Wellbeing at work for all team members has become a top priority for many businesses since the group trauma of Covid. In this post-pandemic year, businesses have worked to improve their cultures and general conversations around mental health in the workplace have increased.
Our shared experience may have put some physical distance between us, but it has provided a common ground and businesses are now having to take notice of how their employees are feeling.
Hybrid ways of working seem to be here to stay. Its benefits are clear – less time commuting has given us increased flexibility to support additional responsibilities such as childcare. It has also allowed us more time to spend on wellbeing activities such as going to the gym.
But the lack of face-to-face time can leave us feeling isolated and less connected with our colleagues. Zoom fatigue has remained an issue for many people throughout 2022, and because more of us are working from home, our professional responsibilities have been harder to leave behind at the end of the day.
For me, commuting is a pain; I’ve grown to love working from home in recent years, but as soon as I get into the office, it feels good to be around people, share stories over a coffee, and be physically part of a team. Throughout 2022, Clarasys staff have made a point of talking about how they’re feeling. Here, people share their experiences and recently we’ve listened to our CEO Matt Cheung discuss how therapy has helped him over the years.
Creating wellbeing at work through a positive environment and supportive culture in 2023
As we look forward to 2023, the focus for every business will be on how they can create a positive environment and a supportive culture, to ensure wellbeing at work no matter where their employees are based. Keeping a physically fractured workforce engaged, pushing in the same direction, and supported on an emotional level can be hard, particularly when a company is doing it for the first time.
Clarasys has worked in this way, with teams based in client offices around the country, since its inception in 2011. It’s not easy, but regular company-wide meetings and away days have helped us to stay connected. Getting people together doesn’t just allow important issues and goals to be worked on, it also provides a platform for people to connect.
Cost of living crisis
As the cost of living crisis really bites, it’s incumbent upon businesses to do as much as they can in 2023 to support their people’s wellbeing. Conversations around what businesses can do to support their workforces have already started. Reviewing a company’s financial wellbeing policy and ensuring people know what help is on offer and how they can access it will be helpful. Reviewing rewards strategies and offering a cost-of-living bonus can help if they don’t inadvertently harm people who claim Universal Credit or Tax Credits.
Benefits packages need to work for those most in need and people should understand what’s on offer and how to access help. By training managers to provide the right support and creating a dialogue between managers and employees, staff voices will be heard.
Increased personalisation
Recently there has been a shift towards increased personalisation in the wellbeing space. Because people are now living more flexibly and their work and home lives have changed, businesses want to support their employees improve their mental and physical health. Some businesses, including Clarasys, are offering an allowance that can go towards gym membership or health insurance. I expect this will gather some momentum in the business world next year.
Post-Covid, the pressure is now on businesses to review their role in the wellbeing of their employees. Companies are focusing on the root causes of mental illness rather than helping to solve the consequences.
Sustainability
Sustainability in business has been gathering pace this year and people are now trying to travel more sustainably for work. Some businesses have introduced sustainable travel days to enable their people to travel by train rather than by air. This is currently a hot topic at Clarasys and we are looking into how we can help our people travel by more sustainable methods.
Conclusion
As businesses have settled into new hybrid ways of working this year, they have needed to place a greater importance on supporting the wellbeing of their teams. By taking this issue seriously, organisations haven’t just supported people’s mental health in that moment, they have also laid the foundations for an improved culture and increased levels of staff loyalty and output.
As we look ahead to 2023, the emphasis will be on supporting teams through the cost-of-living crisis by putting measures in place that will support people and their families. This isn’t just about having a duty of care, it is also about giving back and doing the right thing for those who have diligently helped to grow businesses over time.
Get in touch to speak to Suzie, or, for more performance and wellbeing related content click here.
