The state of health – from fitness to general well-being – has an impact on the disposition and commitment to work. That is why the concept of striving for results is increasingly being abandoned, even at the expense of employee comfort. Wellbeing is becoming an increasingly important term that is being changed by all cases in organizations.

„Wellbeing” – a general concept that in free translation means well-being, a situation in which a person feels at ease and comfortable. And what is wellbeing in professional terms?

Wellbeing at work is based on a concept in which the most important is the human being. In this idea, an important role is played by m.in a sense of security, as well as creating space to realize one’s ambitions and potential. In a professional environment, it is a space where an employee copes with stress, is distinguished by mental resilience, feels appreciated and satisfied with his professional challenges and successes. The very concept of wellbeing and created theories is the result of positive psychology, based on maximizing development, motivation and good emotions, which become fuel for action.

The average worker spends about 48 hours a week at work. It is estimated that in general it is even 1/3 of the whole life. No wonder that the workplace should meet a number of conditions that would reduce the risk of negative impact on private life.

Wellbeing in the organization is therefore based on building a happy, harmonious team that will be willing to perform its tasks. It is a kind of tied transaction in which both parties derive important benefits. Forbes [1] published a set of studies and statistics showing that happy employees are up to 20% more productive. This, in turn, allows you to reduce stress levels and derive more satisfaction from new tasks and challenges. What’s more, there is a friendlier atmosphere in these teams, thanks to which the already mentioned well-being is also felt by other employees.

In addition, a sense of well-being at work affects overall physical and mental health. The report „Health and Wellbeing at Work” (2022) indicated that it is m.in mental health, stress and bodily ailments that are the cause of absence from work (both in the short and long term). This is of great importance in the modern world and in the face of numerous civilization diseases. Awareness of how much impact work has on this reality is a solid argument to introduce the idea of wellbeing.

Wellbeing requires action in several areas and is often based on the method of small steps. In their approach and implementation, the organization’s culture, existing processes and relationships are important. At the initial stage, the company should therefore analyze all these areas and – if possible – ask employees about specific needs and valuable values for them.

Wellbeing (examples) are, m.in.:

• proposing and implementing flexible working hours,
• healthy snacks in the office,
• enabling remote or hybrid work,
• additional medical packages,
• salary supplement,
• additional sports activities (e.g. yoga) or training,
• proposing permanent working conditions, thanks to which the employee has a sense of security,
• employee volunteering.

Wellbeing at work is associated with a large number of benefits, both for employees and for the organization itself.

Among the main benefits should be mentioned, m.in.:

• building a strong organizational culture, i.e. a set of values and behaviors that define the nature of the company and make employees begin to identify with it;
• increasing the efficiency of employees – excellent well-being means greater willingness to work, greater commitment and a much higher level of motivation to take on new tasks and duties;
• better relations within the company – a calm and appreciated employee copes with conflicts more easily, is open to feedback and is not afraid to give it to his colleagues;
• reduction of absenteeism – the aforementioned report [2] indicated that health problems are the main cause of short and long breaks in the performance of employee duties;
• Lower staff turnover – replacing an employee is associated with high costs, which is why the prospect of building a permanent team is the optimization of time and expenses.

Wellbeing in practice is a simple way to employee satisfaction, as well as to increase his efficiency, satisfaction and thus improve results. Wellbeing has ceased to be simply a set of various benefits – these are definitely bigger and more significant changes in the entire organization and the company’s values. It can therefore be concluded that the emphasis on such elements should be a priority, especially in the context of the new generation entering the labor market.

Source: https://www.ey.com/pl_pl/workforce/wellbeing-w-miejscu-pracy

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.