In 2023, the overall well-being of young workers under 35 experienced a significant decline, as highlighted in the recent Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report.
Similarly, the World Happiness Report revealed a widening gap between younger and older age groups, with baby boomers now having life evaluations about one-quarter of a point higher than those born after 1980. This alarming trend underscores the critical need for organizations to prioritize employee wellbeing and actively work to reduce workplace stress.
Employee wellbeing is not just a buzzword; it is essential for fostering a productive and engaged workforce. Higher stress levels and declining mental health can significantly impact job performance, leading to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates. Addressing these issues head-on is crucial for maintaining a healthy, motivated, and efficient team.
Here are four actionable steps you can implement immediately to alleviate employee stress and improve overall wellbeing:
Why Employee Wellbeing Matters
But before we jump on the steps let’s see why employee wellbeing matters. While these percentage differences may seem small, Gallup emphasizes that generational gaps in wellbeing and happiness should be a priority for every organization. A decade ago, younger workers consistently had higher life evaluations than older workers. However, increased levels of daily stress and worry, with work being a significant factor, have changed this trend. Focusing on employee wellness not only supports mental health but also boosts productivity. For instance, 83% of employees at the top companies in the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for reported having a psychologically and emotionally healthy workplace, which led to substantial productivity boosts.
For employers, addressing mental health and wellbeing requires deliberate and well-planned wellness programs to help employees thrive. Supporting employee wellbeing and reducing stress involves more than occasional virtual or courtyard yoga classes and an underutilized Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Four Steps to Improving Wellbeing
1. Keep Your EAP (Employee Assistance Program) but Communicate It Better
EAPs are valuable but often underutilized, with an average utilization rate as low as 8% for many companies. A shocking 58% of employees remain unaware of the benefits available to them, and approximately 30% of these benefits go unused. Better communication is essential to ensure EAP utilization.
Traditional digital experiences, such as mass emails, fall short based on the low utilization rate. Consider this: 80% of the workforce, encompassing 2.7 billion people worldwide, are deskless employees without access to emails. Even if employees have access to email, they may miss the message due to the sheer volume of 347 billion emails sent daily.
Personalized, omnichannel communications that reach employees with the right information at the right time on the channels of their preference, through journey automation can help them receive valuable wellness and mental health messages during critical moments. For example, automatically sending a mobile push notification about free counseling services to a retail worker returning from bereavement leave can be incredibly powerful. Providing timely information helps employees utilize counseling, financial services, legal assistance, and other offerings in your organization’s total rewards package.
2. Make Wellness a Part of Your Company Goals
To make wellbeing an integral part of your company culture, it must be woven into your organizational goals and strategy. Younger generations now expect this from their employers. When wellbeing is prioritized as a company goal and championed by leadership, it demonstrates to employees that their wellbeing is valued, making it more likely to be ingrained in the culture. Prioritizing employee wellbeing enhances productivity and boosts shareholder value.
Integrating well-being into the company’s internal comms strategy signals managers that it is a priority. It encourages them to allow employees time to participate in wellbeing programs and gives managers the confidence to create supportive environments as part of their team goals.
3. Train Managers on Mental Health Communication
Invest in training managers on how to effectively communicate about mental health. This helps create a culture of openness and support, making it easier for employees to discuss their mental health concerns without fear of stigma. Well-trained managers can identify signs of stress and burnout, provide appropriate support, and direct employees to available resources. Training can include:
Recognizing signs and symptoms: Train managers to identify signs of mental health issues among team members, such as changes in behavior, mood swings, or decreased productivity.
Effective communication techniques: Teach managers how to initiate conversations about mental health sensitively and supportively, including active listening skills and empathy-building techniques.
Navigating resources and support: Educate managers on available mental health resources within the organization and externally, and how to effectively guide employees to access these resources when needed.
4. Reduce Noise through a Customer-Like Experience
HR communications play a pivotal role in cultivating a culture of wellbeing by serving as a conduit for awareness. Employees are bombarded with information daily, which can contribute to stress and mental health issues. One way to reduce noise is by creating a customer-like experience with an intelligent communication platform.
Think about your experience with companies like Amazon. From browsing a product to purchasing it, you receive up-to-date information on any device, reminders, and personalized experiences based on your preferences. Imagine if this same customer experience existed for employees. Your employees would receive personalized information through an omnichannel strategy when and where they need it most.
The Role of Internal Communications Platforms in Enhancing Employee Health and Well-being
In the quest to nurture a healthy work environment and improve employee well-being, internal communications platforms are emerging as indispensable solutions. These platforms are designed to streamline and enhance the delivery of information, ensuring that every employee feels connected and informed. By offering personalized and targeted communications, they can directly contribute to employee health by reducing feelings of isolation and increasing awareness about wellness programs and resources.
Internal communications platforms excel in creating a customer-like experience for employees, where information is tailored to individual roles and preferences. This means that the communications employees receive are not only relevant but also timely, helping to mitigate stress and boost morale. Moreover, such platforms can facilitate the dissemination of wellness tips, mental health resources, and company updates, ensuring that employees are well-equipped to manage their well-being.
These platforms also enable organizations to monitor engagement levels and gather feedback, which is crucial for refining wellness initiatives over time. By understanding what works and what doesn't, companies can adjust their strategies to better meet the needs of their workforce. In short, internal communications platforms are not merely tools for sharing information; they are powerful allies in the mission to support and enhance employee health and well-being.
Why Organizations Trust Sparrow Connected
Sparrow Connected is a trusted award-winning internal communications platform that helps organizations improve employee wellbeing through effective communication. By using Sparrow Connected, companies can implement personalized, omnichannel communication strategies that reach employees during critical moments in their lives. This approach ensures that employees are informed, supported, and engaged, leading to a more productive and healthier workforce.
One of our clients from the manufacturing Industry has successfully implemented Sparrow Connected to target employees by role and location, providing content, systems, and resources tailored to each individual employee. This personalized approach has significantly improved employee wellbeing by 40% and employee engagement by 300% in just 6 months.
Final Thoughts
By implementing these four strategies and focusing on improving organizational communication, organizations can create a more supportive and engaging work environment, ultimately leading to improved employee wellbeing and reduced stress. This proactive approach will enable companies to retain top talent and foster a thriving and productive workplace culture.
Book a Free 30-Min IC Consultation with Sparrow Connected today to learn how we can help your organization improve employee wellbeing and reduce workplace stress.
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