As employment trends and workplace technology continue to evolve quickly, it’s hard to predict what future jobs and careers will look like. One thing remains clear: the most valuable asset of every organization will always be its human capital.
Multiple studies* have demonstrated a direct relationship, both positive and negative, between well-being in the workplace and productivity. Experiencing a fulfilling time at work, including positive human interactions, remains the key to success for any organization that employs people or provides services and/or products to them, regardless of the impact of digitalization and AI.
Knowing how to promote wellbeing at work is a crucial issue for the hospitality industry, where jobs often entail irregular shifts, weekend and night work, physically and mentally demanding tasks, and high-stress situations.
When these scenarios exist in a non-supportive work environment, absenteeism and turnover soar. It's therefore essential that leaders learn to prioritize and support their employees' physical and mental health.
In this article, we’ll explore the impacts and determining factors of workplace well-being, plus share some tips and best practices that you can apply immediately to improve employee well-being.
*See further down this article.
When companies promote employee well-being, it generates significant benefits in terms of productivity and efficiency. According to studies by Harvard Business Review and Gallup:
And that's not all. Companies that successfully implement employee well-being programs get amazing results:
The advantages of a healthy work environment are numerous, and they impact both employees and the organization as a whole.
Here are some of the key benefits:
Increased Productivity
Employees who are healthy and happy tend to be more productive. They can focus better, think more creatively, and generally accomplish more than those who are stressed or dissatisfied.
Lower Absenteeism
Employee well-being programs often lead to healthier employees, resulting in fewer sick days and fewer absences. This helps maintain a consistent level of productivity.
Improved Employee Retention
When employees feel valued and cared for, they are more likely to stay with the company. This reduces turnover costs and helps maintain a strong, experienced workforce.
Enhanced Company Reputation
Companies that prioritize employee well-being often have a positive reputation, which can help attract top talent and potentially increase customer loyalty.
Improved Employee Engagement
Wellbeing initiatives can boost employee morale and incite more initiative-taking.
Lower Costs
By promoting healthier habits and a safer working environment, companies can lower their healthcare and insurance costs.
Increased Resilience
Employees who are physically and emotionally healthy are more likely to be resilient in the face of challenges, leading to a more adaptable and sustainable organization.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "a healthy workplace is one in which workers and bosses collaborate in a process of continuous improvement to promote and protect the health, safety, and well-being of workers and the sustainability of the workplace."
As such, workplace well-being can be broken down into four pillars:
Humans like to see themselves as rational being, but we cannot disconnect our emotional health from our mental health. If employees feel overwhelmed, stressed, disrespected, or ignored, that will have an impact on both their mental well-being and how they feel.
Mental health and emotional well-being in the workplace can only exist in a human workplace. That means building a pleasant work context where the individual needs of each employee matter,and where everyone gets opportunities to develop their skills safely and with support.
Leaders can make employees feel seen and appreciated by acknowledging their efforts and celebrating their successes. They can also keep an eye on the dynamics of a team and subtly or directly drive collaboration and inter-collegial support.
Aside from supporting the good, leadership should also focus on preventing and eradicating negative behaviors such as bullying and sexual harassment, which are common in the industry. When zero-tolerance toward such behavior is part of the company culture, it's easier for people to speak up when something unacceptable happens.
People should be adequately remunerated, and while money is hopefully not the sole driver for your employees, earning enough is what allows them to provide for their basic needs and those of their families.
It's the bare minimum.
On top of that, the hospitality industry is competitive, and top talents have many job options. CEOs need to define compensation schemes that both attract and help retain top talent.
How physically healthy we are affects our happiness levels, our stress levels, and our performance. It also affects how much energy we have to participate in team-building activities or to deal with that talkative colleague.
Helping your employees improve and maintain their physical health is a leader's social and business responsibility.
Sometimes, this comes down to seemingly basic things:
But it can also include things like medical packages, free therapy sessions, sufficient time off, wellbeing education, and adaptation to the needs of those with chronic health conditions or certain health risks.
A clear and positive organizational purpose is a driver of employee engagement. It also impacts productivity, workforce retention, and is key to an organization's success.
