29 Jun Employee well-being | World Well-Being Week 2022

With full-time employees working an average of 36 hours a week, it’s no wonder that the workplace has a significant impact on employee happiness, for better or worse.

Job satisfaction benefits not just the employees but also the employers. Employee motivation, team morale, productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, and the general working environment may all be affected by employee health, according to research.

When attempting to create a workplace culture that promotes employee well-being, there are several elements to consider. Physical elements such as sleep, exercise, and illness, as well as financial well-being and general job satisfaction, all have a role in mental health and stress. Because of this vast range of variables, it’s critical to provide employees with a variety of support alternatives and perks so that you can satisfy their diverse demands.

Kiwi Recruitment has been looking at some of the steps you can take to enhance employee wellbeing during World Wellbeing Week.

 

Creating a comfortable work environemnt for all

The first and most obvious thing that can be done is to make the workplace as comfortable as possible for employees. Making your workplace more relaxing and pleasant can have a big impact on your employees’ happiness.

Installing indoor plants in the workplace is one example of this. Indoor plants release oxygen into the air and eliminate carbon dioxide, increasing workplace ventilation. Improved air quality at work has been demonstrated to boost employee productivity by up to 11%, making it a low-cost but effective approach to assist and improve your employees’ wellbeing.

Maintaining a clutter-free workplace can also help. According to reports, the average worker spends roughly 4.3 hours per week looking for papers, files, and documents in the office, which can lead to increased employee stress. As a result, keeping your office clean and organised might assist reduce stress while also potentially increasing productivity.

Emphasising healthy choices

A healthy office lifestyle is critical to boosting employee wellbeing, whether it’s staying hydrated, preparing healthy meals, or stretching and exercising as often as feasible.

Offering health-related employee benefits is one method to encourage your staff to live a healthier lifestyle. This may be something like a gym subscription that is subsidised. Alternatively, you may provide employees with free nutritious breakfasts or free fruit during the shift to guarantee that they are properly fed, not skipping meals, and are at their most productive.

If your co-workers are glued to their screens all day, it’s a good idea to let them to get up and move away from their workstation for small periods of time to minimise weariness. If, on the other hand, your employees are on their feet all day, make sure they have a place to sit during their breaks.

Promoting a good work-life balance

When it comes to enhancing employee happiness, promoting a healthy work-life balance is crucial. Heavy workloads can quickly wear out your personnel, resulting in anxious employees. As a result, employee absences and turnover may increase.

According to a recent survey, 44% of employees believe that flexible work schedules improve workplace happiness, while 33% say that more annual leave will have the greatest influence on their work-life balance. Offering flexible working hours and contemplating extending annual leave for employees when possible will assist to reduce stress among your employees and result in happier, more productive workers.

Rewarding good work

Employee appreciation is an obvious source of happiness, but it is sometimes disregarded.

Individuals will feel appreciated and happy in their employment role if leadership, managers, and coworkers recognise the efforts of others, which will have a large, positive impact on motivation. According to a Glassdoor survey, 80% of employees would be prepared to work more for a grateful boss, and 70% indicated they would feel better about themselves and their efforts if their manager acknowledged them more frequently.

You could institute an award system to recognise employees who go above and beyond, or you could just praise them for their hard work. Make sure you follow through with whichever method you choose. All the above will go a long way in improving the team moral.

Finding and solving problems

Negative employee morale can sometimes be driven by underlying factors that aren’t immediately evident without further investigation. If you’re having a lot of absences or turnover, it’s critical that you figure out what’s causing the problem and work to rectify it.

Your employees may be dissatisfied at work, overworked, or believe they aren’t being provided with the resources they need to stay healthy at work. Whatever the issue, it’s always ideal to allow your staff to express themselves and work together to find answers and resolve the issue.

Regular team meetings are the greatest approach to guarantee that all new procedures and systems are understood by all members of your team. Regular 1:1 meetings with all of your staff would also be quite beneficial. By implementing these, you’ll ensure that all employees are kept informed and that they have the opportunity to voice any concerns they may have. This will not only alert you to any issues so you can address them, but it will also make your employees feel heard, increasing their productivity and motivation.

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