By Marcus Hoo
Introduction
Leaders need to look at a more holistic view of their employees’ health, including mental/emotional health, stress management, and preventative care options for the whole person.
Important questions, therefore, need to be asked: How can companies prevent burnout and improve partners’ well-being? How can they involve employees in the process of their own customized self-care?
How to prioritize well-being?
As you consider your own options, there are several important steps you can take to address these challenges, transform the well-being of your employees, and embed it into the DNA of your company.
· Research on your employees on their well-being.
Start by surveying your employees to screen and measure them on all dimensions of well-being. Gallup identifies six dimensions, of which are: emotional, career, social, financial, physical, and community. These dimensions are all related in having a well-lived life.
· Put your employees in the driver’s seat.
It would have a drastic difference if employees are in charge of themselves. Invite them to set their own commitment to self-care and their own frequency for checking in, this allows them to have a better, stress-free relationship with work.
· Empower managers to become well-being coaches.
Managers need not feel uncertain about what their role should be in their employees’ well-being. It is highly recommended that managers have informed conversations with them about their mental health needs, while respecting their privacy. Managers can still let their employees be the drivers of their own well-being, but can support them on their journey with proactive, open, and compassionate support.
· Personalized solutions for employees’ well-being needs.
Based on employees’ survey responses, you can personalize solutions and regular reassessments to measure progress across each of the six dimensions of well-being. This can include developing each of your employees’ skills to increase their own constructive behaviours and reduce destructive behaviors.
· Provide clinical counselling
When an employee’s well-being reaches its lowest point, it’s time to shift to providing professional care. A good approach is to break the silo between your employee assistance and clinical counselling.
· Unite leaders to improve employee well-being.
Well-being has traditionally been handled by HR, however it should be on the agenda of every leader as a driver of company growth and a catalyst for all company priorities. Communicate the full potential and results of your well-being improvement efforts to your company’s leaders, board, and major stakeholders.
· Reposition well-being as a core growth strategy.
Companies are always vulnerable to such issues, and they’re always scouring for ways to solve them, however they’re not that easy. An effective way to scale well-being across an organization is through software programs, and others. Whether your employees are currently thriving, struggling, or suffering, you have to invest in your company’s well-being in order to grow your company from inside out.
Conclusion
A positive workplace that increases well-being will be more successful over time. It buffers against negative experiences such as stress, thus improving employees’ ability recover their health. Furthermore, it attracts employees, making them more loyal to the leader and to the organization as well as bringing out their best strengths. Hence, staff would feel more loyal and talent will be retained.