Why Only 43% of Workers Feel Better Off – And How to Change That

Reading through Deloitte's 2024 Workplace Well-being Survey is eye-opening, to say the least. As a long-time proponent of encouraging a holistic employee experience, I’m both saddened by the trend but not surprised. This decline in employee sentiment around well-being has been ongoing since before COVID.

It's not isolated to the younger workforce either. The evolution of technology and global expansion has accelerated the pace at which businesses must adapt, impacting work processes and increasing demands on all employees. COVID simply further disrupted work dynamics, adding stress to already faltering work systems and structures.

HR has the opportunity to stand at the forefront of a pivotal transformation: to drive the conversation about shifting from merely extracting value from employees to fostering environments where they can truly thrive. We have a unique opportunity to champion this transformation, creating workplaces where both people and businesses can flourish. Further to Deloitte’s findings, it's clear that executives and leaders also need to be more aware and sensitive to the benefits of embracing the concept of ‘human sustainability.’

TL;DR

Key Insights

1. Employee Well-being: Only 43% of workers feel better off than when they started (working at their company), highlighting a critical need for improvement.
2. Engagement and Retention: A focus on human sustainability can enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.
3. Perception Gaps: There's a significant disconnect between executive perceptions and worker realities regarding well-being and organizational support.

Actionable Strategies

1. Measure and Monitor Human Sustainability: Implement metrics that track well-being, skills development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and career advancement. Align these metrics with existing employee-forward frameworks and publicly report progress to enhance transparency and accountability.
2. Promote Public Commitments: Set and communicate clear goals for human sustainability. Ensure these goals are ambitious yet achievable, fostering trust and demonstrating commitment.
3. Tie Compensation to Human Sustainability Goals: Link some aspect of executive and employee compensation to the achievement of human sustainability metrics. This approach both drives accountability but also aligns everyone’s efforts toward common goals.
4. Empower and Support Workers: Address core issues like fair compensation, career development, and meaningful work. Provide training and resources to help employees contribute to human sustainability efforts.

Deloitte’s full report here: Workplace Well-being Research 2024 .