In a survey conducted by global consultancy McKinsey & Company, 70% of employees stated that their life's purpose is largely defined by their work. When a company's purpose is aligned with that of its employees, the results in terms of work engagement can be notable.
To create this alignment, leaders must communicate their vision in a way that helps employees understand what the company aims to achieve beyond making money and profitability. There needs to be a narrative that generates empathy and motivates people, making them feel like they are involved in something of great value.
Some example purposes in the hospitality industry are:
Research indicates that companies led by well-being-focused CEOs outperform others by 3.7% annually. These leaders acknowledge that employee well-being is as important as customer satisfaction, meeting sales targets, effective branding, and other strategic objectives, and they act accordingly.
But they also realize that well-being is like a waterfall. If they don't feel safe and fulfilled at work, it's hard to let well-being trickle down and permeate the rest of the organization.
Here's what leaders can do to adopt a more well-being-focused approach.
Interpersonal relations play a huge role in people's well-being, and it's no different in the workplace. Your team will be happier overall if they feel heard and supported by leadership.
The days of authoritarian leadership have long made way for the understanding that human-centric leadership styles lead to higher employee satisfaction, retention, and performance, which means you need to master leadership soft skills like active listening at least as well as technical knowledge about your field.
When leaders know how to analyze and understand the different strengths and needs of individual team members and combine that knowledge with emotional intelligence, they can influence, motivate, and direct them in the most effective way.
This deep understanding of the people they work with also allows leaders to offer employees interesting opportunities for growth and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels of and outside the organization.
It's very hard to adopt healthier habits when those around you aren't doing the same. And it's particularly hard if your manager is giving the wrong example.
Yes, you might have bigger responsibilities as a leader, but that's no excuse to neglect your own physical and mental health. Setting an example is the difference between telling employees "You can do it!" and showing them "We can do it together."
So let them see you pause during a heated discussion, leave your office for your lunch break, and self-regulate. Just as important is to verbally and non-verbally communicate that it's okay for staff to do the same. There is no point in promoting well-being if you then give the side-eye to employees who implement best practices.
Lastly, leading by example also means raising mental health awareness and communicating about the importance of well-being in the workplace. Explain to people why you do things in a certain way and why you recommend they follow certain practices. You can also direct them to any well-being programs the company may have, or to tools and resources they may want to check out.
There are several ways to measure employee well-being.
A complete picture will give you an idea of possible employee well-being issues to further investigate.
Here are a few questions you might ask yourself or work through with someone you trust. Try to answer them as honestly as possible.
Talk to your Human Resources department to get access to data on overtime hours, absenteeism, turnover rates, requests for internal transfers, and concerns raised. Look at where things are now, but also analyze whether things seem to be getting worse or better over time.
While these metrics won't tell you what is wrong, they're a clear indicator that something is. Hard data also helps you make a case with senior leadership if you want to take action that requires approval from higher up.
Run an internal survey, organize individual feedback sessions, or plan a team meeting to get direct feedback from the people working for and with you. Not only can this provide you with valuable information, it also shows people that you care.
Be careful, though. If you gather feedback but then don't act on it, your initiative may backfire and look like you're just pretending to have an interest in your employees' well-being. One way to prevent this is by keeping them in the loop about what's happening with their feedback, especially if tangible changes will take a while to implement.
If your own investigation hasn't returned clear sources for the lack of well-being at your organization, you can engage an external consultant. With an unattached perspective, they may be able to spot issues that have remained hidden from you, such as a toxic HR policy or a combination of small, hidden factors that together have a large negative impact.
Especially when you don't have an open and supportive company culture, employees won't likely be honest about their issues and grievances when questioned internally.
This article has given you a starting point to answer the question of how to promote well-being at work. Now it's up to you to translate these tips and guidelines into concrete actions to improve employee well-being at your organization.
What this looks like will vary depending on the type of hospitality business you work in, but the guiding principles remain the same.
In the bustling realm of work, ambitions and accomplishments may stand out as the marks of good employees, but employee well-being is the foundation of productivity and performance, and it's the role of leadership to lay the first bricks.