WELLBEING AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE WORKPLACE
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Wellbeing and its Importance in the Workplace
Task One – Briefing Paper for the Senior Leadership Team
Issues and Theories of Wellbeing
Issues at the Workplace
Various issues can impact on organizational wellbeing and affect overall performance. Looking at the Orchard Group case study, it is possible to identify various issues that require considerable attention lest the firm fails to become competitive. One of the issues in the identified firm is increase in absences across the company, especially for front line workers. The firm should pay considerable attention addressing absenteeism as soon as possible because the concern impacts negatively on individual productivity. It is essential to consider the primary cause, which may be due to various reasons, encompassing disengagement, illness, or burnout, and recommend effective suggestions based on the cause for being absent (Aryanti et al. 2020, p. 605). The other issue that requires considerable attention from the management is enhanced turnover rates, a problem that presently stands at 33%. The issue deserves much attention because Aryanti et al. (2020, p. 607) affirm that the effects of high turnover rates include but not limited to reduced productivity, enhanced cost of recruitment, reduced sales, and lost time in training new workers. In addition, the matter deserves urgent attention because an organization with high employee turnover often grapple with improving productivity and low employee satisfaction (Aryanti et al. 2020, p. 607). Each of the identified issues deserve much attention from organizational leaders and team members to restore normal and lucrative operations.
Theories in Wellbeing at Work
It is easier to foster and achieve wellbeing at the workplace by considering and applying the provisions of the various theories of wellbeing. One of the relevant theories is self-determination theory that provides a promising psychological view of human wellbeing. The theory implies that people are inspired to grow and transform by three wellbeing requirements. The framework implies that people have the capacity become self-determined when their urge for autonomy, connection, and competence are achieved (Manganelli et al. 2017, p. 5). The theory is advantageous because there is an opportunity for people to develop and grow, which will in the long run better their performance and mental health, and transform the advantages to gains for the firm as well. These encompass but are not restricted to culture, performance, and profits (Manganelli et al. 2017, p. 9). However, the chief limitation with the theory is that it is not guaranteed that all workers will become motivated by fulfilling the three requirements. The theory of wellbeing is the hedonic view, which implies that wellbeing is associated with happiness. The theory stresses the significance of three factors; lack of negative mood, availability of positive mood, and individual satisfaction (Peiro et al. 2019, p. 5008). The chief merit with the hedonic perspective is that it emphasizes on nurturing appropriate behavior while the demerit is that it tends to pay much attention to the behavioral aspect while disregarding other equally essential factors that could impact on wellbeing (Peiro et al. 2019, p. 5014). However, despite the limitations associated with the theories they still serve fundamental functions in fostering wellbeing at the workstation.
Definition of Wellbeing and Managing Wellbeing to Achieve Organizational Goals
Definition of Wellbeing
Wellbeing is increasingly a focus of most businesses around the globe. It refers to a firm’s capacity to form and uphold a culture where staff members can meet their potential and the firm can profitably meet its purpose. Workplace wellbeing refers to all forms of working life, from safety and quality of physical environment, to how employees feel about their duties, their working condition, and work organization and climate at the workstation (Bartels et al. 2019). Some issues that relate to wellbeing at work include flexibility, working hours, workplace stress, mental health, and staff wellness. The issues are not restricted to these, it can possibly go beyond this and incorporate many other aspects. Investing in wellbeing at the workplace can result in enhanced resilience, improved worker engagement, minimized absence due to sickness, and increased productivity and performance (Bartels et al. 2019). Nonetheless, in many instances, initiatives dedicated towards nurturing wellbeing fall short of their capability because they are secluded from everyday business practices. Moreover, wellbeing has to do with the employees’ overall happiness and is fundamental to their health (Bartels et al. 2019). Consequently, team leaders should engage their workers and foster the enactment of initiatives committed towards bolstering wellbeing.
Supporting Wellbeing to Achieve Organizational Goals
It is imperative to pay considerable attention to improving wellbeing at the workplace because the approach increases the likelihood for achieving organizational goals. It is apparent in the case of the Orchard Group that one of the primary goals for the company is to deal with the escalating rate of absences. An appropriate way to attain this aspiration is to offer provisions that would compel workers to be present all the time unless it is very necessary that they be absent (Aryanti et al. 2020). Thus, taking steps to ensure that staff members are happy and get what they need, and enacting mechanisms to alleviate work-related stress may also go a long way into achieving the organizational aspiration. The other goal for the Orchard Group is to manage the increasing turnover that evidently threatens operations. If turnover levels are high, the immediate repercussions are serious. Some of the undesirable effects of high turnover rates according to Aryanti et al. (2020) are loss of motivation for those left, loss of important experience and knowledge, and lack of belief in the company’s ability to perform and competence. However, taking measures geared towards improving wellbeing at the workplace such as improving flexibility, initiating measures that improve the workers’ mental health, and working to create flexible hours may help to reduce the rate at which workers leave the station for other workplaces (Aryanti et al. 2020). Thus, it is apparent that supporting wellbeing may play instrumental roles in achieving organizational goals, and those charged with fostering wellbeing should put much effort into making the area work as anticipated.
