HR: The HR Suite’s

CAROLINE REIDY T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f w o r k p l a c e w e l l b e i n g

Ensuring workplace wellbeing not only has a major impact on employees’ overall quality of life and happiness, but can also lead to increased creativity, improved loyalty, higher productivity and better overall customer satisfaction. With that in mind, The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy offers her top tips on how to manage wellbeing in your workplace

managing director, The HR Suite

Many of us, as employees and employers, encounter varying degrees of stress throughout the course of our working days. Workplace stress occurs “when the demands of the job and the working environment on a person exceeds their capacity to meet them”. It is important employers take proactive steps to look after employees’ wellbeing and put initiatives in place. This will ensure that staff are aware there is support available to them should they have concerns and that they can openly communicate concerns with their employer.

Ensuring workplace wellbeing delivers numerous benefits such as the retention of healthy happy employees, decreased rates of illness/injury, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity, morale and satisfaction

employers’ duty of care

Employers have a duty of care to employees. This is reinforced in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005. It is wise for employers to have a procedure in place to tackle the issue should they identify an employee experiencing a high level of stress or show any other concerning signs that their wellbeing may be affected. This not only empowers the employer to take action to help the employee, but it also shows the employee experiencing issues and other co-workers that the company cares and that they are willing to help alleviate such instances.

Benefits of improved wellbeing

Improved workplace wellbeing can lead to sustained improvements within the workplace including increased creativity, improved employee loyalty, improved productivity and better overall customer satisfaction. In light of this information, many employers are now concentrating on workplace wellbeing initiatives and have achieved considerable improvements from doing so. Ensuring wellbeing is inherent in the workplace will give rise to benefits such as the retention of healthy happy employees, decreased rates of illness/injury, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity, morale and satisfaction.

The HR Suite can advise you and your organisation how to be proactive in introducing wellbeing awareness to your organisation. If you are an organisation based in the Republic of Ireland and require further information or advice relating to HR, please do not hesitate to contact The HR Suite’s office on (066) 7102887 or email info@thehrsuiteonline.com.

top tips

The HR Suite’s top tips on how to manage wellbeing in your workplace are as follows:

• Awareness and proactiveness: Employers should ensure that demands which are placed on employees are reasonable. It is best practice that if employers become aware of staff members suffering from any work-related issues or where an employee is showing any concerning signs in relation to their wellbeing, that the employer takes action immediately to ascertain the cause and identify ways of helping the individual, if any. • Policies: Policies and procedures can be put in place to protect and support employees and can include, for example, a Dignity and Respect at Work Policy, which again promotes a positive culture that all complaints or concerns in relation to an employee’s dignity and respect at work will be dealt with appropriately. • Information: Provide information on general online wellness ideas i.e., online exercise details, online nutritional information, support groups and emergency numbers to help support employees. • Speaking to health professionals: The possibility for online discussion with a health professional or a psychologist is another concrete action that can help reduce anxiety and panic and overcome feelings of being alone or powerlessness. Advising employees to avail of this through their GP would be a proactive step to take. • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): A positive approach to proactively promoting wellbeing within the workplace is the implementation of an Employee Assistance Programme for employees. Employers can sign up for an Employee Assistance Programme for a yearly subscription, to offer help and support as required for their employees. This is a free and confidential service to the employee. It is a service that provides advice and counselling supports to employees in times of need. Employee Assistance Programmes are generally available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and are accessible by phone, email and online. For further enquiries on an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) please contact our office on the details shown for a quote. • Maintain communication: Regular communication to employees can make an employee feel more at ease and feel more confident in openly expressing concerns at early stages which allows the company to deal with these concerns at an early stage rather than these escalating further. • Culture: Create an open environment for employees to learn about their own wellbeing and share ideas with their colleagues during these unprecedented times. In workplaces where an open culture is encouraged, employees will feel more confident in openly expressing any concerns or any struggles they may be facing. • Online training: Provide online training on a number of topics to help reduce stress or to create awareness; time management, wellbeing and mental health awareness, dignity and respect etc.

These are just a few examples of activities that can be adapted in your workplace to maintain and increase wellbeing in the workplace. It is important that employers are proactive in managing employee wellbeing to ensure the overall health and wellbeing of staff and to ensure staff are engaged and enjoy work. Proactively looking after your employees’ wellbeing also increases retention of staff within the company. ■