Wellness at Work
We have been hearing about corporate wellness programs for years, but what has changed? Since the pandemic, workers across the country are reporting record levels of burnout, stress, worry, and health issues among other things. There is no disputing that companies and workers have never been further apart on what it means to be engaged and fulfilled at work and in life. As we all grapple with the new ways of work, companies are racing to figure out the new employee engagement equation. Here are some of the most common questions facing companies today:
How can we get employees re-engaged?
Why is our workforce disengaged?
Should we have remote, hybrid or in-person options?
How can we retain our people?
How should we measure employee engagement?
To answer these questions, we first need to understand the state of the American workforce. Conversate Labs conducted a nationwide focus group study this year that revealed the reasons that led to The Great Resignation and what type of opportunities workers are looking for in the future. Workers stated they wanted to have a say in their flexible work arrangement (i.e. “feeling seen and heard”), feel respected for hard work, and work for a company with a positive and inclusive culture.
We also must look at Gallup’s recently released report The State of the Global Workforce Report which shows U.S. employee engagement dropped two points this year. Globally, 44% of workers experienced stress a lot of the previous day1. Stress, worry, anger, and sadness all remain above pre-pandemic levels for workers, thus affecting workplace engagement, and most importantly, their overall well-being. Even further, women report higher levels of life stressors than men.
Why should companies care and how does well-being affect engagement?
Employees who experience high levels of burnout at work say it’s difficult to fulfill their family responsibilities, thus leading to low engagement or resignation.
Burned-out employees are 23% more likely to visit the emergency room, increasing overall medical costs for workers and companies1.
Employees who report low well-being are 61% more likely to have ongoing burnout1.
There is some good news. The U.S. and Canada remain the best in the world for employee engagement and job opportunities. Hybrid and remote workers report being more engaged than on-site workers, therefore, companies with flexible work will retain more talent. For those companies focusing on culture and well-being already report higher engagement levels overall.
Business units with engaged workers have 23% higher profits compared with business units with miserable workers1.
In fact, 95% of people who are thriving at work report being treated with respect all day, and 87% report smiling and laughing a lot1.
Teams with thriving workers see significantly lower absenteeism, turnover, and accidents; they also see higher customer loyalty1.
Well-being at work is today’s critical initiative that all companies and workers can benefit from. Organizations need to think about the whole person, not just the worker and the time they spend at work. Leaders need to add well-being measurements to their executive dashboards, hold managers accountable for them, and prioritize employee well-being as part of their offering. When leaders take responsibility for the well-being of their workers, the result is productive organizations, thriving families, and healthy communities.
Every company and workforce has its own unique culture. Conversate Labs’ can help you listen to your workforce to understand how to incorporate effective engagement and wellness programs.
Sources: 1 State of the Global Workplace, Gallup 2022 Report. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
