The Intersection of Work and Wellness: A New Focus for Employers

Today’s world of work has gone through turbulent times making flexible work arrangements, like remote and hybrid work increasingly popular among employees. But the changed workplace has changed employees’ needs putting their well-being into focus. Employee well-being is closely related to productivity and performance, And this is one of the reasons why you should go above and beyond to ensure your employees are healthy and satisfied, making them more productive. Here, you’ll find why employee well-being is crucial for your business’s success, discovering effective ways to battle issues that affect it.

Why Business Leaders Should Prioritize Employee Wellness in Changed Work Settings: 

An indisputable fact is that remote work offers flexibility and independence never seen in the traditional office. However, this highly-demanded work model comes with a set of challenges that can affect employees’ well-being and productivity. For this reason, you need to identify these red flags and promptly address these issues to create a work environment where your employees are happy, healthy, and highly productive. 

The Disadvantages of Remote Work Affecting Employee Well-Being

Overworking: Lines between work and private life can easily get blurred when working remotely. Remote employees may often feel that their work may go unnoticed because they’re out of site. This is why they tend to work long hours to prove they’re productive. According to a study, 53% of remote employees are working more hours than they were in the office. The urge to be always available for work can be destructive to their health and productivity. 

Burnout: Recent research shows that more than 75% of employees and 63% of managers experience burnout. The reasons for burnout are various, from constant change in workload to unnecessary tasks from senior management, and frequent focus shifting from one task to another. All these issues can cause skyrocketing anxiety levels and extreme fatigue leading to burnout.

Disengagement: When employees slip into burnout they are most likely to become disengaged because they feel tired and disconnected from their work. Disengaged employees may isolate themselves from the rest of the team and overall company culture, resulting in a lack of motivation and decreased productivity. Alarming stats show that less than 25% of employees feel disengaged from their work while 37% of them experience a lack of motivation. 

Lower Productivity; Disengaged employees usually lose the sense of purpose when it comes to their work and company goals. These employees are prone to quiet quitting where they don’t make any effort to complete their tasks. 

Lower productivity is a result of this behavior, causing devastating effects to your business success. A recent Gallup report shows that the cost of decreased productivity to be $322 billion globally. 

Effective Strategies to Battle These Issues and Improve Employee Well-Being:

Utilize Work Tracking Tools: Implementing work tracking tools can help employees manage their tasks efficiently and prevent overworking. These tools can provide insights into work patterns, helping employees and managers identify areas for improvement. By promoting transparency and accountability, work tracking can contribute to a healthier work environment.

Promote Work-Life Balance: Setting clear boundaries regarding work and private time is crucial for your remote workers’ well-being. For this reason, you should encourage your employees to implement effective time management strategies to become more time efficient to avoid overworking.  Taking regular breaks is also essential for improving employee well-being, and maintaining their energy and motivation levels.

Implement Mental Health Support: Employees who are overwhelmed with the workload and slipping into burnout desperately need your support and understanding. This is why you should devise programs and provide resources for mental health support. You should provide access to counseling services, mental health days, and stress management programs. Show your employees that you care by regularly checking in and fostering honest conversations about potential mental health issues. 

Foster Social Connections: The lack of social interactions is one of the biggest challenges remote leaders have to face. However advanced technology allows you to organize virtual team-building activities, regular video meetings, and online social events to maintain close interpersonal relationships and a sense of community. 

Conclusion

Remote work offers unprecedented benefits but also comes with specific challenges, like burnout, disengagement, and lower productivity. Luckily, you can use some of these effective strategies and advanced technology for work tracking to help your employees stay happy, healthy, and productive