Wellbeing, Productivity and Profit: Finding the Right Balance
Finding the right way to balance the productivity and wellbeing of your staff with the need to drive profit requires a deeper understanding of how all three can work together in business. Our experts, Guy Hughes, June Clark, and Deborah Meaden, dive deeper into strategies to improve wellbeing and productivity that won’t break the bank.
Balancing wellbeing with productivity
In an increasingly connected world, with tight deadlines and growing pressure to deliver, employee wellbeing often slides down the priority list. However, many organisations are now recognising that prioritising wellbeing in the workplace can be a powerful driver of both health and productivity. Our experts, Guy Hughes, June Clark, and Deborah Meaden share four key strategies for finding the right balance between wellbeing and productivity at work.
Wellbeing leads to productivity
Happy, healthy workers are productive: When we feel tired, rundown, stressed, or in pain it can be hard to concentrate at work, produce consistent quality work, or even continue showing up at all. Looking after employee wellbeing with regular breaks, opportunities to chat about what’s going on outside of work, and ergonomic work spaces can help your employees work more efficiently and reduce their stress, leading to more consistent work and fewer absences.
When employees feel supported, they are motivated to work: Studies have shown that nearly two-thirds of employees would work for lower pay at organisations they felt supported by. On the other hand, one of the biggest reasons people leave their workplace can be lack of support from managers. Focusing on wellbeing can keep employees productive and motivated to produce quality work.
Share your own vulnerability
Start the conversation: Sharing your worries, challenges, wins, and wellbeing goals lets employees know they work for the kind of company that cares about these things, and supports each other through good times and bad. By starting the conversation around wellbeing yourself, you also encourage your employees to open up about their own challenges.
Own your mistakes or missed opportunities: Owning up to errors, or recognising opportunities for improvement in yourself can make you feel very vulnerable, but it shows your employees that you too, are only human. It lets them know that it is ok to make mistakes, as long as they can recognise them and learn from them. They also get the opportunity to help each other through errors, learning from each other, which often reduces the amount of mistakes made over time.
Create a culture of wellbeing
Schedule regular check-ins: Whether you check-in with employees weekly, monthly, or quarterly, providing set times to chat about their wellbeing can create a positive workplace culture.
Empathy is important: At the end of the day, your employees are all human beings, who may be facing unique challenges both within and outside of the workplace. Showing you care, and offering a safe space to talk can make the workplace kinder, friendlier and encourage employees to help each other achieve their goals.
Understand What Is Important To Your Employees
Wellbeing can look different for everyone: Wellbeing concerns are not universal and can be different for people depending on who they are and their individual circumstances. That’s why understanding the kinds of support and wellbeing initiatives that are most beneficial to your team can help you decide how to structure a wellbeing policy or plan.
Employee needs may vary throughout the year: While sunny summer days may make employees feel more cheerful and be more active, during the winter months they may struggle with their physical and mental health more and as a result need more support at work. Additionally, parents and caregivers may need more flexibility at work. Knowing they can work from home, or leave early to pick up the kids could help alleviate stress at home and work.
Creating A wellbeing strategy on a budget
Focusing on wellbeing to drive productivity may seem like an expensive venture for a small to medium enterprise, but it can be one of the lowest cost and highest impact actions you can take. Our business experts share their tips on creating a wellbeing strategy without breaking the bank.
Find a wellbeing champion
Choose someone who can influence their colleagues and managers: While it’s tempting to give the work of wellbeing champion to an office manager or administrator, your wellbeing champion should be someone with the ability to influence those around them to make healthy behaviour changes. You may be able to think of someone on your staff who already has a good relationship with others who is passionate about wellbeing that might offer the position to, or you may put out a call for volunteers.
Make sure they have the support they need: Your wellbeing champion will need time to research initiatives and resources in order to promote wellbeing in your company. Make sure to schedule in time for this extra work, and reward them for taking on extra responsibility to show how important wellbeing is to your workplace.
Get employees involved
Use discussion groups or networks: Weekly group discussions, meetings, or wellbeing activities focusing on particular aspects of wellbeing and health can help your employees develop a sense of community. They can help and support each other through stressful periods, share tips, and tricks if they have a common goal (like training for a 10K or adopting a plant-based diet), and even get together to do yoga, meditation, or play football.
Engage employees in problem solving: You can ask for volunteers from various departments or teams in your organisation to help you or your managers solve business issues, improve on policies, and streamline daily operations. Employees who take part will feel more involved in the company, and that their opinion matters.
Connect with consultants, charities and organisations
Hire a consultant: If you are feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, bringing in a consultant to help you implement wellbeing initiatives and policies can be helpful. They can help you identify wellbeing champions, and provide strategies tailored to your workplace that you can build on.
Look for free online resources: Mental health charities, like Mind, often have websites full of free resources to help you support employee mental health. Additionally, the CIPD has plenty of free resources on their website covering everything from managing workplace conflict to how Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) can impact wellbeing. You may also be able find free resources provided by your local council, either online or by reaching out to them.
Examine your policies
Time off and holidays: Look at your policies around employees taking time off and consider their impact on wellbeing. You might use flex-holidays or Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) for employees who work above their contracted hours to ensure they aren’t overworking and take time to rest.
Hybrid and flexible working: Many companies are using hybrid working models, with a set number of days in the office or workplace mixed with work from home days. This flexibility can allow for more work-life balance, which is a big part of workplace wellbeing. You might also look at implementing flexible working patterns in terms of when employees start or end their work day. Employees struggling with sleep issues, for example, may benefit from being able to start work at 11am and finish at 7pm if that is possible in your organisation.
