In this week’s guest column, Co-founder of wellbeing platform Heka Alex Hind shares the importance of workplace happiness and wellbeing, and how employers can help to create happier and healthier environments for their staff.
Workplace wellbeing and happiness is an essential ingredient to a prosperous business. Leaders are recognising the true power of healthier, happier teams and the results they produce. From personalised employee wellbeing to flexible working, many organisations have rethought their people strategy in the past couple of years – and rightly so.
The post-pandemic workplace has taught leaders that employees are prioritising health, wellbeing and happiness more than ever. And if employers want to retain top talent, these same characteristics must be reflected in the work environment and company culture. This is especially true given the current uncertainty many people face in the UK. As the economy continues to tumble and the cost of living soars, it’s time for leaders to take action against poor workplace happiness.
WHAT IS WORKPLACE HAPPINESS?
Workplace happiness is simple. It’s a combination of principles and strategies that help create a positive work environment – one where people genuinely enjoy working. Remember, our careers take up most of our time for five or more days per week. For this reason, it’s super important we enjoy time with colleagues, the work environment, and the job itself.
Happier work environments often render better business results, like improved employee performance, productivity, job satisfaction and engagement. And that is why leaders must strive for better workplace happiness.
HOW UNCERTAINTY DAMAGES WELLBEING
As the year began, the world emerged from national lockdowns and other restrictions the pandemic presented. There was a sense of optimism; employees returned to the office environment, gym spaces opened up and families were able to meet once again.
As the opening months unfolded, however, tensions erupted into a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And as global leaders scrambled to calm the situation, the prospect of a much larger war in Europe loomed. We’ve all been in a position of feeling uncertain, anxious and worried about what the future holds, and it can send our minds into meltdown. As such, the events in Ukraine created widespread fear for the future.
Just weeks later, the UK economy began to crumble and inflation rates have since hit a new 40-year high of around 10%. Experts predict that the cost of living crisis and rising prices will continue into Q3 and possibly Q4. As everything from fuel to general household items increase in price, people are beginning to feel the pinch on their finances. The UK now faces a ‘heat or eat’ epidemic, and families will have to make their hard-earned money stretch further than ever before.
FINANCIAL WELLBEING
If there’s one thing we know about financial wellbeing, it’s that it has a strong influence over our careers. Not only from a financial perspective, such as whether we must find higher paying work elsewhere, but from an emotional viewpoint too.
As people feel the financial strain of a struggling economy, they will have to choose to cut out certain leisure activities and make other lifestyle changes. However, it’s these very enjoyments in life that nurture our health and wellbeing. Ultimately, the cost of living crisis and the economic downturn can have a knock-on effect on our quality of life. The solution? Leaders must step up and find ways to support employees in the workplace.
WORKPLACE HAPPINESS DURING UNCERTAINTY
Believe it or not, 81% of employees don’t feel comfortable discussing money in the workplace, according to The Employer’s Guide to Financial Wellbeing 2020-21, carried out by Salary Finance. And 71% of employees don’t feel comfortable asking for help with financial problems. So, how can employers support their workforce in times of uncertainty? What strategies can be put in place to transform workplace happiness?
There really are hundreds of ways to revolutionise workplace happiness and employee wellbeing. It’s important you understand some of the most effective ways, to begin with. Once implemented, leaders should seek out other alternative and creative solutions.
SUPPORT FROM LEADERSHIP
In times of instability, reassurance can be leveraged to help employees make sense of the hurdles in front of them. We all need reassuring now and again, and the workplace is no different. If employers want to increase workplace happiness, they must educate themselves on issues employees face. Only then can they communicate with honest empathy for those who are struggling in one way or another.
Leadership teams should brush up on their understanding of the looming recession, how an economic collapse could impact employees, and ways businesses have built resilience during a previous economic downturn. Failure to identify these problems and seek out solutions will see businesses fail left, right and centre. Preparation is key, and organisations should plan for the worst and best scenarios in 2022.
