Wellbeing at work, or a lack of support toward employee wellbeing can have a tremendous impact on performance.
Nearly half of all US employees are concerned about contracting coronavirus and though 85% of businesses with more than 1,000 people offer a wellness program, only 60% of their employees even know about them.
Gallup’s five essential elements of wellbeing are career, social, financial, physical and community. When one or more is suffering in a person’s life, the negative impact can trickle down to workplace performance.
The good news? Employers can have an impact. Employees who are routinely engaged by their employers and managers are more likely to become involved in wellness initiatives. And employees involved in wellness initiatives are less likely to stress, worry, and burnout at work.
The line between work and life has become increasingly blurred for most workers across the globe as they’ve made dramatic changes to the way they work in the wake of the initial coronavirus outbreak. In fact, even prior to the pandemic, millennials continually prioritize wellbeing in their search for work, citing that work and life are so deeply intertwined that support for wellbeing in the workplace is non-negotiable.
When employees are engaged at work, they are more productive and more likely to go the extra mile. When employees are engaged and work and thriving in life report more interest in their work, respect, hope, and energy.
Additionally, Gallup says, thriving employees have 53% fewer missed days due to health issues and substantially lower disease burden due to depression and anxiety diagnosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and chronic pain.
Employees who are engaged but not thriving in life:
- 61% higher likelihood of burnout often or always
- 48% higher likelihood of stress a lot of the day yesterday
- 66% higher likelihood of worry a lot of the day yesterday
- Double the rate of sadness and anger a lot of the day yesterday
The workplace can be a stabilizing force in one’s life with the proper communication, tools, and a strong, inclusive culture. Do your part as an employer to ensure that all of these needs are beyond met, and your employees will carry your organization to the top.
