Wellbeing at Work summary

As we learned in the previous blink, our well-being suffers when we’re unhappy with our jobs. People who don’t like their work are much more likely to experience boredom and anger on a daily basis. Research has even found that employees who don’t enjoy their livelihoods have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol circulating in their bloodstream. 

Career discontent is a big problem for employers, too. That’s because disliking work is associated with lower levels of work engagement. The less engaged an employee is, the worse their job performance is. 

Many employers assume they should only concern themselves with their employees’ professional lives. Even the best managers may refrain from taking an interest in their staff’s personal lives because they fear overstepping boundaries. But the truth is that our work lives and our personal lives have a reciprocal influence on each other: we inevitably bring our feelings about work home, and we bring our personal lives into the office. With that in mind, employers must support well-being in every aspect of an employee’s life.

Let’s start by looking at how leaders can positively impact their people’s social well-being. Social well-being is generally measured by how many meaningful friendships you have. But what do friendship and work have to do with each other? A lot, it turns out. In fact, three in ten Americans say they have a best friend in the workplace. 

One crucial aspect of overall well-being is financial well-being. This is also the aspect of well-being where many of us could use a boost. Seventy-five percent of Americans say they worried about money in the past week. For employees, low financial well-being is the biggest contributor to feeling stressed and worried on a daily basis. 

And employees who are stressed and worried can’t perform at their highest levels of potential. Knowing this, it’s also in an organization’s interest to focus on boosting its workers’ financial well-being. 

Do you have the energy to do all the things you want to do? If you’re anything like most Americans, probably not! Just 20 percent of Americans report feeling active every day of the week, and just one in ten believe they’re in prime physical health. With worrying statistics like these, it's about time organizations started focusing on the physical well-being of their employees. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how debilitating a serious illness can be. And Americans suffering from preexisting conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease are many times more vulnerable to it. To protect your employees, your organization’s most valuable asset, you as an employer must think beyond hand sanitizer and plexiglass partitions. If you’re serious about safeguarding your workforce, you need to encourage them toward healthy habits. 

How much do you like where you live? Your answer to this question determines your level of community well-being. And it might make all the difference between having a great life, or just a good one. People who report that they love where they live also tend to say that their life is better than they could have ever imagined. 

The link between thriving communities and thriving organizations is clearer than you might think. Over a third of job seekers believe that it’s very important for a potential employer to have a positive influence on the community. Today’s employees aren’t just looking for a steady paycheck; they also want to know that their work has meaning and that their organization leaves a positive impact on the world. 

When it comes to your employees’ well-being, your company culture can either make or break your efforts. As you’ll discover in this blink, there are several things you can do to accelerate a well-being culture in your organization. On the other hand, there’s one big risk factor that threatens this well-being culture. 

Let’s start by looking at how you can accelerate a well-being culture.