A never before catastrophe has changed our lives forever. Now, even as the world heals, many still grapple with anxiety, burnout and grief, compounded by an uncertain future. Consequently, there is a dramatic swing in the mindset of employees with a new found resolve to focus on balanced work home integration. Career choices are now based on personal priorities and meaningful roles and are not just about financial returns. Accordingly, a seismic shift in work place dynamics is being witnessed giving a new complexion to the “People First” agenda. Well-being is now at the centre stage of an organisation for long term sustainability and survival.

Wellbeing necessarily includes a constellation of benefits and healthcare offerings to support employees’ physical,emotional and mental health. However, today, these standalone initiatives are inadequate. We need a thriving culture of caring entrenched in the organisation that enables employees to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic and adapt to a new way of living. Wellbeing then encompasses the entire gamut of talent management practices, policies and work arrangements for a balanced fit of work into life.

Nurturing Environment

Physical health and safety remains paramount necessitating a secure workplace and healthcare offerings for employees and their families. However, importance of psychological safety is equally important and entails a conducive work environment to address the negative undertones of mental health. It encourages active engagement with employees to be themselves, to take a break, rest, or slow down, to speak up and ask questions, to be quiet or show up late, and most of all to feel included, respected and valued.

Employee behaviour has to be then viewed not just from a "performance lens", but a "wellbeing lens" where empathetic bosses and supportive colleagues offer assistance for personal and work issues. They would ensure reasonable workloads and adequate staffing to honour personal boundaries, as burn outs will aggravate the situation for employees who are already in the “always on” mode.

Hi Tech Hight Touch

Technology is being leveraged to deliver superior performance but also can enhance quality of engagement and communication with employees. Providing employees with necessary feedback,updates,resources and tools equip them to manage their work effectively that also contributes to their well being

Flexibility is the New Mantra

The blurred intersection of work and personal life is giving way to a hybrid workplace. Flexibility releases employees from regimented practices of attendance, tedious commutes and provides opportunity to mutually decide work arrangements and timelines. Autonomy increases accountability and yet provides employees the comfort of their safety and wellbeing. Flexible working also empowers women who have faced the brunt of the pandemic to comfortably return to work.

Meaningful Career Growth

To enable employees to rebounce,roles and career paths now need to be reshaped to drive employees’ growth & ambition. A healthy workload balance,meaningful roles backed with learning opportunities to remain relevant provide the much needed confidence and satisfaction to the employees. Moreover, opportunities to engage employees in local community work helps them to overcome the setbacks and trauma they have faced in recent months.

Compensation & Benefits

Massive layoffs have been witnessed in recent time and the spectre of job losses remains. Salary and job security continue to be top pain points. Equitable transparent compensations packages will go a long way in restoring financial stability and destressing employees.

Beyond the Bottom Line

Accordingly, today, business leaders while “driving results and bottom lines” have a bigger responsibility for integrating wellbeing into the cultural ethos of the organisation. An organisation which is visibly humane and caring for their rank and file, signals to all stakeholder that their employees are valued and safe. A net-positive impact is then created that augurs well for the entire organisation health and wellbeing.