Value of Supporting Wellbeing Practices in Organizations
Benefits of Adopting Wellbeing Practices
Embracing wellbeing practices in an organization has many benefits that are worth exploring. Focusing on this area presents the chance to perform well in areas that could otherwise affect how the firm performs. For example, promoting wellbeing at the workplace helps to avoid unnecessary workload that could be difficult to handle, something that often affects productivity. Workload and job demands according to Bartels et al. (2019) are the leading cause of stress in the workstation and stress is one of the leading causes of absenteeism. Besides, encouraging wellbeing at the workplace helps to address issues emanating from leave-ism, which refers to the utilization of banked hours or yearly leave to take time off when sick, extending the work one is unable to complete at the workplace to the home environment, something that suggests an unbearable workload. In other words, encouraging wellbeing helps to achieve work life balance that allows workers to focus on their work and other equally essential things not related to the workplace (Bartels et al. 2019). Promoting wellbeing at the workplace may also help to overcome burnout that is a condition that forms when a person has experienced strenuous exposure to stressing factors at the workplace. Consequently, workers may feel that they have achieved very little or nothing and may become increasingly detached. Hence, team leaders should be able to explain whether the enacted methods contribute towards achieving the targeted goals, and whether things work as anticipated (Bartels et al. 2019). Some of the factors to consider, which may help to understand whether the enacted measures work effectively is to monitor level of engagement and productivity. Team leaders should make it their habit to conduct regular reviews that may help to determine whether the wellbeing initiatives put in place work as expected.
Task Two – Review of Organizational Practice
Section 1 – Organizational Context Shaping Wellbeing
Internal and External Factors impacting on Organizational Wellbeing
Various internal factors impact on organizational wellbeing, which requires the attention of the organization. An example of an internal factor that may determine organizational wellbeing are people professionals who have a lead function to serve in guiding the health and wellbeing in firms. People professionals ensure that the senior leadership perceive it as a priority and infuse wellbeing activities into the firm’s everyday practices. The party communicates the merits of a healthy and stable workstation to line managers, who are largely in charge of executing people management and wellbeing structures and policies. The second group of internal influencers are senior managers. It is imperative to acknowledge that absence of senior management dedication to wellbeing can be a considerable obstruction to implementation. Senior managers are important role models, and workers and line managers are more likely to interact with wellbeing and health initiatives if they see senior leaders engage them actively (Manganelli et al. 2017, p. 10). In addition, senior managers have the influence and power to make sure that wellbeing is a strategic approach infused in the firm’s everyday culture and operations. Consequently, the organization should pay much attention to how these groups of leaders perform their duties knowing that any failure on their part could impact on organizational wellness.
Similarly, various external factors influence organizational wellbeing in various dimensions. For instance, technological advancements allow firms to embrace newer forms of performing their activities and making operations more effective. For instance, at Virgin Atlantic, the management is increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to improve service delivery, an initiative that makes work easier for workers. The use of digital records and enhanced communication models further makes the working environment a conducive one for all workers, something that also impacts on wellbeing because workers do not have to strain to give the needed services (Manganelli et al. 2017, p. 11). In addition to technology, state regulations and policies play fundamental roles in determining wellbeing at the workplace. For instance, state regulations on wage and working hour impact on how leaders relate with their workers. Firms also have to abide by regulations on work safety and employer-employee relationship, which is crucial in influencing wellbeing. Also important is the economic situation. The firm is more likely to invest in wellbeing initiatives when it generates much revenue from its operations as opposed to when economic constraints such as inflation and high taxes deter customers from making more or regular purchases. Senior management or the team charged with the task of steering wellbeing initiatives should take these external factors seriously and incorporate them while developing needed programs.
Regardless of whether they emanate from internal or external factors, the organization needs to pay considerable attention to various wellbeing areas at the workstation. One particular area that deserves attention is workplace safety. A safe and healthy workstation in what constitutes physical wellness not only safeguards employees from illness and injury, it can also reduce illness and injury costs, minimize turnover and absenteeism, boost quality and productivity, and improve worker morale (Bartels et al. 2019). The other wellbeing area that deserves much attention from the organization is social wellness, which entails being aware of the influence the firm has on the community and society. Moreover, focusing on this aspect is important as it would ensure that workers have enough time be with their friends and families (Bartels et al. 2019). Also important is the need to focus on spiritual wellness considering that spiritual strength is the force that drives people to be committed to others and the country. Focusing on these three aspects regardless of influencing factors in the internal and external factors would help to improve how employees perform their duties.
