Employees well-being strategies

Have you noticed that people ask each other more and more often, “What do you do for living? Are you happy doing this?”. And it’s totally normal to be like that. We spend a third of our lives working, a significant part, which we feel the need to talk about, especially since we tend to bring our professional issues in our personal life. Sometimes we do feel unhappy, overwhelmed by our job tasks and we need to discuss this problem.

The latest statistics, both in America and in Europe, indicate a worrying percentage of unhappy employees (more than 50%). If you are wondering, as an employer, why you should care about their happiness, the short answer is that the performance you ask for depends directly on employees well-being. Fortunately or unfortunately, until robots take over people’s tasks, employees need to feel good at work. Happiness is a fundamental human need, the search for which began at the dawn of civilization and will most likely continue indefinitely.

In order to solve the problem of employee happiness, it should be understood, first of all, what this concept, more and more present on the agendas of managers, refers to. Namely what is well-being, generally speaking, and what it implies at work, in particular?

Generally speaking, well-being reflects, in essence, the way one feels about different aspects of one’s life – personal life, health, relationships with others, work, etc. When we refer, in particular, to the well-being of employees, a key factor that determines the long-term success and effectiveness of an organization, we consider all aspects of professional life – the environment in which employees work, the workplace climate, professional relationships and the way they perceive their daily tasks. All of this has a direct impact on how employees perform their duties, the extent to which they meet expectations, stress levels and performance. The theoretical perspective on this issue is a holistic one, summarized in the question “What employees need to perform?”, but, in practice, the answer involves several categories of actions, which may include issues related to physical health, emotional health, psychological balance, social relations, security and financial stability. Therefore, at managerial level, punctual actions are needed to cover the listed aspects.

If the company’s goal is to generate long-term engagement and loyalty among employees, to make the interaction more pleasant at work, to align business objectives with employees motivation, without which performance remains only an empty word on a piece of paper, then the company must think of a sustainable happiness strategy, in the true sense of the word, to create complex systems to activate dynamics that meet fundamental human and professional needs, such as reward, status (recognition), achievement, self-expression, competition, collaboration etc. Obviously, they complement basic intrinsic motivators, such as a decent salary level or functional management.

It is almost useless to list the benefits of employees’ well-being at work, but we will do it as a reminder and to motivate you to develop a happiness plan for your employees as soon as possible. Thus, well-being has been shown to reduce absenteeism and staff turnover, improve team productivity and action efficiency, increase employee retention and attract new talent, generate higher profits, improve connectivity and overall performance.

How can you implement such a strategy? Here are some ideas to help you get started. You will recognize some classic choices and you may even have already implemented some of them, which is a great thing. Among our suggestions, we bring, as a novelty, the one to provide employees with an onsite therapist. According to Forbes, 50% of millennials and 75% of Z have voluntarily left their jobs due to mental health problems.

For a long time, especially in Romania, there was this bias according to which if you asked for the help of a therapist, you were stigmatized. Many of those who really needed psychological support did not seek treatment beacause of fear of shame. Fortunately, society has accepted the need for the intervention of a professional therapist to solve problems that affect the well-being at work and that are not necessarily in the pathological spectrum. The cultural acceptance of the habit of consulting a psychologist has visible benefits and high returns (according to Deloitte, 4: 1 ROI). Thus, conditions such as stress, burnout and other work-related psycho-medical problems can be prevented or treated more effectively. Therefore, if the organization manages to meet the minimum conditions of time given to employees for therapy, specially arranged space and confidentiality, we recommend that you consider this suggestion.

Mental health support is no longer an optional advantage, but an imperative for companies that want to remain competitive, showing concern for this aspect. The seriousness of the problem is undeniable, and some companies in Romania have already started programs like this, through which they subcontract a psychologist who therapeutically supports the employees. In addition to the obvious benefit of improving well-being, having a therapist at work removes many of the barriers that keep employees from resorting to one, such as the cost of time and money – an onsite therapist is much more convenient for employees, saving them valuable time, as they do not have to travel to the meeting; they are also more likely to engage in therapy.

To maintain the balance between work and personal life, indispensable to well-being, companies can offer employees courses in parenting, nutrition, healthy lifestyle, mindfulness, yoga, etc. or they can facilitate access to such courses (discounts for employees).

Companies can organize activities in the area of employees’ passions (sports, literature, language courses, cooking classes, floral arrangements workshops, painting or theater workshops). Through this, the company demonstrates not only that it is genuinely concerned about the well-being of its employees, but also that it knows them and is attentive to their passions.

Public speaking is one of the biggest fears of people, in general, it brings them enormous stress. Therefore, organizing public speaking trainings is an initiative that can help employees become more in control of their goals, more confident in their own strengths and communicate more easily.

From the flexibility of the place and time dedicated to work, to the flexibility of the benefits package to which the employee has access, these possibilities are no longer seen as a benefit for many employees, but as a normal condition at work. Flexible hours, work from home, half-day Fridays or any other means by which employees are given more time for the personal aspects of their lives are effective tools in generating well-being. In addition, flexibility gives a certain freedom in the manifestation of personality at work, and this is vital for happiness and, implicitly, for performance.

Arranging a place where employees can retreat to find peace, to take a break, to mentally prepare for an important meeting, to meditate or to make relaxation movements.

These could include yoga classes, stress management seminars, programs to help employees quit smoking.

All the evidence were already brought to support the claim that sport contributes to our level of happiness. The cultural openness to sports can be marked by offering season tickets or discounts at gyms.

Researches have proven the fast and positive psychological impact that social actions have on employees. Neuroscience has empirically validated the theory that when we are generous, a neuro-chemical reaction is triggered in the brain and combats anxiety, depression or stress, leading to an improvement in our mental state. The regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection and trust are activated, making us feel happier. Social campaigns have a great motivating force, related to the efficiency of the organization. The time we invest in helping others is a time when we put individual value in the place of honor. Therefore, developing an internal system of social support, to which we should associate a budget for implementation, keeping the project management at the level of employees, can create a great impact, by motivating the engagement. It has been shown that the greatest benefits come from the initiatives proposed by the employees themselves, and not those imposed by the company.

Happiness is therefore not a whim at work, but a fundamental need that must be taken seriously and on which performance depends. In this article, we have tried to bring to your attention the importance of this aspect and to suggest some tactical actions that you can take to improve the general well-being at work. All these actions can be facilitated by Co-Factor through an innovative digital platform, which incorporates the well-being concept in the three main organizational pillars – Employee Engagement, Performance Management and Internal Communication. The Co-Factor platform also offers the Mobile App experience, facilitating real-time, transparent and structured communication.

The results of using the Co-Factor platform are directly reflected in KPIs and positive effects on the organizational climate, as Co-Factor software allows real-time tracking, measurement, analysis and improvement of every aspect of any organizational process.