Employees are the most important assets of any company. This fact has been underlined even more strongly since the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Cognizant of the positive correlation between wellness and productivity, companies are placing even more emphasis than before on the mental and social well-being of their employees. Although the pandemic has led to people spending more time at home with their families, the duration and the quality of “me time” and “family time” have been adversely affected owing to the blurring of boundaries between personal and professional life. It is therefore necessary for organizations to create a new-age work culture that restores work-life balance and helps them care for their employees even beyond work. Here are five ways in which to create a happy and healthy workplace.
Acknowledge the need for emotional and mental health: Studies reveal that, owing to the always-on nature of digitally enabled business and 24/7 working styles, more than 40 percent of workers face high stress at their jobs, which negatively affects their productivity, health, and family environment. Mental and physical well-being are closely tied to emotional, financial, social, career, and community needs. Companies must demonstrate that they recognize these aspects as an essential part of employees’ life and help them make time for it. Employees who feel like they “belong” are much more likely to be engaged at work. It is therefore important for organizations to make employees feel wanted, connected, and motivated. Companies with adequate resources should also organize webinars and online sessions on aspects such as self-care, meditation, ergonomics, and ways to manage stress and anxiety.
Organize employee engagement activities: Activities like periodic jam sessions and no-work-talk nights can help in relieving work-related stress and enabling employees to bond in a fun, non-work environment. Celebrating milestones – business or personal – is yet another way of lifting the spirits of employees. Video conferencing tools enable teams within and across offices to celebrate business wins, employee birthdays, work anniversaries, festivals, and special occasions. Many organizations are encouraging employees to get their family to join in, to heighten the joy of celebration. Seeing one’s colleagues with their families at home helps one see them in a different, friendlier light and tends to strengthen work relations with them.
Strengthen learning & development programmes: The scope for continued growth and learning is one of the important factors that determine the affinity of employees and jobseekers for any company. People expect their organization to give them opportunities and platforms to upskill and grow professionally. They also seek acknowledgement of their ideas and the freedom to innovate and create value beyond their defined job role. With workplaces going increasingly digital and companies looking to hire or cultivate high-quality talent for driving growth, it is necessary for employees to be skilled in the latest technologies and the domain-specific skills needed to excel in their respective roles. To enable all of this, organizations must continue and strengthen their learning and development (L&D) programmes. Caring, people-centric organizations know that business and employees grow best when they grow together.
Connecting at a personal level to check on each other’s wellness: Providing flexible working hours, extending medical aid, reducing micro-management of work, appreciating and rewarding employees for a job well done – all such actions have been shown to boost employee morale and make them feel valued. Working from home should not result in unnecessarily long working hours; otherwise, it can lead to burnout and resentment. Managers must watch out for such signs and show greater empathy, understanding, and care during these trying times. Companies should encourage regular communication between managers and their teams to share their day-to-day experiences and to address any apprehensions the other might have. All such seemingly small steps can go a long way towards ensuring wellness of body and mind.
Design company policies to assist employees, especially women, at and beyond work: According to the Deloitte Global report titled “Women@Work: A global outlook”, more than 60 percent of Indian women – higher than the global average of 51 percent – said that they felt less optimistic about their career prospects now than they did before the pandemic. It is important for companies to understand the pressure, problems, limitations and added responsibilities of the women in their team. Measures like setting up no-meeting hours and no-meeting days; ensuring a meticulous goal-based return to work for mothers after pregnancy; providing childcare facilities and menstrual leaves, need to be in place should be that need to be in place. Companies should also consider extending facilities such as advance salary, emergency medical support, and Covid insurance to their employees to help them cope better with the unprecedented challenges we are faced with.
When employees know that their organization cares about them not just at a professional but also a personal level, they automatically become more responsible, productive, satisfied, and motivated – which, in turn, leads to better business outcomes. Organizations that invest in the wellness and happiness of their employees today are more likely than others to succeed in future.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