How to Integrate Wellbeing with other Areas of People Practice
When executing a wellbeing program, it is necessary that all other elements of HR are taken into consideration. This may encompass but not restricted to incorporating into other HR regulations and practices. The team in charge should review with other aspects of people practice –such as job design, diversity, health, learning and development and motivation. These aspects should be reviewed adequately to ensure that are actions are intertwined properly.
The previous section identifies the need for the organization to pay considerable attention to people professionals because they play crucial roles in determining wellbeing at the workplace. It also identifies senior managers as being equally essential in impacting on wellbeing and who deserve much attention from the organization to handle the initiative as effectively as possible. Thus, it is essential to empower this groups of leaders about the most suitable ways for fostering wellbeing at the workstation because the training would help to boost their application of models aimed at improving physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing at the workstation (Manganelli et al. 2017, p. 12). The training should equip these leaders with skills that may help them to use wellbeing as a strategic approach. In addition to training these leaders on how to improve wellbeing initiatives at the workstation with regard to improving physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing, it is imperative for the organization to motivate them using the most suitable motivational models as way of encouraging them to focus on the three identified dimensions of wellbeing. A suitable motivational structure for these group leaders could be Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, which requires implementers to consider five key elements when carrying out the motivation.
McLeod 2007
Based on the above framework, paying workers well to allow them access physiological needs such as water, food, and warmth would encourage them to work harder towards ensuring that the wellbeing initiative are in place and work effectively. The organization should ensure that the leaders work in conditions that acknowledge their safety, belongingness and love needs, esteem, self-actualization needs (McLeod 2007). A well-planned motivation structure would ensure that the factors in the internal environment propel the development of a wellbeing program. More fundamentally is essential to foster diversity when the identified leaders work towards improving organizational wellbeing. A diverse workstation brings with it new ideas that workers may use to improve their operations.
The team while focusing on how technology impacts on wellbeing it needs to engage all workers to equip them with relevant information about how the new innovative ideas may help to elevate wellbeing practices at the workstation. The engagement would ensure that everyone gets along with new ideas and concepts considering that technology impacts on how organizations and individual workers perform their duties (Aryanti et al. 2020). In addition, the engagement would help to ensure that the interveners use modern technology to address the physical, social, and spiritual aspects of wellbeing. The engagement should go hand-in-hand with learning and development because some emerging technologies require workers to be familiar with how they work before actively interacting with them. Integrating wellbeing with other areas of peoples practice increases the chances of achieving impressive performance when it comes to implementing wellbeing initiatives.
Section 2 – Value of Wellbeing Initiatives
Value of Existing Organizational Practices in meeting Organizational Goals
An existing organizational practice aimed at wellbeing is the need to achieve physical wellbeing with the motive of promoting health and safety. Paying much attention to this area adds much value in meeting organizational needs because workers are not disrupted by ailments and that they do not become causalities of security breaches or any other factor that affect security. In addition, paying considerable attention to the physical wellbeing aspect provides an opportunity to achieve organizational goals because customers would be attracted to interact with a firm that upholds safety of all stakeholders, thus increasing the likelihood for generating more revenue (Aryanti et al. 2020). On the other hand, paying considerable attention to social wellbeing presents a suitable chance to meet organizational goals because the societies and communities where the company serves feel that the group cares for their needs and will reciprocate by purchasing provided services and goods. Moreover, it is easier for workers to perform their work with ease and be at a chance of increasing their productivity because they do not have to worry about the things that happen in their homes when they have enough time to address them. Moreover, focusing on spiritual wellbeing is equally important in helping the firm to meet its goals considering that some people draw their inspiration from worshipping and indulging in other religious practices (Aryanti et al. 2020). When workers have the freedom to engage in religious practices as they wish they are at ease when they perform their duties and contribute towards meeting organizational needs.
Recommendations of Suitable Wellbeing Initiatives
Concerning improving the physical wellbeing the approach entails allowing workers to engage in a series of activities. They will attend aerobic activities at least three times a week to help them get fit. The approach advocates for adequate sleeping time to allow workers to wake up when they are refreshed and ready to perform the work ahead. The practice also entails fitting security features such as CCTVs and strong fences to uphold safety at the workplace (Peiro et al. 2019, p. 5015). The team will also offer tips on how to deal with issues on nutrition, alcohol, and tobacco that could determine how workers perform their duties. Offering the advice is important because this makes it possible to identify whether workers deal with particular mental issues that could deter how they function. The key resource in this case is a guiding policy that defines what ought to happen as a way of managing physical wellbeing at the workstation. The timescale for delivery in this case is two months. On the other hand, improving the social aspect of wellbeing will allow workers enough time to associate with friends and family members (Peiro et al. 2019, p. 5015). The group will inquire from workers whether they think that the associations they make arte helpful or not. The plan will urge members to join various groups or clubs where they have a chance to share issues on different issues that could impact in their performance. The needed resource to excel in this area is support from senior management. Focusing on the social aspects with a timescale of two months increase the chances of achieving the targeted aspirations.
