How to Improve Productivity through Workplace Wellbeing
These days, employee wellbeing has evolved far beyond simple health and safety. It’s largely about mental and emotional health, and many businesses are coming to realise that wellbeing can have a major influence on how productive their employees are.
It only takes common sense to figure out that people who are stressed or burnt out will not work to full effectiveness, yet some employers often fail to see this. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look at wellbeing and productivity in the workplace, and how they are, in fact, very closely linked.
What influences workplace wellbeing?
Some of the most influential factors behind workplace wellbeing – for better or worse – include workload, physical health, communication from managers, time pressures, flexibility, and managerial support in overcoming work or personal challenges. If a business can offer positive solutions around these aspects of work life, then the wellbeing of their employees will be assured.
Now, this is by no means a comprehensive guide on assuring workplace wellbeing, but some suggestions on doing just that include offering hybrid or flexible working, paid sick leave, company health initiatives, and regular one-to-ones with supportive managers who genuinely help underperformers to improve their day-to-day workload.
People are your ultimate resource
Another idea is to offer a buddy system for new employees, as well as plenty of support for employees with issues outside of work, be they mental wellbeing, physical health or otherwise.
You could also create inviting spaces for people to take breaks and offer frequent social events to build up a cohesive team culture. If everyone is supported in regard to work and non-work issues, given a manageable workload, feels valued and is happy to put in a full day’s work, then we can confidently say that wellbeing has been largely taken care of. The question remains, why should an employer care?
How workplace wellbeing benefits productivity
When wellbeing in the workplace is riding high, there’s a very good chance that productivity will increase across the board. Studies on hundreds of businesses by Forbes and the London School of Economics, amongst many others, have shown that there is a very strong positive correlation between staff satisfaction and performance.
Staff turnover is lower and productivity – typically defined by various measures like revenue growth over time, revenue per person, and regular performance rating scores – is almost always better in workplaces with high employee satisfaction.
Supporting workplace wellbeing makes sense
Let’s be honest, the above findings make complete sense when you consider the elements behind workplace wellbeing and there are obvious links. A supportive and caring work environment with clear and regular communication with managers will be far more effective because of collaboration, shared goals and a desire to help one another improve.
Manageable workloads will prevent burnout and ensure full focus can be given to any tasks at hand with 100% effort. Flexible working will allow each individual to work in the most productive way, whilst paid sick leave and support with mental and physical health will ensure employees can be the best versions of themselves whilst at work – a reduction in both disruptive absenteeism and potentially hazardous presenteeism.
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