Work intensification due to technological advances has blurred the lines between professionals and personal lives. Working professional and personal lives. Working professionals spend an average of 50 hours a week completing work assignments, even when they are not at work. This 24/7 work cycle takes a physical and mental toll, making it critical for HR and Line Managers to focus on not only making the physical work environment safe, but on understanding how they psychosocial (psychological plus social) elements of the job influence the well being of their employees.
The result of research conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) last year revealed that an unhealthy employee is not only 20% less productive than a healthy one, but is also twice as likely to fall ill – the equivalent of one day per week. These finding have made employee health and well being a top boardroom issue worldwide.
Well-known HR experts and authors of Missing Pieces: 7 Ways To Improve Well-Being and Organizational Effectiveness (2013), Cary Cooper and Jean-Pierre Brun, have identified several benefits for organisations if they invest in a strategic Well-Being Programme.
They state that since Generation Z employees look for employers who will support both their personal and professional goals, organisations can establish their reputation as employers of choice a happy and content workforce. This adds to workforce productivity and improves retention rates; the best companies to work outperform the competition simply because they understand the link between an energised, healthy staff and the bottom line.
Therefore, Employees Well-Being Programmes (which can include gyms and fitness centres, cafeterias that serve healthy food and on-site counselling services) are no longer a nice-to-have HR policy, but crucial to the success of businesses in the current economy. Although almost every organisation has an approach to employee well-being, weather formal or informal, it is important is to design a strategic and coherent approach to sustain healthy behaviour which will, in turn, improve productivity at the workplace.
Remember, a truly ‘healthy’ workplace is one that takes into consideration they physical, spirituall, environmental, intellectual, emotional, occupational and mental health of its employees.
By Fauzia Kerai Khan. The writer is Chief Consultant, i&b Consulting, Training, e-learning.