Wellbeing at your workplace.
Keep your mind fresh, Keep your body strong!!
Mental and physical health are two important components of wellbeing in the workplace. When people prioritise their wellbeing, they can increase their productivity and work quality. If you’re a manager or a team leader, acknowledging the steps you can take to ensure the wellbeing of your team members can help improve the workplace environment and the work life of each person within the organisation. In this article, we explain what wellbeing in the workplace is, discuss why it’s important and explore the main aspects of wellbeing in the workplace.
What is wellbeing in the workplace?
Wellbeing in the workplace is a term that refers to the different aspects of working life, such as how someone feels about their job or the safety of their work environment. This also includes how the staff’s job duties and compensation affect their health and job satisfaction. For example, to promote wellbeing at work, construction managers might encourage builders to take more breaks during the day to compensate for the physical strain of their job. You may also experience instances in which employees advocate for their own wellbeing, for instance, by asking their supervisors for more comfortable sitting areas.
Why is wellbeing at work important?
Wellbeing in the workplace is important because it allows employees to maintain their health and satisfaction. As a result, they can also feel their best and enjoy their work. This can lead to many benefits for both staff and employers, such as:
Productivity
When managers prioritise staff wellbeing, those who work for the company may experience higher productivity levels. This is because through ensuring that employees are feeling well, they can create more positive work environments in which employees feel safe to ask questions and share their ideas. Feeling good about their work also makes it easier for people to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which is an important factor in achieving high productivity levels.
Employee retention
If staff feel satisfied with their workplace, they’re often more likely to continue working with the company for a longer period of time. This can help companies save money on hiring and onboarding costs. In workplaces that have higher employee retention, it’s also easier for employees to form stronger professional bonds, which can increase employee morale.
Stronger company culture
When people feel happy at work, they often contribute to building a positive company culture. As a result, the employer’s brand and reputation can improve, which helps attract top talent in the industry. This is an important goal for most companies, as through employing highly qualified specialists they can strengthen their position in the market and get ahead of their competitors.
7 aspects of wellbeing at work
Understanding the key factors of workplace wellbeing is essential for managers and leaders, as it allows them to become more aware of their subordinates’ feelings and experiences at work. The seven fundamental aspects of wellbeing in the workplace are:
Improving the general health of employees is often the primary goal of workplace wellbeing programmes. This aspect of workplace wellbeing includes:
Physical health: Companies may promote activities and offer programmes to help ensure the physical health of staff. For example, a company may have a catered lunch programme or offer private health insurance benefits.
Mental health: Mental health can greatly affect any employee’s ability to complete their tasks. Managers can help other employees to maintain good mental health by offering paid time off and performing regular check-ins with them.
Safety: It’s the responsibility of organisation executives to ensure the safety of staff while at work. This can include implementing emergency safety plans, hiring security and ensuring the company meets any special health accommodations for employees who require them.
A significant factor in employees’ wellbeing is their work environment, which refers to the social and physical conditions in which they perform their jobs. It’s important for managers to take steps to ensure a positive work environment, including:
Workstations: It’s crucial for staff to have comfortable workstations to maintain their productivity. If you’re responsible for putting together workstations at the office, consider investing in comfortable office furniture and decor that inspires creativity.
Management: As a member of the management team, you also have a lot of influence over the work culture, so it’s important that you become an effective and easily approachable leader. To determine your subordinates’ wellbeing, consider conducting an anonymous survey to ask them if there’s anything they’d like to change about their work environment.
Attitude: The attitudes of the staff within the workplace can often shape the environment by affecting the mood of others. If you’re someone who has a constantly positive attitude, consider encouraging other managers to approach work similarly.
When employees feel their values align with the company for which they work, they may feel more confident and proud of their work. As a manager, you may reinforce positive ethical standards in the following areas:
Leadership: As a manager, it’s important that you learn to effectively exemplify the company’s priorities and standards. Ensuring that you’re nurturing, empathetic and motivational can often help you better relate to employees.
Diversity: Employees may feel happier to work for a company that values diversity and inclusion. It’s important for organisations operating within any industry to prioritise diversity in the workplace by encouraging employing people of varying backgrounds.
Value statement: It’s important for companies to have a value statement that resonates with staff. Because companies often use value and mission statements to set goals, this can help ensure staff are working towards a goal they’re excited to accomplish.
It’s beneficial for people to enjoy the social atmosphere of their workplace. This can help them strengthen communication skills and allows them to simply enjoy working for the company. Social wellbeing in a workplace can depend on a variety of factors, including:
Voice: It’s important for staff to feel they have a voice in the company, which they can use to express their concerns or share innovative ideas to improve processes within the organisation. Knowing that you and other managers are happy to hear them out can significantly improve the satisfaction levels of the workforce.
Relationships: Employees can often feel healthier and happier at work if they can relate to their colleagues and build long-lasting professional relationships in the workplace. Allowing people to socialise and express interest in the wellbeing of staff can help build relationships.
Events: Hosting social events at work or after hours can establish an opportunity for colleagues to bond. Companies may also use this as a general sign of appreciation towards employees or as a reward for productive behaviour during a specific project.
Companies can enhance workplace wellbeing by creating development opportunities for employees. Typically, working at a company that cares about their progress and career development is important for employees, as it makes them feel valued. Development opportunities relate to wellbeing in the following ways:
Promotions: By creating opportunities that help employees advance their careers, you can support their own career goals and encourage them to continue earning new qualifications. As a result, they can rank higher within the company and feel more accomplished.
Personal development: An employee may seek personal development at work through relationships and financial security. When companies help their team members achieve these, they may feel more inclined to continue their employment.
Environment: Staff may feel healthier in an enriched working environment. This can include opportunities to express their creativity and to learn new skills, for example, through participating in additional training.
Companies can provide opportunities for employees to make healthy choices. Some areas of lifestyle a company can affect include:
Work hours: Having reasonable shift hours and a flexible schedule helps employees maintain a better work-life balance.
Eating: By offering catered lunches or extending meal breaks, companies can support employees in maintaining healthy eating habits.
Sociability: Companies can offer opportunities to improve employees’ mental and physical health by organising work events and encouraging colleagues to bond.
Providing fair compensation for employees allows them to maintain comfortable lifestyles and the ability to do so is an important element of their wellbeing. Some areas of compensation that affect wellbeing include:
Salary: Employees appreciate when their employers offer them pay that aligns with the market value and average wage for their job title. This allows them to focus on advancement opportunities within the company instead of looking for a better-paying job.
Benefits: Many staff also value benefits such as private insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. These benefits can help employees prioritise their health and their families’ financial security.
Bonuses: Some companies use bonuses and incentives to reward staff for their work, which can increase motivation and general morale.