There’s no denying the fact that over the past 12 months, the turbulence, uncertainty, and isolation that has come with Covid and multiple lockdowns have taken their toll on staff.
So now, as we begin the roadmap out of lockdown and furlough, it’s more important than ever to prioritise staff morale.
Employee wellbeing
Actively disengaged employees are unhappy, unproductive, and likely to spread negativity to co-workers. 26% of the workforce was disengaged before Covid. If we’re going to stop this number from taking a huge jump, we need to think about wellbeing at work.
Disengagement leads to low morale in the workplace, poor customer service, more sick leave, and higher staff turnover. It’s a ticking timebomb for your organisation. Every disengaged employee costs, on average, £2500 for every £7500 of their salary.
And that’s where employee wellbeing comes in.
Every time we board an aeroplane, we’re reminded that, in the event of an emergency, we must put our own oxygen mask on before trying to help someone else. This is just as true in our day to day working lives.
If our employees are able to look after themselves and come to work feeling happy and fulfilled, they’re going to do a better job.
By prioritising wellbeing at work, you’re making a bold statement that you trust them. You are telling your people you want to invest in them because you appreciate and value them.
And very quickly these small changes begin to make a huge difference to the workplace.
Productivity goes up, service improves, people move from problem-making to problem-solving. Work becomes enjoyable, staff feel appreciated, and so their morale goes up, and they work better with others.
Here are five simple starting points to improve wellbeing at work:
1) Listen
Your team knows more about their jobs than you do. No one knows better than they how to improve their working conditions, how to make systems more efficient. Ask them for their thoughts and ideas. Use the wealth of knowledge they have. This will also help your employees feel valued, trusted, and appreciated.
Send out employee surveys, run an employee suggestion scheme, or schedule in regular team and one to one meetings.
2) Act
It’s important not to make a show of listening, but to do something with what you’ve heard. Of the ideas team members have presented, which can you put in place quickly? What can you put into a programme of change?
Let your team know that you’re acting on their ideas will boost their sense of value and their morale.
3) Reward
People don’t quit jobs, they quit managers. Often these are managers that don’t give them the recognition they deserve. A Harvard Business Review study recently showed that the number one reason employees leave is a lack of recognition. It also has the largest impact on employee engagement. And yet 74% of employees say that they rarely or never receive praise from their managers.
Take the time to value and celebrate the achievements of your team. Don’t be patronising. Recognition certificates, long service awards, and team events are opportunities to say well done for their hard work.
4) Be flexible
Now more than ever, employees have had their eyes opened to the value of flexibility. Even small gestures can make a huge difference. For many, working from home is becoming part of the new “normal”, but even for those where it isn’t an option, flexibility is still possible. Think about shift swaps, buy and sell holiday days, phased returns after leave, on-site childcare, or job sharing.
Giving your staff members the opportunity to improve their work/ life balance will lead to fewer sick days, and longer service.
5) Play to their strengths
Each member of your team has their own particular set of skills, their own strengths and weaknesses. Whilst we all need to work on improving our weaker skills, the last thing you want to do is to put your employees in boxes into which they don’t fit. Let them flourish by setting them on projects that allow their talents to shine.
You don’t want your talented sales team, or your busy finance team to have to interrupt their flow of work to clean their workstations!
At Samsic UK, we can help to make sure your employees are happy, healthy, and focused on their work. We provide clean, healthy, and attractive workspaces. We can support your organisation’s flexible working policy with unlocking services and lone worker support. Whatever you need, we’ll be there to help your organisation shine, and boost your employee wellbeing.
