Investing in Your Employees’ Wellbeing is the New Company Loyalty… (and Why Elon Musk Has it All Wrong)!!!

“Pedal to the metal,” as the saying goes. Just finish that project on time. I have to take that call, even though it’s my partner’s birthday. I need to close that deal and be on a plane today, even though it’s my daughter’s dance recital. Winning at all cost!!! I think that describes the life of many Americans, working long hours in a job that is dictated by corporate leadership.

It works until it doesn’t….

I’ve been a part of this system for many years myself. Until I got sick the first time. My body literally stopped working and forced me to take a pause back in 2015. I had really bad inflammation and couldn’t move, dressing myself was painful, forget about helping around the house. I could barely move. That is when I realized it was time for a change.

I knew I needed to get to the root cause of my illness. Popping malaria medication to fight inflammation, as suggested by my doctor seemed like a terrible idea. I wanted to find out what was happening and am glad I did. It was an amazing journey of self-discovery, trauma resolution, and shadow work. The path to well-being didn’t happen overnight, and it took lots of perseverance, reading books, taking classes, talking to other patients, going through a divorce, changing my eating habits, detoxing my body, etc. I’ve talked to therapists, allopathic doctors, naturopaths, nutritionists, life coaches…you name it.

There is some great information out there, but boy, do I wish I had had some of kind of platform to access all of this. My company at the time didn’t know what to do with me either. My boss and good friend had died unexpectedly that same year, and I had to take over an entire division despite my health challenges. And there it went again: “Just stay strong, you can do it, you need to show up for your employees, don’t show weakness,” was all I was hearing my inner voice say! So, of course at the first chance of what seemed like a better work environment, I bolted for the door.

Doesn’t that sound like what is happening right now again for many of us post-pandemic? We’ve worked our a… off to ensure the company survives Covid19. We were forced to work from home, while taking care of our elderly parents and juggling home schooling our kids at the same time.

Many studies show that employees are looking for new and alternative options from their employers, including more help in achieving mental and physical wellness.

This is where Elon Musk comes in. I get it, the old model of working to achieve profit at all cost. Look at what’s happening at Twitter. First employees are forced back to the office full-time, then huge layoffs, then they were forced to sign and notarize an affidavit saying Elon Musk is cool, and now it’s a deadline to “stay or leave”, working long hours at high intensity. That doesn’t give one the warm fuzzies, right?

I would argue that this is the absolute opposite what the American workforce post-Covid actually is looking for. The majority are looking for an employer that cares about their well-being. Add Generation Z to the mix, workers who are looking for companies that offer flexible work environments, that have a purpose-driven mission while still making meaningful connections with coworkers and customers alike.

I believe that investing in your employees’ well-being isn’t just about creating loyal employees. In a competitive job environment, people will be attracted and more likely to stay long term if they’re feeling valued. A company that provides benefits beyond vacation and health insurance is going to win the talent war. Think access to mindfulness and meditation tools or nutritional counseling or even grocery subsidies, to ensure your workforce has access to nutrient-dense, calorie-poor foods. I would even go so far as to say that investing in your employees’ well-being will help to drive down your healthcare cost liability. What if employees don’t get sick in the first place, because they have access to healthy foods, supplements and mindfulness tools?

Unless Elon Musk and other leaders realize that there is a huge upside in investing in their employees, I am afraid attrition towards other companies will only increase and our healthcare system could collapse.

The coming blog posts will hopefully help you navigate this new unknown, but exciting terrain.

HealtheeHub.com