The terms employee quality of life and productivity are increasingly associated in successful companies, since they realize that in order to achieve the corporate goals, it is paramount to keep the staff motivated and promote a good organizational environment.
Therefore, various tools and benefits are implemented on daily basis to optimise quality of life at work and yield even better results.
Nowadays, in addition to the more traditional benefits — meal vouchers, dental plan, day nursery allowance –, there are also more innovative proposals, such as a no-dress code (dress as you wish), happy hour, flexible work schedules and free snacks, ultimately making the company a second home to its employees.
You may be asking yourself: does this really impact the productivity of individuals and teams positively? The answer is yes.
And with this in mind, we have developed this content for you. Today, we will talk about the benefits of quality of life at work and how you can use it to your benefit.
Keep reading to learn more!
Nothing takes a larger toll on productivity than stress.
A few years ago, Brazil was ranked second in a survey carried out by the International Stress Management Association listing the countries with the highest level of stress in the world. Many professionals, particularly those who deal directly with the public, were identified with the Burnout Syndrome — representing the highest level of stress.
This issue is commonly known to originate from an array of factors, among which are poor working conditions. After all, working under extremely high pressure, with insufficient resources and inadequate work environments, exposes one’s health to great risks.
In turn, such high levels of stress generate a multitude of issues both for professionals and the enterprise. Stressed staff members are more prone to getting involved in work-related accidents, do not tend well to clients, and hinder the entire team.
In addition, several other problems become frequent, such as: insomnia, anxiety, psychic disorders, headaches, and arterial, heart and gastric issues — ultimately affecting the performance of these professionals.
The relationship between productivity and employee quality of life
Work is an essential element and one of greater influence in the quality of life of individuals, considering one spends most of the day performing work-related activities, which require both physical and psychological energy.
Thus, in order to eliminate stress and increase productivity, it is essential to invest employee quality of life.
Companies that offer partnerships with gyms, a nap area, or simply seek a more enjoyable work environment for everyone are a good example.
Therefore, efforts to improve employee quality of life and maintain a good organizational environment are vital to the organization, since such initiatives increase the level of team satisfaction and decrease turnover, in addition to raising overall productivity.
Here are some tips on how to achieve this at your company:
Invest in internal communication
Although the importance of internal communication is widely known, this resource is increasingly underused by companies. According to Peter Drucker, one of the main monikers in the field of business administration, more than 60% of internal conflicts and issues are caused by a lack of communication.
Various tools can be employed to correct such issues, such as a message board, corporate TV, intranet, and even social networks. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the most important measure is to ensure all leaders are actively engaged and willing to promote such improvements.
Offer real benefits to your employees
As previously mentioned, many companies invest in innovative programs to improve organizational environment. And specific traits of the staff must be considered when defining the best benefits: age, marital status, position, training, etc.
For companies ahead of their time, culture vouchers and scholarships may be excellent choices; for others, the day nursery allowance and food voucher may make more sense. However it may be, these benefits vary according to the internal audience.
Encourage the practice of sports and physical exercise
Sports can decrease stress levels and improve employee quality of life. Hence the importance of encouraging your employees to practice physical exercises regularly.
Moreover, offering interested employees a physical activity benefit is a great way to motivate them.
Plan your work environment
An environment that is dimly lit, humid, with no ventilation or which offers inadequate equipment and furniture for the performance of the job, may generate high levels of dissatisfaction.
Therefore, offering the basic work conditions is very important; and it prevents accidents and the development of many diseases. And, let’s not forget, that it is the employee’s right to work in a healthy environment.
Show interest for those under your leadership
Another very simple tip is to show interest for your team. After all, the authoritarian manager has ceased to exist, and certain sayings such as “a taffy peddler does as he pleases” no longer causes the desired impact.
Talented employees are less and less willing to submit to these things. People don’t want just a boss, they want a leader who truly cares, with whom they empathise and can count on for a little space in the schedule to hear their questions and needs.
Be more flexible with working hours
It is true companies need a certain level of bureaucracy to run their operations in order. However, the excessive lack of flexibility may disrupt internal relations and impair the quality of life at work.
Being more flexible when it comes to working hours can be a good start. Google, for instance, allows its employees to invest 10% of their time on side projects, outside of their area of expertise.
Other associated benefits
As we have seen, one does not need a huge investment to improve the quality of life of employees and increase productivity. In addition, there are other benefits that make the investment even more attractive. Some of the main ones are:
Talent attraction and retention
In fact, the greatest talents of the market seek to work in companies that offer them some quality of life. After all, nowadays, an excellent salary is just not enough to retain talents.
So, if you are concerned about having the best professionals in your team, you must invest in people management, in work quality, and in the organizational environment. Therefore, in addition to attracting talents, you will also retain them.
Reaching organizational goals
We know that reaching goals has become increasingly difficult; still, with motivated and engaged employees, nothing is impossible. Consequently, investing in employee quality of life also helps in the achievement of organizational goals and objectives, ensuring improved results for the company.
Internal relations and the integration between areas
Finally, one may also state that quality of life helps with internal relations and with the integration of company areas — avoiding, therefore, rumours and gossip that only tend to get in the way of business.
This improvement in relationships occurs both vertically, between leaders and staff members, as well as horizontally, between co-workers. Anyway, these are just some benefits, although there are others that relate to the subject.
Without a doubt, employee quality of life is, today, essential to the correct management of human capital, and it depends on top executives of the organization.
So, did you like this post? How is employee productivity in your company? Join the discussion leaving a comment here!
Now that you know how employee quality of life affects your productivity, click here for the costs and impacts of physical inactivity in organizations.
