce. Micromanagement has negative effects on a workers level of engagement and morale, taking away all sense of control. Employees want to feel proud of the work they do. We have a right to feel happy to go to work and satisfied at the end of each day with the work we did, going home with a sense that we can leave work at work. We want to feel that our employer has our back and is committed to our professional development.
There are companies and individuals who can consult and steer you in the right direction if you feel workplace wellbeing at your organisation deserves more attention. Don't be afraid to reach out for a happier, productive and longer lasting workforce.
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