Improving Wellbeing in the Workplace

Wellbeing is an increasingly relevant and necessary consideration in the modern workplace.

At its simplest level wellbeing is about personal happiness, which is paramount for business success. A happy workforce leads to higher levels of performance, reduced absenteeism, and higher retention rates. So, creating a workplace environment that actively promotes positive wellbeing delivers mutual benefit to people and organisations.

What is Wellbeing in the Workplace?

Wellbeing in the workplace means many things to many people, here at myHaswell, we like to think of it as signifying people feeling good about their work.

We have identified eight different factors that determine the wellness of people in the workplace. Each factor is underpinned by a set of components that contribute to how people feel about their work, positively or negatively. This model has been developed using concepts from well-established models of wellbeing and motivation such as Seligman’s PERMA model of happiness, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Adam’s equity theory, Herzberg’s motivational theory and McGregor’s XY-theory.

The model developed by myHaswell focuses on the workplace factors that impact on wellbeing. In addition to these, there are many personal factors that determine the wellness of people such as finances, relationships, family life, spirituality and so on. However, employers have very little control over the personal lives of employees, so their immediate focus should be on the areas that they can influence.

How can Employers Improve Wellbeing in the Workplace?

There are many things an employer can do to improve wellbeing in the workplace. From health promotion to ergonomically designed working areas, good line management, fair and transparent remuneration practices, open and collaborative cultures, career development opportunities, involvement in decision making, effective people management practices, creation of good quality jobs, realistic performance goals and so on. As with most things, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to achieving positive workplace wellbeing. Changes that aim to improve the working lives of employees should be based on the unique needs and characteristics of the organisation and its workforce. Understanding the current situation and priority areas is crucial to achieving sustainable improvements to workplace wellbeing. That is why myHaswell has developed an employee questionnaire covering every aspect of the Wellbeing model. Not only will it enable employers to identify where they are now, it will also allow them to track progress in achieving positive wellbeing outcomes.

Conclusion

Fostering employee wellbeing is good for people and the organisation. It can help create positive working environments where individuals and organisations can thrive. However, before embarking on interventions to improve wellbeing in the workplace, employers should measure existing wellbeing so that they understand the current happiness and wellbeing priorities of employees and have a baseline from which to assess improvements. For more information on the myHaswell online Wellbeing Questionnaire that enables employers to carry out regular wellbeing surveys easily and quickly on large numbers of employees, please contact us on 0118 449 2829.

Dr Angela Ellam
Angela is a co-founder and Director of Haswell Analytics Limited. She has played key roles in the shaping and managing the myHaswell services.