Why Employee Wellbeing?

Employee wellbeing is an important consideration for any business regardless of the sector it is operating in and size of that business. ?The culture comes down to how employees feel at work and the chances they have to collaborate, work in teams, learn, and advance. A positive culture treats everyone fairly and provides opportunities for employees to be themselves and thrive.

Few years ago, I was asked to speak at a customer experience conference in Dubai and when agreeing with the organizers about the topic, I chose the above heading: “Your employee is your first customer”. While most speakers spoke about customers experience, they focused on everything yet left the employee behind. It takes one disengaged an unhappy employee to create enough damage to a company’s reputation and can have a big impact.

Having said that, the subject of employee wellbeing is of high and critical importance to corporates and should be attended to.

Let’s breakdown these two words employee and wellbeing.

Deepak Chopra delivered a speech in Harvard in 2018 explaining the seven pillars of wellbeing and very much of his definition should be taken seriously by companies when they look at ensuring their employees are well taken care of on the emotional, psychological, and physical levels. All these aspects contribute to having a better employee, hence creating a more stable and healthier environment that results in more creativity and by default an enhanced productivity and business results. It is obvious that the concept of wellbeing goes way beyond the workplace, yet given that on average, a person spends almost a 3rd of his life in the context of the workplace and majority of which as a designated employee in some form or shape.

Attending to the aspect of employee wellbeing can have a big impact since it is not a secondary subject or a matter that can be under looked or simply get left behind and unattended for.

If you look at the value chain, business leaders often focus on the actual chain itself and tend to forget their most important asset and driver in that chain which is their employee. To simplify this logic, I draw an analogy with the saying “a happy wife leads to a happy marriage” and “a happy employee leads to a successful company”.

When employees are healthier and happier, they are more productive and creative leading to better results for the company as a whole.

The main pillars that constitute employee wellbeing are physical health, mental and emotional health, financial security, workplace safety, positive relationships and work-life balance. According to the latest “Employee Experience Index” published by Jacob Morgan, a well-known author and futurist on this topic, ?Here are some companies that has taken this subject on a serious note and score high when it comes to employee wellbeing, companies such as: Google, Facebook, Apple, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Salesforce etc. This study ranks and scores 252 organizations around the world based on 17 variables across three environments which are: 1.) Culture, 2.) Technology, and 3.) Workspace. These variables and environments are what employees care about most at work.

What is it that these corporations have done different to reach a good status as one of the best employer brands with good employee experience and score high on the employee wellbeing scores.

Let’s take google as and example, they have implemented a multitude of employee wellbeing initiatives, from health and wellness programs to work-life balance tools. These initiatives include wellness benefits such as fitness centers, reimbursement for mental healthcare, and access to meditation and yoga classes. Additionally, google offers its employees support for their career growth, such as mentorship and training programs. Finally, Google provides programs to help their employees stay connected, such as the virtual social events, employee resource groups and many other activities as such. Drawing from the Google Example, the above mentioned are some ways as to how companies can promote employee wellbeing.

?However, for a company really to do it right it should have a custodian for this subject and a clear C-Level designated role to handle employee wellbeing and overall employee experience. To date, many companies have allocated more empowerment to their HR functions and many organizations have elevated the HR role to a CHRO where in this expanded role certainly much more can be done and achieved at the level of employee wellbeing.

In any case and as a quick and brief guide for any HR professional and any business leader, I recommend carrying out a internal workshop calling their C-Level executives and a cross section of their Organizational function leaders/representatives and carry out more like a self-audit more like an internal review and assess where they stand today vis-à-vis the Jacob Morgan index. That can be a good start, also seeking help from an external consultant to ensure objectivity of the process is highly recommended.

Afterall, employees want to work for an organization that is respected and where they can feel good about their contributions. Hence, For quick reference I am including here below the list of 17 variables referred to earlier on for any business leader and an HR leader to go through as a first point of departure.

17 attributes that are abbreviated as ACE technology, COOL physical spaces, and a CELEBRATED culture.

ACE Technology

1)?????Available to everyone

2)?????Consumer grade technology (tools that are so beautiful, useful, and valuable that employees would consider using something similar in their personal lives if it existed).

3)?????Employee needs vs business requirements (tools that take into account how and why employees actually work).

COOL Physical Spaces

4)?????Chooses to bring in friends or visitors (a great way to tell if employees are proud of their physical space)

5)?????Offers flexibility

6)?????Organization's values are reflected in the physical space

7)?????Leverages multiple workspace options (open, closed, modern cubicles, lounge areas, cafe environments, quiet areas, etc).

CELEBRATED Culture

8)?????Company is viewed positively (by employees and the public)

9)?????Everyone feels valued

10)?Legitimate sense of purpose

11)?Employees feel like they're part of a team

12)?Believes in diversity and inclusion

13)?Referrals come from employees

14)?Ability to learn new things and given resources to do so and advance

15)?Treats employees fairly

16)?Executives and managers are coaches and mentors

17) Dedicated to employee health and we

About the Author: Paul Boulos is a well-seasoned business growth professional. He is a corporate governance expert, executive business coach and master educator/trainer with high entrepreneurial drive. He founded Antworks Consulting with the purpose of partnering with clients to help them be the best version of themselves and deliver sustainable business growth & impact. Paul is a curious student of life with continuous learning to remain at the forefront of business excellence.

Prior to establishing his own firm, He accumulated over 20+ years of rich & in-depth business growth experience working in fast-paced, blue-chip global & regional corporations such as Ogilvy & Mather, Leo Burnett; Dentsu, Henry Ford Health System among others.?He has a B.A Liberal Arts | M.A International Affairs | Diploma Strategic Media Management | Diploma Executive Business Coaching | Diploma Corporate Governance.

Email: [email protected]