If you were to survey corporate leaders, it’s not likely that any of them would say that they don’t care about the well-being of their employees. Most would probably agree that it’s their desire for their employees to feel good about their work, personal lives, and the intersection of the two.
Still, recent Gallup data suggest that, for the first time, 49% of employees report struggling in their lives, while only 46% say they’re thriving. Unfortunately, this coincides with a significant downturn in other metrics, as 20% or more employees report feelings of loneliness or burnout, and 41% say they’re chronically stressed.
While these may seem like personal problems for your employees, they often quickly become issues that can send negative shockwaves through the organization, preventing leaders from meeting goals and objectives.
Discover why employee well-being should matter to your HR and executive leaders and what your team can do to address this phenomenon and create a thriving, higher-performing workforce.
Why Employee Wellness Matters
You want your employees to thrive both in and outside of the office. However, if you’re like many HR and business leaders, you may wonder how much of that is your responsibility. While employees must take the time to tend to their personal needs to ensure they maintain their own wellness, there are benefits to supporting your employees to this end.
Simply put, it costs your business when your employees are not well. Not only does poor employee well-being significantly raise your medical costs, but it can also lead to $20 million of lost opportunity for every 10,000 workers on your team due to suffering and burnout. You may also end up spending 15 to 20% of your total payroll in turnover costs alone.
Often, poor employee well-being can also tank employee morale and engagement, leading to employees becoming less productive, less innovative, less connected to a sense of shared purpose, and less excited about their work. This may result in them looking for opportunities elsewhere, or in some cases, resorting to presenteeism.
Either way, your culture, teams, and ability to meet goals and objectives will likely suffer, putting the future of your organization in jeopardy.
3 Actionable Strategies for Pushing Wellness to the Forefront
Here’s a bit of good news: if your employee well-being has taken a hit, there’s still hope for your workforce. Consider how you can implement the following strategies to get your team back on track and support your employees.
1. Invest in Work-Life Balance
Today’s employees value having time away from work to spend with friends and family or pursue personal projects and interests. Consider how you can ensure greater work-life balance for your team by implementing a four-day workweek that gives them one day off to relax or simply disengage from the office. You can also establish core collaborative hours and clear boundary rules to protect employees’ personal time.
2. Implement Frequent Check-Ins
It’s time to move beyond the annual employee temperature check. When your wellness surveys are infrequent, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to catch signs of burnout before your team members disengage and turnover soars. Instead, it’s a good idea to check in with your employees weekly, either through short pulse surveys or one-on-one conversations.
This helps to create psychological safety, allowing your team to discuss personal barriers and create clear action plans to help overcome them. As you implement this strategy, it’s crucial that you provide your managers with training and tools to conduct these wellness check-ins in a way that builds trust and camaraderie with their direct reports.
3. Avoid Work Overload
When your employees are overworking themselves constantly, it can easily lead to mental health concerns and burnout. Make sure to conduct capacity audits before launching any new projects to ensure that employees are able to take on new tasks.
Encourage your employees to take breaks when needed. Additionally, consider emphasizing the need for asynchronous updates so that everything doesn’t have to become a face-to-face meeting.
Invest in Business Success by Prioritizing Employee Well-Being
While employee well-being may seem like a personal issue, it can have ripple effects across the organization. It’s important for HR and business leaders to invest in their team’s wellness so they can keep performing at high levels.
If you’re wondering how to create a thriving workforce through wellness initiatives, our HR consulting services can provide your team with answers. Contact us today to learn more about building a culture of care, one employee at a time.