Top Tips for Promoting Employee Wellbeing

Many of us, as employees and employers, encounter varying degrees of stress throughout the course of our working days. Workplace stress occurs “when the demands of the job and the working environment on a person exceeds their capacity to meet them”. 

As we have seen a significant change in how people work, with many employees now working fully remote or choosing a hybrid model the concept of wellbeing is becoming of increased importance. 

Employers Duty Of Care 

Employers have a duty of care to employees. This is reinforced in the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005. It is wise for employers to have a procedure in place to tackle the issue should they identify an employee experiencing a high level of stress or show any other concerning signs that their wellbeing may be affected. This not only empowers the employer to take action to help the employee, but it also shows the employee experiencing issues and other co-workers that the company cares and that they are willing to help alleviate such instances. 

Benefits Of Improved Wellbeing 

Improved workplace wellbeing can lead to sustained improvements within the workplace including increased creativity, improved employee loyalty, improved productivity and better overall customer satisfaction. In light of this information, many employers are now concentrating on workplace wellbeing initiatives and have achieved considerable improvements from doing so. Ensuring wellbeing is inherent in the workplace will give rise to benefits such as retention of healthy happy employees, decreased rates of illness/injury, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, increased morale and satisfaction. 

Top Tips on How to Manage Wellbeing in Your Workplace 

• Awareness & Proactiveness: Employers should ensure that demands which are placed on employees are reasonable. It is best practice that if employers become aware of staff members suffering from any work-related issues or where an employee is showing any concerning signs in relation to their wellbeing, that the Employer takes action immediately to ascertain the cause and identify ways of helping the individual, if any. 

• Policies: Policies and procedures can be put in place to protect and support employees and can include for example a Dignity and Respect at Work Policy, which again promotes a positive culture that all complaints or concerns in relation to an employee’s Dignity and Respect at Work will be dealt with appropriately. 

• Information: Provide information on general online wellness ideas i.e., online exercise details, online nutritional information, support groups and emergency numbers to help support employees. 

• Speaking to health professionals: The possibility for online discussion with a health professional or a psychologist is another concrete action that can help reduce anxiety and panic and overcome feelings of being alone or powerlessness. Advising employees to avail of this through their GP would be a proactive step to take. 

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP):A positive approach to proactively promoting wellbeing within the workplace is the implementation of an Employee Assistance Programme for employees. Employers can sign up for an Employee Assistance Programme for a yearly subscription,to offer help and support as required for their employees. This is a free and confidential service to the employee. It is a service that provides advice and counselling support to employees in times of need. Employee Assistance Programmes are generally available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and are accessible by phone, email and online. For further enquiries on an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) please contact the HR Suite for a quote. 

• Maintain Communication: Regular communication to employees can make an employee feel more at ease and feel more confident in openly expressing concerns at early stages which allows the Company to deal with these concerns at an early stage rather than these escalating further. In an era when digital technology is an integral part of people’s lives employers can use this tool effectively to facilitate meetings or regular communications virtually where necessary for example where employees are working remotely. As an employer, a positive approach would be to facilitate weekly meetings with employees to check in with them and to discuss their workload or anything else which should be addressed. Conducting regular brainstorming sessions with your team can also have positive effects on improving happiness and well-being at work. 

• Culture: Create an open environment for employees to learn about their own well-being and share ideas with their colleagues during these unprecedented times. Where there is an open culture encouraged employees will feel more confident in openly expressing any concerns or any struggles they may be facing. 

• Online Training: Provide online training on a number of topics to help reduce stress or to create awareness; time management, wellbeing and mental health awareness, dignity and respect etc.

These are just a few examples of activities that can be adapted in your workplace to maintain and increase wellbeing in the workplace. Measures to combat people’s isolation, loneliness, anxiety or stress in relation to work; and improve people’s well-being, can contribute to wellbeing of employees who are physically in the workplace but also those who continue to work from home or work based on a hybrid model.

The HR Suite can advise you and your organisation on how to be proactive in introducing wellbeing awareness to your organisation.  If you are an organisation based in the Republic of Ireland and require further information or advice relating to HR, please do not hesitate to contact our office on (066)7102887 or email us at info@thehrsuite.com.