Is Employee Wellbeing the Ultimate Performance Driver?
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Is Employee Wellbeing the Ultimate Performance Driver?

Is Employee Wellbeing the Ultimate Performance Driver?

Employee wellbeing is a challenge that is becoming more and more important within today’s organisations. Considering an economic environment that is becoming less and less predictable, many organisations rely on their employees’ goodwill to perform beyond expectations to contribute to their success.

The topic of wellbeing at work has been explored by French corporate specialist Edenred and global market research firm Ipsos through the study of 14,000 employees based in 15 different countries: USA, China, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Brasil, India, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Belgium and Chile.

The 2016 research reveals that over 70 per cent of employees feel satisfied with their wellbeing at work. 

How to measure wellbeing at work?

3 major aspects can be used to measure employee wellbeing:

  • Work environment: in which conditions are people working? This aspect covers the various environmental characteristics of the workplace, the reliability of its equipment and the balance between personal and professional life. To summarise, all the elements that determine if your employees are feeling comfortable at work and if they can be productive in those conditions.
  • Recognition: Are employees feeling forgotten by their management or, on the other hand, feeling considered? Being trusted by management and receiving attention are essential for feeling recognised.
  • Emotion: having to go to work with your head down is never a good sign. How employees feel about work determines whether or not they create positive associations with their work and will ultimately impact their productivity and motivation.

To summarise, it’s the combination of these three drivers that can together create a positive work experience.

How does employee wellbeing vary from a country to another?

Variations in wellbeing do exist between countries depending on their economy and the situation of their job market. It can be highlighted that based on the 14,000 study respondents, figures are pretty positive. 71 per cent of employees have positive views in regards to their wellbeing at work. India leads the workplace happiness board with 88% per cent of its employees approving their happiness at work. On the other hand of the scale, Japan presents under average results with only 44 per cent feeling positive about their work.

Which HR policies have the most impact on employee wellbeing?

The following HR policies were revealed as priorities by the study. This means that by implementing them, organisations are able to mitigate the negative opinions people have about their own wellbeing at work:

  • Competency renewal & transmission,
  • Health at work,
  • Work schedule flexibility,
  • Workplace diversity
  • Younger workers integration.

However, two major aspects were recognised as foundational in order for employees to develop positive opinions on their wellbeing: Succession planning and digital culture management.

Wellbeing at work is a major lever of employee engagement in an environment where individualism primes and competencies are key. That’s why a well-thought HR training and development policy will have the most impact on defining wellbeing in the workplace. HR leaders should embrace the adoption of a digital culture and  use succession planning as a catalyst for employee wellbeing.

10 questions to ask before you start implementing a HR wellbeing policy

 

Workplace Environment

  1. Have my employees access to the necessary equipment and resources to do their job well?
  2. Have their missions been clearly defined? Do they know what’s expected from them?
  3. Does management provide support for employees in difficulty?
  4. How satisfied are employees in regards to their work life balance?

 

Recognition

  1. Do employees feel considered by their management?
  2. Do we have a program in place to develop their competencies?

 

Emotion

  1. Are employees feeling happy to come into work every morning?
  2. How interesting do they find the tasks and missions that are assigned to them?
  3. How stimulating is their work environment?
  4. How confident are employees in terms of their professional development within the company?

 

Oriane Perrin
oriane@employeeconnect.com

Customer Success & Growth Manager