Discourse on Council Role: Understanding and Objective: Neglected Elements in Employee Welfare
Neena Newberry serves as the CEO of Newberry Solutions and the innovator behind the New Perspective leadership development platform.
The positive development? Now, over half of corporations acknowledge employee wellness as a paramount concern. However, a troubling fact emerges: nearly 60% of employees confess to wrestling with their well-being. Furthermore, only a mere 23% strongly affirm that their employers genuinely care about their well-being.
If your organization aspires to boost employee wellness by 2025, these statistics might cast a disheartening view. There isn't a single, enchanting solution to this predicament. Yet, as an executive coach and creator of an educational platform, I firmly believe that two elements typically get disregarded in employee wellness: significance and purpose.
In times of turbulence such as we're encountering, a sense of significance and purpose may serve as a beacon, illuminating a path through challenges and impasses. So, how might you instill such feelings within your employees? The following strategies have proven effective for many companies.
1. ※Get to know them.
Significance and purpose are deeply personal attributes. What ignites your passion at work may not resonate with your team members. This necessitates engaging in regular dialogues with them regarding their passions and interests.
Perhaps you can discover a fulfilling project that resonates with them. With remote working becoming the norm, initiating such conversations deliberately may be necessary, replacing spontaneous interactions in the hallway or break room.
2. ※Bring the big picture into focus.
We all crave being part of something grander than ourselves. Your employees may recognize the crucial role their talents play in your company's mission, but they might have lost sight of it, particularly if your organization has undergone significant changes recently.
When offering feedback, bear in mind to draw these large-scale connections for your employees. Here's an illustration of what this might sound like: "By virtue of your exceptional ability to fathom potential hurdles and devise ways to surmount them, we launched our mentorship program for new hires ahead of schedule."
3. ※Help them focus.
Consider the energy you feel when you utilize your skills and talents on a project you truly care about. Now, contemplate the contrasting energy levels when you're enduring an aimless meeting or wading through your emails.
I counsel my clients to pinpoint their "Big 3": the unique abilities driving the company's essential goals, as well as their individual passions. This conversation excels in enlightening team members. Following this exercise, examine their schedules to ensure these priorities are reflected accurately.
4. ※Provide opportunities to serve others.
Research corroborates our intuition: serving others engenders feelings of joy, both mentally and physically. If your organization has a volunteer program, you've likely observed this firsthand. Yet, acting kindly towards colleagues has analogous positive effects. (It also bolsters connections across the organization.)
Should your workplace lack a mentoring or peer coaching program, consider initiating one. The mentors and advisors will derive just as much satisfaction from the program as the recipients of their wisdom.
5. ※Create learning opportunities.
We all relish the sensation of progress or advancement. Learning and development opportunities are consequently prized highly among employees. Learning programs are a crucial factor in employee retention. It's particularly noteworthy that Gen-Z, anticipated to become the most substantial workforce segment, yearns for learning even more than older generations.
※Next Steps
Cultivating an environment where employees discover significance and purpose is no mere luxury—it's essential for their wellness. While planning for 2025, bear these subsequent steps in mind:
- Schedule one-on-ones with a focus on understanding what inspires each of your team members.
- Engage in dialogues with team members about whether their most valuable work is receiving adequate time on their calendars. If it's not, explore ways to restore some balance.
- Identify one quarterly opportunity for team members to mentor or instruct others.
- Reevaluate your learning and development offerings. Are they readily accessible and aligned with what truly matters to your employees?
When employees find significance at work, everyone reaps the benefits. They become more engaged and resilient. Your organization benefits from their finest work. Consequently, you cultivate a workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent.
Our Website Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for esteemed business and career coaches. Do you qualify?
Neena Newberry's New Perspective leadership development platform has been instrumental in addressing the well-being concerns of employees, providing a valuable tool for executives like you seeking to enhance employee wellness.
With Neena Newberry serving as a resource and advocate for promoting employee wellness and significance, your organization can leverage her insights to create a more inspired workforce.
