In the present time, employee well-being and employee experience [EX] have become fully intertwined. Organizations are slowly starting to appreciate that employees’ well-being is beyond offering a few health packages; it involves caring for the individual as a whole entity and appreciating the social, psychological, and economic aspects. Each of these aspects is prioritized by the organizations. As a result, these contribute towards creating a positive employee experience which results in enhanced employee satisfaction, work output, and eventually business success as well.
In this article, we will try to explain the correlation between employee well-being and employee experience in detail. If businesses can address this issue, it will allow them to encourage a culture where employees want to work, and where employees feel valued, protected, and inspired to work for the benefit of the businesses.
The Growing Importance of Employee Well-Being
Taking care of employees’ well-being no longer ranks lower on the list of priorities. On the contrary, this has emerged as a critical area for organizations hoping to recruit and keep the best people. This trend was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic as employees grew more inclined to care about their well-being regarding mental and physical aspects. The pandemic also showed that the organizations that had strong well-being programs in place fared better in remote work, mental health, and burnout during the pandemic.
A PwC survey previously stated that 76% of the workers believed they were not able to work fully because of financial stress. Furthermore, the Gallup 2022 Global Workplace Report stated that only 21% of the global workforce shows up engaged at work, and large that had to do with the well-being of the employees.
This data shows that organizational neglect of employee well-being creates risks of disengagement, low productivity, and high turnover rates. In contrast, better performance and job satisfaction of employees are the outcomes of spending money on the well-being of the employees.
The Relationship between Well-being And Performance
An employee’s well-being can affect his or her work performance and productivity levels. Employees in good shape, both physically and mentally, are more involved, spirited, and accomplished. Employees also feel motivated to perform their duties fully when their wellness is recognized and cared for. On the other hand, employees who have too much stress, anxiety, or burnout are disengaged and less productive at work.
According to the research presented in a report prepared by Deloitte, 42% of the employees interviewed said that the stress that results from their work makes them less productive. In addition, organizations offering a well-promoted program of well-being reported an increase of 20% in employee performance. What this indicates is that spending on wellness has positive returns in terms of performance as well as in levels of performance.
The organizations such as Auzmor that develop systems for enhancing employee development and experience have the potential to create an environment, where the well-being of the workers is a focus area. The Auzmor LMS can also be utilized to enhance the health of employees by integrating various courses related to mental health and stress management with regular learning of employees.
The Components of Employee Well-Being
Employee well-being is multifaceted. It has physical, mental, emotional, and financial aspects among many others. Here’s a breakdown of each:
Physical Well-being
Properly maintaining physical health among the employees is quite a big contributor to enhanced productivity and reduction in absenteeism. This covers wellness programs, nutrition in the workplace, ergonomics, fitness, and even healthcare delivery systems.
Mental Well-being
Mental health initiatives are fundamental, particularly in intense situations. Giving a few days off for the mental well-being of employees, assisting them in the form of counseling, and suggesting they to attend mindfulness training and workshops on the management of stress do help the employees in being healthy both emotionally and psychologically.
Emotional Well-being
Emotional well-being refers to establishing an environment in which employees feel appreciated, affiliated, and backed by the organization. However, providing mere verbal praise, attending to social personalities, and appreciating achievements are important to help employees feel safe emotionally.
Financial Well-being
Lack of money remains at the top of the list of common stress-inducing problems for employees. Financial literacy programs, help with retirement plans and tools for management of debts are services that will make the employees more comfortable about their future and less attention will be diverted away from work by worries over money.
Social Well-being
Having a strong sense of community and cohesion among the employees is essential in making employees have a feeling of being valued and supported. Nurturing the development of teams, peer recognition, or social opportunities for employees to participate in – even online – all make employees feel that there is teamwork and everything is being worked towards one goal.
Professional Well-being
Instilling a culture of professional development and education broadens the purpose and the growth potential of an employee within an organization. Employees who perceive that their aspirations and goals for self and career development resonate with what the organization is trying to achieve are more satisfied and involved.
How to Build A Culture of Well-Being?
To build a culture of well-being, here are some of the steps that you can take:
Create a Safe Environment for Mental Health Discussions
Help in conversations about mental health by normalizing talking about it such as providing system anonymous support including counseling programs or employee assistance programs. This assists in erasing the stereotypes and developing a culture within which the workers are not afraid to ask for help.
