How to ensure happiness and wellbeing at work
Addressing the challenges and opportunities in Covid times and beyond
In 2020 the workplace habits that employees took for granted changed in the snap of a finger. Most made a sudden shift to telework, without prior preparation or information about the duration of this new work model. Meanwhile, other employees found themselves working fewer hours, or having no job, due to the wave of layoffs caused by the pandemic.
This sudden and unexpected change could not happen without an impact on employees’ mental health and happiness at work.
Besides being a threat to their physical health and life, the pandemic has also weighed heavily on employees’ mental health. The prevalence of psychological distress, depression, and burnout has significantly increased, and employees’ happiness has been challenged immensely.
Employee happiness and well-being are key ingredients in organisational success
Wellbeing means feeling good physically, psychologically as well as socially, and functioning effectively as an individual. Happiness, meanwhile, refers to pleasant feelings, positive emotions, and purposeful experiences.
Both are sustainable conditions that help individuals to develop and to thrive.
Healthy and happy employees contribute to the creation of a healthy and happy organisation and society. They help to optimise the productivity and sustainability of organisations in times of crisis and beyond, as well as supporting the country’s economic growth.
With so many human resource challenges emerging during the pandemic, here are some practical solutions that employers can adopt to promote employees’ happiness and wellbeing at work.
Sustaining communication and transparency
With Covid-19, fear, stress and panic set in. Individuals were exasperated by information overload, the intensity of media coverage, job insecurity, and the uncertainty generated by this pandemic.
Working from home has widened the distance between employees and their workplaces. Employers should develop a clear organisational communication plan. In fact, presenting the organisation’s actions and their impacts on employees’ work is crucial to reduce employees’ uncertainty and fear of the unknown.
Employees should be involved in planning these actions, which will foster a positive attitude and reinforce team cohesion.
Preventing stigma
Covid-19 has increased stigma. Due to fear of contagion, a form of stereotyping has evolved toward the epicenter of the pandemic, confirmed patients and their relations, by avoiding them or blaming the pandemic on them. This can threaten employees’ well-being and happiness at work.
Employers should raise employees’ awareness of this risk, develop and reinforce a zero-tolerance policy towards stigma and ensure healthy social relationships at work.
Employee training and development
Employees should be trained to be able to adapt to the requirements of the new situation in terms of skills and to develop their resilience, as well as their capacity to cope with the new challenges. Managers should also be trained on how to manage, develop and support virtual teams.
Social support at work
Now more than ever, organisational support is needed by employees. It reassures them that their employer values them and cares about them.
Employers should develop a well-being program adapted to the needs of their employees. Social support at work can be from managers or peers, it is recognised as a buffer to mental health issues, and it prevents social isolation. Social relationships are a key ingredient of happiness at work. Hence, virtual socialisation should be enhanced (eg. virtual coffee breaks, lunch, and celebrations).
Recognition at work
Recognition of employees at work is a signal that their efforts are valued and appreciated. Besides monetary rewards, non-monetary rewards, even a simple “thank you”, can help to foster their well-being and happiness.
Working from home should not be a barrier to recognise employees’ work. Managers should make time for recognition, by developing a plan adapted to the requirements of the current situation.
Feeling appreciated and believing that their work matters should make employees proud, committed, and happy.
Despite the obvious challenges, the pandemic has presented new opportunities for employers to flex their approaches and test different ways of working. Here are three of the possible scenarios for the future, with reflections and recommendations from a human resource management perspective.
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Scenario 1: Full-time teleworking
Teleworking has helped employees to keep their job, but it has threatened their mental health with the excessive use of computers, an overload of information, blurred boundaries between private and professional life, as well as social isolation.
To protect employees, managers should ensure continuous communication with them during teleworking, provide continuous feedback and discuss their expectations in terms of performance, work progress, and availability.
They should provide employees with the flexibility to organise their work schedule and priorities, as well as choosing when and where to work, without limiting the workspace to their home.
Employers should also increase employees’ awareness of the necessity to disconnect when required, to prevent mental health issues. Formal and informal meetings should be organised to keep employees connected. Healthy relationships are recognised to be a source of happiness for individuals.
Scenario 2: Full-time return to work
Employees can be afraid to return to their workplace after more than a year full of challenging emotions and new work habits. Organisations should allow a gradual return to work, by considering the impact of this pandemic on employees and developing a return-to-work plan adapted to their needs, especially those who have suffered from mental health issues during this pandemic.
Employees should be involved in the development of the new functioning plan, to increase their motivation and commitment.
Scenario 3. Hybrid workplace
Organisations now have the opportunity to develop a hybrid workplace model, flexible enough to allow a quick and efficient adaptation of the employees and the organisation to the requirements of this new situation and beyond. Besides the flexibility to choose the remote workspace, a flexible presence in the office should be scheduled to keep employees connected to their workplace and peers.
The prevention of mental health issues and the promotion of well-being and happiness at work is best achieved through collaboration. A partnership between managers, employees, and human resource management professionals can work to create a new normal that achieves both employees’ well-being and long-term business success.
Published by Arabian Business on Thursday 29 July 2021 02:10 PM.
