If you’re in business, you’ll have noticed that costs are on the rise. Inflation, energy and raw materials are all up. Your employees are all talking about the cost-of-living crisis and wondering how they will cope.
The obvious thing for you to do is look at how you can reduce costs – and an obvious cut might be things that you consider nice but non-essential. But before you cancel anything first consider the most important thing in the workplace.
Happy people
Your staff are your biggest asset and you’ve got several reasons to want to keep them happy. Recruitment is an expensive business. You’ve got to place adverts, spend time short-list candidates, run interviews and then train them up. That means holding onto the staff you’ve got and giving them every reason to keep working for you could actually be saving!
Additionally, happy people are more productive and will go the extra mile to get the job done right. It’s not just that they work harder and are more engaged in what they are doing. They’ll also be on better terms with their colleagues (no time wasted on conflicts), supportive of team members who are experiencing difficulties and more resilient when things do get tough.
Productive workers
So what influences well-being in the workplace? What causes workers to be less productive? An obvious factor is job security but access to the resources needed for the job plays a role as do learning opportunities and being set achievable goals. These can also have an effect outside the workplace. For example, a staff member who is worried about whether they will keep their job and is being set very high targets may find it difficult to sleep despite working long hours.
The result? They’re tired and easily distracted during the working day and that makes reaching their targets even more of a challenge. The stress and anxiety they experience may cause them to be off sick or to look for another job.
Ways to encourage workplace wellness
Here are 3 key areas to focus on to encourage well-being among your employees.
Work-life balance
Ensuring that employees are taking proper breaks and time off means they’ll be able to recharge. This benefits their physical and mental health – and contributes to productivity with fewer sick days.
Job satisfaction
What can you do to make people want to come to work? Encouraging growth and development can be an incentive as can building relationships with colleagues and feeling like part of a team. It doesn’t have to mean expensive training courses. Why not offer time off for volunteering opportunities or encourage staff to work together to support a charity? It’s a great way to build skills and friendships.
Employee involvement
Everyone wants to feel valued. So celebrate milestones, let teams know that you are aware of the work they are doing and respond to any issues that they raise. You both have the same goals so demonstrate they you understand their commitment to making things work.
