Employees and employers have been through a lot the last few years. Covid-19, remote work, adjusting to changing work policies and programs, inflation, uncertainty, and other world events have increased employee stress. Employees have felt more stress as they’ve switched to remote work and back to regular work or a hybrid situation.
Employers have noticed the shift in employee wellness; the decreased connection, increased stress, and greater demand for work-life balance. In 2020, 81% of employers with 200+ employees offer an employee wellness program (Keiser). That a 70% increase from 2007.
Employee Wellness Includes Social and Mental Wellness
Employee wellbeing affects employee happiness, longevity, creativity, and engagement. But, while many employers focus on physical well-being, fewer employers focused on mental and social well-being. Those that do, see dramatic results. In 2020 and 2021, the shifting work environment brought mental and social employee wellness into focus as never before.
As many as 20% of remote workers feel lonely (Small Biz Trends) and 63% of remote workers report feeling less engaged with their teams (Source). And Gallup reports that burnout among remote workers have now surpassed office workers.
Employers noticed. And, many assumed that bringing employees back to the office would resolve connection and burnout issues. But, employees didn’t want to return to work. Despite the increased stress of remote work, employees saw other benefits and either demanded they stay, at least partially, remote or quit.
The Great Resignation, as known as the Big Quit and Great Reshuffle, started in 2021 as employers asked employees to return to work. It mirrored recent surveys, which show that between 20-30% of employees would take a pay cut and give up vacation days or other benefits to work remotely.
1. Workplaces Foster Wholeness Approach to Wellbeing
If you are reading this article, you obviously care about employee wellbeing. But, sometimes that care isn’t communicated well to employees. In 2019, only 21% of employees felt that their organization considered people a priority.
Of those, only 14% of employees feel that their workplace prioritizes emotional wellbeing. Even fewer employees, about 9%, believe their workplace cares about their social wellbeing. It’s a modern battle. Technology should make connection easier and brings us together. But, it also interrupts meaningful connections and family life.
Employees have a strong desire to connect with themselves, their workplaces, and their activities. You can help to build these connections by encouraging volunteer work, fostering friendships at work, and building strong teams.
When employees bring their best selves to work, they are more prepared to handle challenges and demonstrate greater creativity. And, happier employees mean greater longevity and increased production. Check out how the right kind of recognition helps to increase employee happiness.
When employers prioritize social and emotional wellbeing, employees are 52% less likely to feel as stressed than average.
2. Work-Life Balance
An interesting paradox has arisen since the remote work of 2020. Even when employees report feeling more stressed and disconnected at work, they still prefer remote work over office-based work. That’s because the ability to balance work and personal life remains at the top of employees’ priorities.
Remote work is not just about working from home.
Buffer found that the ability to work from home is one of the smallest benefits employees enjoy when working remotely. Instead, the ability to have a flexible schedule sits as the biggest benefit of remote work.
Flexible schedules (link to one of articles on flex schedules) doesn’t have to mean employees ad-lib their work schedule coming and going as they please. For most remote employees, there is still an expectation of the time they are in the office. But, remote work allows them to clock in a few minutes later or clock out for a short time in the middle of the work-day.
Other top benefits of remote work include the ability to work from anywhere. Employees can work while attending their child’s soccer game, or have a workation (a working vacation). Remote work gives employees a greater ability to spend time with family.
All of these things make it easier for employees to balance work and personal life.
When employees feel that they “frequently miss important things because of work” they will view their employer as not prioritizing wellbeing (O.C. Tanner). In addition, when employees feel forced to respond to work hours during personal time they feel greater stress and have decreased satisfaction at work.
Biggest Struggles of Working Remotely
3. Authenticity and Connection
There’s a reason that inclusion and diversity are hot topics in today’s workplace. It’s not because in 1978 the U.S. Government passed employee protection laws. It’s because today’s workforce cares about connection and authenticity.
Employees need to feel like they belong to their work and in their teams. Inclusion is more than diversity in the workplace. While diversity encourages a culture of acceptance for all employees, inclusion helps employees to be their authentic selves.
Unique, read diverse, employees can create a more diverse workplace, but feel that they must stifle their culture, passions, and true selves at work to “fit in.” Often natural biases silence employees. Researchers found that new employees, part-time, women and minorities are most likely to face natural biases.
In an inclusive workplace, all employee thoughts, ideas, and opinions are valued. Employees feel like they belong at work and can build stronger relationships with colleagues. According to the O.C. Tanner Culture report, when employers have an inclusive work culture, employees are:
- 85% more likely to feel their team knows the “real me”
- 141% more likely to feel a sense of belonging
- 117% more likely to feel enriched by the people they work with
Fun Fact: July is Social Wellness Month.
4. Autonomy
Employees crave autonomy and perform better when they have it. Autonomy is the “secret sauce” that fuels creativity. It increases engagement, loyalty, and builds stronger teams. Autonomy is one of three elements needed for employees to experience peak experiences at work, also known as flow.
But what is autonomy?
Autonomy provides choices to your employees. Autonomy is handing back decision-making and giving power to employees.
You can provide your employees with autonomy many ways. Flexible schedules, remote work options are two big ways. But, you can also provide autonomy by allowing teams to problem solve, encouraging employee feedback before and during transitions, and allowing employees to set their own goals.
At work, give employees choices around how their workspace is arranged. Encourage team discussions, open conversations, and frank feedback.
5. Workspace Promotes Wellbeing
For office workers, workspace can detract from or promote wellbeing. Nearly 70% of employees are unhappy with the noise levels at work. 53% of employees report interruptions while they are trying to focus.
Open workspaces often promote communication, commodore, and team unity. But, closed spaces allow employees to focus when they need to. Many employers are moving away from open floor plans to a more hybrid plan filled with open and closed spaces, casual hangouts, and large group rooms.
Offering your employees options, read autonomy, in workspaces allows them focus when needed and interact and build connections. Workspaces that allow and encourage interactions increase an overall sense of wellbeing. Teammembers are more likely to report the following results:
- 84% more likely to have a friend at work
- 92% more likely to feel optimistic about the future
- 42% more likely to trust colleagues
- 109% more likely to feel fulfilled at work
About Thanks
Thanks is a leading provider of a recognition-based platform that increases communication, builds teamwork, and makes recognition a part of company culture. Fast, easy and simple Thanks makes it easy to bring data-driven employee recognition to your entire organization. O.C. Tanner purchased the Thanks platform in 2019 to fulfill the recognition needs of smaller businesses.
Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition.