Reimagining employee well-being Investing in well-being can yield numerous benefits for the individual employee and the entire organisation. But are employers looking in the right places? By Fara Siddiqi
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related to mental health and other illnesses that arise from sedentary lifestyles have increased considerably in recent years so these costs can affect a company’s bottom line. Employees with lower stress levels are also more productive and motivated to deliver on organisational goals. Highly motivated and engaged employees exert effort and perform at their best. And so, ensuring their well-being at work is business-critical.
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here is good reason for organisations to promote workplace well-being: it produces numerous benefits in and of itself. These include greater talent attraction and retention; reduced absenteeism; lower stress levels; and improved morale and engagement. With this in mind, we also know that talent attraction and retention are essential to improving productivity. Corporations that focus on well-being can thus improve their profitability. For one, medical costs | november 2021
The role of leadership in instilling workplace wellbeing Leadership plays a significant role in promoting well-being in the workplace because it establishes organisational goals, allocates resources, and signals essential values that employees should prioritise. Making
well-being part of organisational culture can thus amplify its significance to employees and ensure processes and relationships align towards this goal. Creating workplaces that embrace well-being does require investment. Leaders must ensure the appropriate allocation of resources to activities and processes related to wellness. When leaders make well-being an essential organisational agenda, it creates a cascading effect down the organisational structure, orienting people’s energy towards its implementation.
Reimagining the modern workspace Incorporating design features and amenities that bolster wellness at work requires a shift from the traditional approach to workplace design. Organisations that wish to promote well-being by design must abandon the space-centric mentality of traditional office considerations and focus on the modern peoplecentric perspective. Traditionally, organisations approached office design by making work
Making well-being part of organisational culture can amplify its significance to employees and ensure processes and relationships align towards this goal
