Employees Say Their Well-Being Has Worsened but Their Employers Have No Clue

Workplace success depends on healthy communication between employers or management and employees. According to a survey, employees are currently struggling with low levels of well-being and most said that their health has worsened or stayed stagnant as compared to the year before. But the employers are under the impression that the workforce's well-being has improved. "This shows that executives are disconnected from the reality of the workforce," said Dan Schawbel, a partner at Workplace Intelligence.

The survey also found that 84% of the people said that they are actively working on improving their well-being and for 74% of participants, advancing in their careers is more important. The survey indicated that long hours at work and work-related stress are the major factors behind employees' deteriorating well-being.

What Is Employee Well-Being?

Well-being is connected to both the physical and mental health of a person. According to gallup.com, well-being represents a person's experiences and perception of what they deem important. 

How Is an Employee's Well-Being Measured?

It can be measured with indicators like the Positive Emotions Index and the Negative Emotions Index. Other than this it can be measured through HR data, interviews, and surveys.

Why Is Employee Well-Being So Important?

Your organization will become a talent magnet if you focus on your current employee's well-being. It will also boost the inclusivity of your organization, resulting in happy, healthy and motivated employees. Better well-being also means better teamwork. It encourages people to communicate and collaborate. 

What Is Employee Burn-Out?

It's a state of physical and mental exhaustion that can not only harm the individual but also the company's turnover. A 2018 Gallup report suggests that 67% of workers experienced burnout on the job. Some of the major reasons for burnout are excessive workload, sabotaging coworkers and sustained overworking.

"Many companies have felt entitled to demand long hours from their employees and extract the maximum amount of work from them in order to improve the bottom line," says California-based author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, per BBC.

Strategies That Can Help Improve Your Employee's Well Being

Here are some actions you can take today to ensure the healthy well-being of your employees.

1. Let Them Work in Their Own Process

Deadlines and high work demand are quite normal but letting your employees work within their limits and capabilities ensures a greater quality of work as well as efficiency.

2. Increasing the Flexibility About When and How They Work

Studies found that having more control over when and how they work can improve employees' mental well-being sustainably.

3. Always Make Sure That The Company is Sufficiently Staffed

It's pretty obvious that lesser people means more workload for them. So ensuring that the organization is adequately staffed can help your employees work more comfortably.

4. Consider Their Personal Needs and Hurdles

Every professional individual has a personal life and while that's common knowledge, employers often forget to take this into consideration. 

How Can Employee Well-Being Impact Your Organization?

The well-being of your employee can affect the company in various ways.

1. Employee Retention- A positive environment along with the right amount of workload and a good work-life balance ensures that the employees are invested in their work. Compromised well-being reduces morale and affects both the employees and the organization in the long run.  

2.  Productivity: There's no denying the fact that a worker needs to feel their best in order to put their best foot forward. With better well-being, employee engagement rises. 

3. Loyalty: Feeling valued at work improves employees' loyalty. Better well-being means better job satisfaction and that ensures good workers stay and grow with the company.

4. Better Financial Performance: Focusing on employees' happiness means increased performance, productivity and retention.