At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies saw mass employee departures due to employees feeling dissatisfied with their roles and work environments, resulting in the Great Resignation.
Some professional and business service workers quit due to a lack of work-life integration and growth opportunities from their employers.
Beyond the Big Quit: Ushering the Great Return
Those who left during the “Big Quit” are now part of an emerging phenomenon called the “Great Return,” which sees them returning to work or their old jobs due to factors like an oncoming recession and massive lay-offs.
Since companies now operate in a new world of work, recruiters must change how they fill vacant roles. Employees still want control over their work and seek the purpose and meaning behind it, which organizations seem to understand. Flexible working arrangements, promotions, and better work environments have made the Great Return a reality.
A Look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
We all have different needs to live a full life, as highlighted by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs comprising five levels within a pyramid:
The hierarchy of needs encompasses the following necessities:
- Physiological needs - Air, water, food, shelter, and other basic needs
- Safety - Personal security, employment, resources, health, and property
- Love and belonging - Friendships, intimacy, family, and a sense of connection
- Esteem - Respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, and freedom
- Self-actualization - Self-actualization happens when we realize our full potential
Furthermore, we can divide these needs into deficiency and growth needs. The bottom levels are deficiency needs, while self-actualization is a growth need.
Deficiency Needs
Deficiency needs to emerge when people are denied them. In turn, people are motivated to satisfy these necessities the longer they’re deprived of them.
We must meet deficiency needs before focusing on top-level necessities. But Maslow clarified that these are “all-or-nothing” needs in that we don’t need to satisfy deficit needs completely.
Growth Needs
Unlike deficiency needs, growth needs emerge as we seek personal growth. We can only achieve self-actualization after meeting these needs. However, our experiences can keep us from satisfying deficit and growth needs.
Understanding these needs and providing the best resources or options to meet them can help employers improve and protect worker well-being.
The Current State of Hybrid Work
69% of companies worldwide, including Philippine firms, shifted to remote work in March 2021. Sprout’s Future of Work survey noted that 64% of local companies had adopted work-from-home (WFH) setups.
Remote work promotes greater work-life integration, improves employee well-being, and boosts productivity. But it also makes collaboration and handling important projects challenging.
What Does Hybrid Work Mean?
Hybrid work setups allow your employees to work in the office and at home on different days of the week. They offer flexibility without sacrificing your workforce’s productivity and better work-life integration.
Beyond these goals, hybrid work comes with these benefits.
A More Productive Workforce
Employees can work however they’re most comfortable in a hybrid environment. In turn, it may help increase their productivity.
Happy Employees & A Sense of Belonging
Hybrid work allows companies to focus on their work culture. A company culture that makes everyone feel they’re truly part of your organization can promote autonomy at work.
More Engaged Employees
Hybrid work enables face-to-face interactions. Ultimately, collaboration increases, and workers become more engaged.
7 Ways to Improve & Promote Employee Well-Being
If you’ve already adopted hybrid work or you’re preparing to do so, these strategies will help you ensure and support better employee wellness.
Give Your Employees Flexibility
Work can keep us away from our families and hobbies, affecting our well-being.
Offering your employees flexibility allows them to adapt their work to their needs or focus on projects outside work. It increases work-life integration and lets your employees know you trust them. In turn, your workforce can perform at their best.
Promote a Healthier Lifestyle
It’s necessary to employees first and focus on their well-being, so they can focus on performing their best. Supportive peers, a stimulating culture, and wellness programs all contribute to this.
You can build a healthier workplace by organizing physical activities during workdays, offering mindfulness and meditation classes, or learning healthy habits.
Give Your Employees a Voice
Poor communication can also affect employee well-being. Pulse surveys can help you uncover how your workforce feels about your organization and any deep-seated issues they have.
Their answers may indicate the best workplace employee well-being strategy or program. It helps to make your surveys anonymous so everyone can feel more inclined to share their thoughts.
Help Workers Protect Their Mental Health
In 2022, around 53% of Philippine employees reported facing mental health challenges during the pandemic. Many surveyed workers felt stressed, while others claimed they were anxious, depressed, or feeling numb.
More pressure on employees to deliver their best work was a factor behind these mental health issues. Hence, implementing mental health programs, mentorship programs, and mental health leaves is crucial to better employee well-being.
Acknowledge Employee Achievements
Some employers fail to recognize employees' value to the business. Sprout’s The Great Resignation Part 2: The Journey to the Great Retention report revealed that 20% of local employees felt undervalued at work.
Workers whose employers see them as cogs in a machine may feel unhappy and eager to leave their organizations. Recognizing and rewarding your employees for a job well done can raise their satisfaction and push them to work harder.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps employees recognize their thoughts and feelings and relax. Multiple studies have touched on how mindfulness affects worker well-being, such as this 2019 meta-analysis. Moreover, people practicing this form of meditation felt calmer and performed their roles better.
If you want your employees to reap these benefits, consider giving them access to meditation apps or time to meditate at work. You could also fund mindfulness classes that people take outside work.
Promote Continuous Learning
Whether you’re upskilling or reskilling employees, learning should be consistent. Workers feel happier and more fulfilled when they learn on the job.
Ongoing employee learning opportunities may include workshops, mentorship opportunities, and leadership development programs. It’s also best to track your employees’ progress and improve your program as needed.
How Sprout Supports Employee Well-Being
Sprout has developed multiple programs, tools, and resources to help it and its clients improve worker well-being and combat attrition. Here’s a closer look at these solutions.
Career Development Program | Sprout’s career development program helps our employees grow professionally. Team members can explore the career paths we’ve set for them, and we help them achieve their career goals. |
Employee Wellness Program | Our wellness program encompasses various services from licensed mental health experts. If you’ve joined Sprout’s wellness program, you can check on team members and help them reduce stress through: Yoga, meditation, and coaching sessionsOnline counselingWeekly wellness tips, reminders, and health and wellness webinars |
Performance+ | Performance+ automates your performance management process, from goal setting to employee development. Ultimately, it helps nurture your employees’ growth, ensuring better well-being and higher retention. |
Sprout Pulse | With Sprout Pulse, you can identify and address employees' challenges effectively. Quick, easy, and anonymized pulse surveys give you the necessary insights to support employee well-being. |
Make Your Workforce’s Well-Being a Priority
Many companies have shifted to hybrid work that offers flexibility and work-life integration. This setup can help improve employee productivity, well-being, and engagement.
But leaders must create one that enhances employee wellness to succeed at offering and maintaining a hybrid work environment. Integrating wellness and engagement strategies into your company culture can lead to a hybrid setup centered around worker well-being.
If you’re ready to build a workplace that prioritizes employee wellness, get helpful tips and strategies from the Sprout blog today.