Finally, with regard to nurturing the spiritual wellbeing of workers, all members will have an opportunity to practice their religion. Workers will have a special day for meditation and prayer, and will also have a time to relax. Also, the primary resource in this case is a policy that acknowledges the need to preserve the spiritual desires of team members. However, denying workers the chance to enjoy their spiritual rights and desires could result in contradictions and oppositions that affect wellbeing initiatives.
Section 3 – Implementation and Evaluation of Wellbeing Initiatives
Steps Needed for Successful Implementation of a Wellbeing Program
Implementing the suggested mitigation plan requires the team to consider several critical steps. A suitable framework to guide the implementation process is Kurt Lewin’s model of change that require implementers to consider three critical phases; unfreezing, change, and refreezing. The unfreezing phase entails explaining why the change is necessary and why it is important to pay considerable attention to the three dimensions of wellbeing (Hussain et al. 2016, p. 123). Paying attention to this area presents an opportunity for the target audience to ask questions on areas where they feel require further analysis and explanation. The second phase, change, is where real transformation happens, and where the suggested activities are put into action (Hussain et al. 2016, p. 124). All resources are invested at this phase to ensure that the achieved outcome is helpful and in accordance with what was expected. The final step in using Lewin’s model is refreezing, which entails explaining why it is essential to embrace the suggested practices and never to let go of them until the group achieves the targeted aspirations (Hussain et al. 2016, p. 125). Adhering to the model by Lewin as effectively as possible serves fundamental functions because it offers a step-by-step guidance of how to implement a wellbeing program.
Steps to Support effective Stakeholder Contribution
Taking additional measures to facilitate effective stakeholder engagement presents a better chance to achieve the targeted aspirations with regard to implementing the three dimensions of wellbeing. The practice is likely to excel by engaging them through electronic means or other available approaches to find out what they think need to improve to meet the targeted aspirations. Using electronic means such as phone calls, email among others will help to distribute the key message in real-time while providing the chance to address all matters as effectively as possible. The other suitable way to engage stakeholders is to hold regular meetings where parties discuss what needs to improve to witness significant strides in this area. Stakeholders, however, will get the chance to give their views depending on the value they have on the organization or awareness they have on dealing with such issues.
Evaluating and Monitoring a Wellbeing Program
One way of evaluating the effectiveness of the wellbeing program is to use the SBI feedback model. The framework requires the one in charge of the model to describe the situation, which in this sense entails introducing the needed change. The behavior or response and the impact of the listener would determine the influence of the message on them (Consuunt 2022). Hence, the wellness program would be termed as being effective if leaders respond by taking actions to overcome factors that could affect wellbeing. The resources committed towards the process would also show the impact of the situation on team leaders. The SBI feedback model appears below.
Consuunt 2022
The other way to evaluate and monitor the program is to identify level of commitment to work. Increased dedication to perform organizational chores would indicate that the wellness program serves key roles in ensuring that workers feel cared for and protected while offering their services. However, it may be essential to find out whether other factors have also impacted on increased productivity other than the wellbeing program alone to acquire a true picture of the situation.
Reference List
Aryanti, R, Sari, E, & Widiana, H. (2020) “A literature review of workplace well-being”, Conference: International Conference on Community Development, 2020. [Online]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346452295_A_Literature_Review_of_Workplace_Well-Being. [Accessed 3 June 2022]
Bartels, L, Peterson, J, & Reina, S. (2019) “Understanding well-being at work: Development and validation of the eudaimonic workplace well-being scale”, PLoS ONE, 14 (4), https://www.researchgate.net/deref/https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0215957
Consuunt. (2022) What is the SBI feedback model? [Online]. Available from: https://www.consuunt.com/sbi-feedback-model/. [Accessed 3 June 2022]
Hussain, S, Shen, L, Akram, T, & Haider, M. (2016) “Kurt Lewin’s process model for organizational change: The role of leadership and employee involvement: A critical review”, Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 3, pp. 123-127.
Manganelli, L, Laundry, A, & Carpentier, J. (2017) “Self-determination theory can help you generate performance and well-being in the workplace: A review of the literature”, Advances in Developing Human Resources, 20 (2), pp. 1-14.
McLeod, S. (2007) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. [Online] Available from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. [Accessed 3 June 2022]
Peiro, J, Kozusznik, M, & Soriano, A. (2019) “From happiness orientations to work performance: The mediating role of hedonic and eudaimonic experiences”, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (24), pp. 5002-5017.