Positive employee well-being encompasses a balance of psychological, social and physical needs. Maintaining positive well-being in the workplace is integral to professional enrichment and employees’ ability to manage stress. By encouraging a sense of financial stability as well as fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), organisations have the opportunity to make a significant impact on their employees’ well-being. Employers have always been aware of how crucial this is, however since lockdown, employees’ well-being has been more vital than ever, and it is more critical than ever before to ensure this is a key focus throughout all areas of the business.
Investing in employee wellbeing can lead to increased resilience, better employee engagement, reduced absence, as well as higher performance and productivity. 2020 brought further hurdles which are still visible today. Our responsibility is to create a culture of well-being to ensure that everyone in the workforce can achieve their potential. Ecoserv Group is founded on well-being values which guide our business strategy. Ecoserv Group prides itself in adopting a comprehensive strategy that addresses several facets of well-being, adopting these 6 core well-being values:
Provide your team with the resources, support, and knowledge to develop their skills and progress within their careers. Ensure that employees can specify areas they wish to learn about and have goals to strive towards.
Working Environment
Maintain a comfortable workplace for all staff, both physically and mentally. Create an environment where colleagues can freely share their ideas, thoughts, and concerns. Provide staff with all necessary equipment to feel safe and comfortable conducting their work.
Psychological
Promote good psychological health and ensure staff have the resources available to manage this. Provide the tools to support staff and celebrate and recognise team achievements and milestones to ensure employees feel rewarded.
Community
Instil a sense of belonging across the entire team with regular social activities to ensure everyone feels connected.
Physical Health
Ensure that colleagues have the resources and support they need to maintain positive physical health.
Leadership
Direct managers are often one of the most significant influences on an employee’s well-being. Ecoserv Group ensures that our company culture is embodied in our managers through robust recruitment and training programs.
According to a study conducted by Alexander Forbes, one in five people in the workplace experience a mental health condition, and while many employers are developing policies to support a healthy workforce, there is often no shared vision for mental health in the workplace. The more holistically employers can understand their teams’ needs, the better they will be able to structure benefits and policies that make sense for their staff – and this process starts with understanding employees as individuals. Factors to consider are employees’ unique responsibilities outside of work and their attitudes and behaviours towards their finances and saving – and how can we, as an organisation, best support them to become more financially literate. Understanding the history, values, psychology and responsibility of our employees is the starting point for a meaningful discussion about a viable employee benefits framework.
The socioeconomic changes now taking place have altered workplace cultures and employees’ perspectives on mental health. As more people look to work for purpose and healthy cultures the expectations of employers have risen. In order to improve workplace mental health, culture must alter to include greater openness, compassion, and long-term approaches to problem-solving. The pandemic has aided us to get started on the journey to evolving our culture. Instead of hurrying to return to the status quo of 2019, let’s take this opportunity to be thoughtful as we create new ways of working.
Jean-Henri Beukes – Group CEO
