“A healthy and safe workplace can be promoted through able leadership who help prevent any health issues as far as possible with unabated support to their teams,” Reena Tyagi, CHRO, Future Generali India Life Insurance
The employee well-being framework is connected to the core of the business i.e. Life Insurance via the fundamental values, the foremost of which are to deliver promises, value people, live the community, be open, and promote life partner behaviour or giving a human touch. The Wellbeing Framework is at the heart of the business, underpinning everything that is done to support employees’ health and well-being. The Framework could focus on a four-pronged approach of culture – leadership – prevention – support. A healthy and safe workplace can be promoted through able leadership who help prevent any health issues as far as possible with unabated support to their teams. Continuous communication is non-negotiable in the formulation of any effective HR strategy as it binds the employees and ensures there is no disconnect between the organization and the workforce. Some effective strategies to maintain a healthy workspace are as follows:
Purposeful communication using the right tools and managerial support– Identifying what really matters to the employees and delivering on the promise in all we do is a great step in ensuring employee health. Upon identification of critical communications in the workplace, it is important to set goals and implement these communications effectively. And lastly, a follow-up of the practices identifies is critical so the entire process sees the light of day and impacts employees in a positive manner. Tools such as emails, webinars, meetings, training etc, are used to achieve these goals in a set timeline and a pre-determined budget. One can ask managers to help their team members achieve work-life balance, as some of them are caregivers to toddlers or elderly parents and if the managers are more accommodating it helps in the employees’ work output in a positive manner. This encouragement is a two-way process as the company benefits when workers who have a higher job satisfaction deliver better work, and are less likely to quit their work because of being unable to achieve the work-life balance they are striving for. The 2023 State of Employee Safety Report by AlertMedia states that if “Employer generally cares about employee safety” was the #2 motivation for why employees stay with employers for long term.
Emotional backing to employees and a strong social support within the organization– An action plan for the psychological safety of the employees is needed. Tools to measure stress must be used in order to redesign the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Additionally, programs to support chronic issues faced by employees and some resistance training come handy. Organizations must value their people and constantly find ways to make them feel positive and confident in facing the challenges life throws at them. They must encourage behaviour of mutual respect among employees and help them find support in each other as well as have an open work environment so they develop deep-found trust in the organization and listen to every feedback, big or small. Feedback is the backbone of HR strategies and helps one know the pulse of the organization. These are some of the things in a workplace that come together to help lower psychological distress and improve the mental well-being of the employees. Inculcating a sense of social belonging doesn’t come at a steep price either. Organizations can ask managers to be considerate and empathetic, and encourage their team members with positive emails about their work as we strongly feel such emails boost the morale of employees as they see it as recognition of their hard work. This increases their self-worth and makes coming back to work every day a happy affair. For this purpose correspondence of employee goals is equally important. A reward scheme and social events at workspaces also help employees function well.
Ensuring the physical well-being of employees with health-assistance programmes – When workplace health is in check a happy workforce is ensured. If the employees are ill or unhappy, they would not be able to give their best to their work and hence building a fitness culture at work always generates results. Organizations must provide proactive pre-employment checks, annual health examinations, medical fitness evaluations, and access to marker-leading medical care to employees when required. According to Harvard Business Review 2021, mental health support is the new normal.23% of people that utilise support given to them by their employer report higher levels of mental health. 17% report improved physical health and 23% are more likely to say they sleep well at night, Harvard Business Review 2021.It must be the employer’s endeavour to look after the health, fitness, diet, sleep, and energy levels of the employees so they approach various work and life challenges with zeal. Organizations must ensure that the employees are healthy by creating a flexible work environment, giving them access to various health benefits so that their healthcare is affordable, and making them feel empowered to speak up in situations when they feel they are in or nearing a physical or mental burnout. When possible to implement, organizations can also consider having employee assistance programmes and counselling services for the workforce. Supporting and encouraging volunteerism and compassionate donations must be incorporated as the organization culture. Organizations could also identify key influencers to drive messages to the audience or employees.
A multi-pronged approach is required here as a person’s best state of health involves taking into account various aspects of his overall health which include physical health and psychological health as well. HR strategies need to be developed with a 360-degree view so that it doesn’t just remain a strategy penned on paper but the end goal is realized and the employees actually benefit from it. Various small and big changes like these can make a significant and positive impact on employee health. Their design and implementation needs a lot of work for them to show the desired results.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house
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