Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
If you haven’t seen it, the American Psychological Association (APA) released the “2023 Work in America Survey”. And no surprise, it says that work is a contributor to our overall wellbeing. Here are a few highlights:
- 92% of workers said it’s important for them to work for an organization that values their wellbeing
- 92% said it’s important for them to work for an organization that supports mental health
- 95% said it’s important for them to feel respected at work
- 95% said it’s important for them to work for an organization that respects the boundaries between work and non-work
I’m going to get a little basic here. Let’s think about our day having three parts – work, non-work, and sleep. That means we spend approximately one-third of our time at work. So, to think that someplace where we spend that much time doesn’t impact us … well, that just seems out of touch.
Yet, there are plenty of people (and organizations) who haven’t adopted this mindset. Because if this was mainstream thinking then the American Psychological Association probably wouldn’t commission a study about it.
What I thought was really helpful about the APA study were the suggestions on how to support workplace wellbeing. The list included offering an employee assistance program (EAP), mental health benefits, flexible scheduling, and meeting-free workdays. But I wanted to add something to this list of suggestions.
Talk to your employees. Find out what they want. Ultimately, the organization wants to implement programs that employees will like and use. The suggestions from the APA are great conversation starters. Employees might not initially have definite ideas and using the APA suggestions can gauge initial reaction.
Create a test run. Organization might want to consider taking the top 2-3 suggestions that employees like and do them on a trial basis. Then get feedback before implementing. This allows the organization to do something to help workplace wellbeing and get employee feedback at the same time.
Regularly monitor and update. One of the biggest mistakes I see organizations make is that they implement programs and never revise them to reflect the times. The business (and non-business) world changes all the time. I know change is hard but it’s also necessary. So be prepared to review and revise programs as needed.
I’m sure we’re reading all the same articles about companies telling employees they need to spend more time onsite. Make the onsite work environment a place where employees can do the work and maintain their wellbeing. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be tough days. But if the number of tough days outnumbers the rest, then organizations need to ask themselves some questions.
Employees aren’t afraid of hard work. But they want to work someplace that acknowledges that work and puts programs in place to help when things do get tough.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Fort Lauderdale, FL
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