Employee well-Being

Figure 1: Employee well-being (Source: DENT Benefits Consulting , 2020).

Employee wellbeing refers to the physical, mental, and emotional health of the employee in the workplace, outside of the workplace, and how wellbeing is affected by relationships, communication, tasks, expectations, and the work environment.

Why Employee Wellbeing Is More Important 

“employee well-being has an impact on employees’ decisions, like the decision to quit or stay in the current job. It also exerts its influence on job satisfaction” (Pradhan, et al., 2017).

Employee well-being affects many aspects of the organization. For example, according to (Witters, 2020) enjoying work and having meaningful relationships are two of the five elements that can help a person achieve overall well-being. The five elements are professional, social, financial, physical and community well-being.

People who appreciate the balance in these five elements are likely to increase their participation in work, collaborate more, enjoy learning new things and be innovative.

Figure 2: Worker Well-being (Source: safetyandhealth, 2018).

Employers can help attend to these few elements of employee wellbeing.

·         Social - Facilitate meaningful relationships in the workplace. The social aspect of the workplace should be encouraged. Even when working remotely, you can schedule social interactions, give employees a way to send congratulations to others, or organize virtual social gatherings.

·         Career - Support the employee's career goals, promote learning and development, establish a succession planning program and, most importantly, support the harmony between professional and personal life.

·         Physical - Create comprehensive programs to meet the employee where they are, whether sleep, nutrition, physical or mental wellbeing programs and resources.

·         Community - Create a sense of belonging at work. Allow for networking within common interest groups. Create Employee Resource Groups.

“Employee well-being is not only important for individuals but also plays a crucial role in organizational success. It is found that the organizations which focus on employee well-being are able to develop competitive advantage in the long run” (Wright, 2006). There are multiple benefits of employee well-being to both individual and organizations as described below.

ü  More productivity: Employee wellbeing boosts productivity and performance. When feeling well, employees display healthier behaviors and better decision-making.

ü  Higher employee morale: Employees feel more competent and valued when their needs are met at all levels, including physical, mental, and financial.

ü  Better talent: When your company has a good reputation in the market as an employer who respects and supports work-life balance, you’re more likely to attract skilled candidates and retain your existing employees for longer periods.

ü  Improved CRM: Happy employees are your best brand ambassadors. If you treat them well, that positive energy will pass on to your customers. Those employees will be motivated to understand how your products and services will best serve customer needs.

 

Conclusion

The overall health and well-being of employees is more than the medical health of people. It also includes their mental state, work environment, the balance between work and personal life. It is important for employers to improve employee health and well-being and to make them happy and motivated at work. After all, when an employee is happy, he is much more productive, efficient, and busy.

 

 

References

DENT Benefits Consulting , 2020. DENT BENEFITS CONSULTING. [Online]
Available at: http://dentbenefits.ca/growing-employee-well-focus-group-benefit-plans-post-pandemic/
[Accessed 18 December 2021].

Pradhan, R. K., Dash, S. & Jena, L. K., 2017. Do HR Practices Influence Job Satisfaction? Examining the Mediating Role of Employee Engagement in Indian Public Sector Undertakings. Global Business Review, 20(1), pp. 1-14.

safetyandhealth, 2018. Safety+Health. [Online]
Available at: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17331-a-fuller-picture-researchers-develop-framework-for-measuring-worker-well-being
[Accessed 18 December 2021].

Witters, D., 2020. GALLUP. [Online]
Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/320108/ways-leaders-improve-engagement-wellbeing.aspx
[Accessed 19 December 2021].

Wright, T. A., 2006. To Be Or Not To Be [Happy]: The Role of Employee Well-Being. Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(3), pp. 118-125.