To reassure employees, organisations should sit down with employees and listen with the intention to act. Reassurance is a means of communication, and it’s especially important for employees who work remotely. It’s hard to identify employees who are struggling without face-to-face interaction, whether it be with mental health or financial matters. Solutions like one-to-one wellbeing meetings are a great opportunity to dig into employee problems.
OPENNESS & HONESTY
Organisations should look to develop an accepting work environment. One that approaches personal topics with openness and honesty. Just as employees feel uncomfortable speaking about money, the same applies to many other areas of health and wellbeing.
Unfortunately, many workplaces still maintain a toxic environment that views topics like female health, mental health and financial matters as taboo. Not only is this unhealthy for workplace happiness, but it’s also likely to drive away top talent.
The reality is life isn’t always easy, and sometimes personal problems can get on top of us. It’s leadership teams that embrace openness and honesty to this fact that create happier employees.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Leaders must lead by example by sharing personal experiences. In doing this, they will begin to build trust around expressing thoughts and feelings, encouraging more employees to come forward and share their experiences.
In a survey of 2,009 UK employees, carried out by Opinium in partnership with the University of Warwick, 56% said they have struggled with their mental health at some point, and a staggering 67% said they did not tell their employer about their poor mental health. That’s not all, 23% felt too embarrassed and 19% cent believed it would impact their career.
It isn’t just mental health that remains taboo in the workplace. In another survey on menopause, carried out by Vodafone and Opinium, 50% of respondents said they felt there was a stigma surrounding that topic in the workplace too. The list of employee wellbeing statistics goes on, and it’s through a lack of openness and honesty that employees feel trapped and unable to speak up.
RETHINKING YOUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS STRATEGY
In times of financial strain, people must do away with certain lifestyle choices. For some, this means fitness classes, spa days, and subscriptions to wellbeing products. Of course, this has consequences on our health and wellbeing which finds its way into our working lives. Work can be stressful, and it’s these opportunities in our free time that makes it all worthwhile.
Without them, it’s likely workplace happiness will dip. That’s why employers must rethink their employee benefits strategy. And although a pay rise sounds like the best solution, it’s worth remembering that an economic downturn also impacts businesses too.
Through a robust employee benefits strategy, employers can affordably support employees in maintaining certain lifestyle choices. Especially via a scheme or corporate wellness platform that offers a personalised experience. For many organisations, an employee benefits strategy is a simple means of box-ticking. However, the days of low-impact perks and incentives are gone, and employees are actively seeking out new opportunities that take employee benefits seriously.
PERKS THAT WORK
This is evident in the ongoing war for talent and the Great Resignation. As employees leave their jobs in the millions, perks like hybrid and remote working and wellbeing perks are helping talent decide their career move.
Leaders should dig into the utilisation of existing employee benefits and find out ways to remove benefits that employees don’t want in exchange for more in-demand perks. Employee surveys are also a great way to discover new initiatives that fit your team’s needs. It takes out the guesswork and provides your workforce with exactly what they want.
FINAL NOTE
Ultimately, creating workplace happiness starts with developing better health and wellbeing for employees. It’s standing back and understanding current hurdles employees face and tackling them together. It’s realising that individual needs must be met, and a generic set of incentives just doesn’t work for the modern team member.
Even during times of high instability and uncertainty about what the future holds, employers have the power to retain talent, provide the right support and increase general workplace happiness. Workplace happiness is an ongoing mission, but it must be a part of every workplace if they want to make it out of the dark and are planning for long-term success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Hind is Co-founder of employee wellbeing platform Heka which brings personalised wellbeing to thousands of UK employees. Heka offers more than a thousand wellbeing experiences, products and services across more than 50+ wellbeing categories.
SIMILAR WORKPLACE WELLBEING ARTICLES
Gen Z staff seek more wellbeing-related life-style benefits and perks. Click here to read more.
The top work perks wanted by staff now include more holiday time off, a four-day week and flexible/remote work options, confirmed a recent study. Click here to read more.
Sign up for our newsletter
