Initiatives to foster a healthy work climate were all the rage during the pandemic. But how are they faring now? Well, research indicates that there’s been significant post-pandemic backsliding.
How to get back on track? Researchers suggest taking these five steps to create a positive workplace climate for wellbeing.
Read on to learn what they are.
The Wellbeing at Work Report
Indeed, the Johns Hopkins University Human Capital Development Lab and partners sought to examine the various organizational and individual factors that could be linked to the climate of employee wellbeing.
The subsequent report built on prior research gathered over the last few years, leveraging flagship data amassed in the course of a proprietary employee survey.
The role of Covid in increasing interest in wellbeing at work
As you’d imagine, the context surrounding this research was the heightened awareness of wellbeing and mental health issues since the Covid pandemic.
This pandemic context is crucial. One of the key report findings was that employees experienced a spike in the positive climate of wellbeing at the early periods of the pandemic.
In itself, this finding is remarkable. Why? It symbolizes a tectonic shift in the way wellbeing and mental health support were treated in the workplace.
Historically, as researchers note, wellbeing and mental health support in the workplace were considered a personal issue, shunted off to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
Post-pandemic declines in workplace wellbeing
Of course, that’s only half the story. That pandemic spike has led to a post-pandemic regression.
More specifically, workplaces transitioned back to pre-pandemic norms alongside a regression in the overall climate of wellbeing – oftentimes back to pre-pandemic levels.
What happened?
The analysis suggests that broadly speaking leaders made people a priority in the organization during the pandemic. The focus on employee wellbeing, however, was discontinued.
The takeaway, here, then is that employers need to prioritize employee wellbeing and communicate that prioritization, accordingly.
Employers might have pulled away because they didn’t see the ROI associated with making such a commitment.
On this point, the data speaks for itself, though. Researchers find that poor mental and physical health in a workforce can erode profits through higher turnover, decreased engagement, reduced customer service, and increased health care costs.
Steps to create a positive workplace climate for wellbeing
So, how to create a positive workplace climate for wellbeing? The researchers suggested taking the following steps toward building a trusting culture and healthy climate of wellbeing:
1. Boundary spanning
Move past sectoral boundaries to embrace new perspectives from other industries which may be beneficial to your organization as well as to your industry.
2. Level skipping
The sense of wellbeing increases as people move up the managerial ranks. It’s, therefore, important for senior managers to not only skip one level, but multiple levels to gain a clearer understanding of what the work life is like for others in the organization and avoid a distorted view.
3. Confidence building
Everyone in management needs to work toward earning the confidence of the workforce. Direct discussions about the actions that both inspire confidence and create distrust are important.
4. Active listening
Through empathetic listening and building trust, managers can learn more about what is important to groups that may be different from their own.
5. Internal reflecting
Seeking feedback from others and reflecting on personal experiences in engaging others may provide simple clues to the changes that each individual might make.
What other steps can employers take to create a positive workplace climate for wellbeing? In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General released the New Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace, citing evidence about how the link between work and health has become more evident.
In the Framework, the Surgeon General outlines Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing. What are they? Check out our guide, Understanding the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Wellbeing in the Workplace, to find out.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)