Incorporate Well-being in Company Values
Well-being has to be included in the core values of the company and in mission statements. This shows that the organization truly cares about the employees and their well-being and goes beyond their input or the profits earned. Having established communication like policy and speeches that advocate as well as promote well-being at the place of work lets the employee know that this is not just a trend but well-rooted in the company.
Flexible Working Arrangements
Flexibility has emerged to be one of the most important factors in the workplaces of today. It means remote working or hybrid working circumstances, which means making working arrangements such as availability of flexible work hours, which help in employee’s self-management and better work-life balance. In the State of Remote Work Report, Buffer found that an astonishing 98% of their employees would like at least some remote working arrangement to remain in place – revealing the importance of remote working in employee´s well-being.
Support Financial Well-being
Lack of sufficient financial resources is one of the top-ranked triggers of workplace anxiety. Providing such benefits as information sessions on budgeting, assistance with retirement plans, or even mortgage loans can help mitigate this feeling for employees. Financial wellness is an explicit factor in mental health and satisfaction at one’s job.
Offer Mental Health Days
Apart from the more common paid-off leaves on vacation and sickness, paid-off traveling and sick leaves for mental health reasons could be made available. Employees are more encouraged to take an absence from work if there is a need to rejuvenate -mentally which promotes safety and creates optimum performance in the long run. Offering breaks due to changes in day-to-day activities lets the employees of the firm know that their employer appreciates mental health.
Ensure Inclusive Well-being Programs
Wellness programs need to be more diverse because employees have diverse needs. Age and cultural diversity wellness that aims at young and old as well as their individual circumstances makes everyone feel wonderful. It could also mean being able to provide diverse types of exercise classes, courses addressing people’s mental health needs designed for particular age or ethnic groups, or wellness programs that take into consideration the individual’s cultural background.
Recognition and Positive Reinforcement
Workplace burnout is one of the major problems that often goes unnoticed. However, one way to discourage or even eliminate the presence of burnout is by positively reinforcing an employee’s performance. To the employees’ advantage, appreciation helps target stress effectively and improves workplace performance. Besides that, you can do institution regular feedback channels, employee recognition, and peer-to-peer shout-outs to uplift not just gains but also emotional health.
Provide Continuous Learning and Development Opportunities
One of the factors that enhances well-being is satisfaction with the chances for self-improvement. The management has to prepare and encourage their employees adequately if they are to provide their services for the training and development approaches. Through LMS platforms such as Auzmor, companies can help employees grow professionally in addition to imparting the need for well-being and resilience skills.
Promote Social Connections
A healthy mental and emotional state requires one to be a part of a group. Organizing and implementing team activities, creating a mentor-mentee program, and hosting online or offline social events should be encouraged. A regular employee who has a strong connection with the company will be more likely to stay with the company, which is instrumental in engagement and satisfaction over time.
Regularly Measure and Adjust Well-Being Initiatives
Keep evaluating and monitoring the magnitude of success of your well-being programs. This may be achieved through conducting various forms of employee surveys, feedback sessions, wellness assessments, and other tools and resources. Constant upgraded and moderation assessment enables companies to effectively modify the programs to remain successful in meeting the diverse needs of their employees.
These steps, when embraced all the way to the core of the company’s culture, make it such that the employees always feel appreciated, and ssisted and therefore are in a position to perform effectively.
The Future of Employee Well-being and Experience
The connection between employee well-being and the employee experience is going to become more prominent as the workforce keeps changing. Younger generations, particularly the millennials and Gen Z, are interested in well-being and are likely to find employers who assist, complement, and are flexible with their health.
There is pressure for organizations that wish to remain relevant to change this expectation whenever necessary by investing in comprehensive well-being programs. This includes assistance with mental health, financial wellbeing, and even flexible working conditions. The companies that do not do this find themselves losing the best talent as other firms provide better opportunities for employee engagement.
In the future, companies that embed health and wellness into their employee experience posture will indeed be the companies of the future. Advancing employee wellness improves the operational performance of the businesses by ensuring that employees are more engaged, productive, and committed to the organization.
Conclusion
The relationship between employee well-being and employee experience cannot be downplayed. Having a focus on well-being makes employees feel that they are appreciated, and supported, and are able to thrive in the organization. Well-being leads to employee engagement which improves productivity and brings success to the company in the long run.
Companies like Auzmor believe that the future of employee experience involves designing platforms and solutions that weave well-being into every aspect of work. By promoting a well-being culture and making learning opportunities available all the time, Auzmor is helping establishments have an energized and active workforce.
