Comfortable, Confident, and Cool: Making Well-Being a Workplace Priority

It is a learning curve that we all undergo when we are running a business or are in charge of a group of people. Whether you are running a blog where it is just yourself, or you are running a business with dozens upon dozens of employees, the importance of well-being is something that shouldn’t just be considered lip service, but it should be fundamental to the success of a business. But making well-being a priority in the workplace isn’t just about scheduling a couple of meditation sessions a week.

Providing a Supportive Environment

When employees feel the tension in the air it impacts their work. By providing a supportive environment down to the workplace culture you are helping employees feel they have the confidence to speak up. Many organizations thrive on a culture of fear. And this is something that, unfortunately, many companies believe is the best way to do business. But there are things that we can do to make sure that our employees feel supported. While we need to prioritize the notion of the one-to-one relationship, we need to make sure that we are going about things in an orderly and constructive manner. This means tapping into the fears of employees and solving them. It could be as simple as drug testing employees on a regular basis, or encouraging an open forum where people can voice their concerns. When we are showing we are doing what we can to clamp down, either on illegal activity or helping stamp out prejudice or discrimination, this will link back to our code of morals and ethics. It completes the circle in complying with, not just workplace rules and regulations, but with our moral duty, ensuring that we are doing everything we can for an employee to thrive.

Listening to Your Workers

We must remember that our workers know more about their jobs than we do. And while we have the final say on what constitutes an adequate working environment, we have to listen to our employees to ensure that we make their lives more efficient. It’s not just in relation to cost-cutting measures, but it’s about ensuring that we utilize their wealth of knowledge to make the business more efficient across the board. But listening, we are not just utilizing their skills and knowledge, we are also ensuring that our employees feel valued and appreciated.

Be Realistic

We can suffer from painting a picture that can make things look better than they are. Realism and honesty are so important for trust in an organization that when we start to be honest with ourselves and our employees, we are giving our workers the room to solve problems themselves. Our employees are more likely to have the solutions than we are. By providing a platform for transparency, we are giving our employees the opportunity to thrive. It benefits the business by encouraging autonomy, but it also provides a foundation for trust and truthfulness. Being realistic isn’t the same as being negative. Problem-solving is so important but it’s how you go about solving the problem that dictates your attitude to the circumstances. When a problem arises and we begin to panic, this will trickle down through the ranks. We need to provide a realistic framework for our employees to thrive, but we also need to understand that problems are merely an issue that hasn’t been solved yet. 

Providing Proper Feedback

As leaders, it is our responsibility to provide a foundation of autonomy and resilience in the face of workplace problems. But when our employees provide suggestions, it is down to us to put these practices into action. In order to do this effectively, we have to be realistic. When we have been given ideas by our team members we have to understand which ones we can implement quickly and which can be put into a program of change, but also how much can we actually put into place. We need to act on their ideas to inspire confidence, but we must also remember that we can’t magic everything away. Learning to deliver bad news, but with a caveat, is so important in these circumstances.

Celebrating Your Employees

Well-being is about recognizing your employees’ successes and celebrating milestones. Doing this means that they feel valued of course but it reminds them that they matter to you on an individual basis. There are so many different ways to achieve this, not just through birthdays or work anniversaries. Training courses are pivotal to celebrating your employees. It works for you because you are upskilling them in more areas but it also will improve their employee engagement. The number one reason employees leave is because of the lack of recognition in their roles. By praising them or giving them the opportunity to develop is a better way of celebrating them.

Being Flexible for Your Employees

If we have learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that the work-life balance is more important than ever. Flexibility is crucial, even for those that are working at home. And when you provide flexibility, it is the most pivotal approach to maintaining a high quality of well-being. When you provide various perks, whether this is child care or job sharing, or even the option to swap shifts, this flexibility is something that will keep employees with you for a long time. It is pivotal to their well-being. We’ve all grown frustrated with a company when we’ve not been allowed to go for a simple doctor’s appointment. It is our fundamental human right to make sure that we are medically fit! Being flexible for your employees doesn’t just engage them but it will inspire them and keep them with you for years to come. 

Well-being is something that isn’t just about happy employees, but it’s about making sure that they have the foundations in place to remain motivated and to do their job. When our employees are comfortable, confident, and able to do their job without it impacting their external lives, this is when we have made a success of our business.