Rethinking Employee Wellbeing In A Hybrid Work Age

In an increasingly digital world, organisations must also strive to meet employee needs in this new hybrid environment that combines traditional face-to-face interactions with remote working

The digital era has ushered in a new age for companies and their employees. With the explosive growth of Internet use, social media platforms, and mobile apps, an increasing number of people are now connected to work 24/7. As a result, the workplace is becoming more flexible—and employees are demanding more from it as well.

In an increasingly digital world, organisations must also strive to meet employee needs in this new hybrid environment that combines traditional face-to-face interactions with remote working and on-demand access to information and resources. If your company’s strategy focuses primarily on the physical aspects of your organisation—creating a culture that embraces collaboration, innovation, and team building—then you’ll struggle when it comes to employee engagement. But if you prioritise transforming your culture into one that embraces adaptability, productivity, and performance management as well as employee wellbeing activities such as peer coaching and mentoring opportunities to develop employees beyond their working capabilities.

What is an effective culture for employee wellbeing?

Employee wellbeing is an important part of any business strategy. Research has shown that high-performing organisations have employees who are both engaged and happy with their role in the organisation. An engaged workforce is more likely to stay with an organisation longer, be more productive and creative, and feel more valued. As businesses continue to adapt to the seismic shifts in the way people work, new challenges are emerging. Employees are demanding more flexibility in how and when they work. They want employers to set standards for workplace health and well-being, and address the concerns of workers who face challenges—like gaps in income, health, or social security coverage. For employees, maintaining their health, happiness, and productivity is critical to their ability to be successful in their roles. This is especially true in an ever-changing workforce that demands employees to be flexible with their schedules, access to training and education, and access to resources and information.

Create a Culture of Adaptability

Managing a hybrid work environment requires a very specific set of skills. First, you have to be able to adapt to any situation. What works well in one setting doesn’t necessarily translate to another. In order to be adaptable, leaders need to be ready to respond quickly to change, but also think creatively about how to make the change work in their organisation’s best interest.

Leaders also have to be agents of change. This starts with being open to new ways of doing things—and finding ways to incorporate those changes into your culture. This process of adapting to change can be challenging, but it’s essential for managing an increasingly digital workplace.

When it comes to developing a culture of adaptability, four strategies come to mind: Be open to innovation. Don’t be afraid to try new things or to incorporate new technologies into your organisation. Experiment with different communication channels, platforms, and channels of collaboration. The goal isn’t to do this just for the sake of doing it—but because it can help your employees be more productive and effective. Encourage participation. If you want employees to feel connected and engaged, you need to be open to their input, suggestions, and feedback. An open environment where employees feel heard and their ideas are valued creates an environment where people want to be engaged. Delegate authority. If you want employees to trust you to make the right decisions, you need to give them a chance to make those decisions for themselves. This is done by delegating authority and empowering employees to make decisions for themselves, within a set of guidelines. Recognise efforts. Employees are driven to be successful. Recognise their efforts, and let them know that you appreciate what they’re doing. While this might seem like a small gesture, it sends a message that you value their contributions.

Build a Culture of Collaboration

Today’s employees want to feel connected to their organisations, and they want to see that connection demonstrated on a regular basis. In fact, they want to see collaboration in action: not just between employees and management, but also across departments and functions as well. Leaders who build a culture of collaboration will have an easier time managing an increasingly digital workforce. Collaboration is essential for knowing how best to meet the needs of remote workers and those who work in an office environment using digital tools and resources. 

When it comes to building a culture of collaboration, three strategies come to mind: Manage the digital conversations. These conversations have to happen in order to create a culture of collaboration. Successful leaders create open environments where people feel comfortable speaking their minds, and where they can contribute to discussions and share insights with other team members. Build the physical environment. To truly create a culture of collaboration, companies have to think beyond the physical walls of their offices. They have to think about how best to support a remote workforce and those who work from coffee shops and co-working spaces. Create a BYOI (Bring Your Own Influence) environment. Employees want to feel valued, and they want to feel as though their ideas and suggestions are being taken into account. To achieve this, leaders need to create an environment where employees feel free to bring their ideas to the table, without any feeling of judgement.

Establish a Culture of Performance Management

Performance management has become an essential tool for leaders looking to improve their organisations, and this holds true in a hybrid work environment as well. Leaders need to be performance managers, setting clear expectations and expectations for performance, and holding their employees accountable to those expectations. This is done in a way that is ethical, equitable, and promotes inclusion. When it comes to building a culture of performance management, three strategies come to mind:  Create a performance-measuring system. The first step in creating a culture of performance management is developing the performance-measuring system. The system is the foundation of all performance management systems. Specifically, what is measured, when it’s measured, and by whom has to be developed before any type of culture can be established. Delegate authority. Performance management is about developing individual leaders. Leaders need to be entrusted with the authority to make decisions and hold others accountable for their actions. To support this, leaders need to be given the space, resources, and authority to do their jobs effectively. Build a culture of sharing information. Leaders need to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing information and offering feedback. This can be done by encouraging open communication and feedback mechanisms in the organisation, and letting people know that their feedback is valued.

Maintain Ongoing Employee Wellbeing Activities

Employee wellbeing is an important part of any business strategy. Research has shown that high-performing organisations have employees who are both engaged and happy with their role in the organization. An engaged workforce is more likely to stay with an organisation longer, be more productive and creative, and feel more valued. When it comes to keeping employees active in their wellbeing efforts, leaders have to take a holistic approach. It’s not enough to simply offer these services as a one-off initiative. They have to be part of an ongoing strategy for developing a high performance workforce—one that focuses on developing the individual leaders in your company, building a culture of collaboration, and empowering those leaders to make decisions for themselves. Employee wellbeing activities have to be part of an overall strategy to develop a high performance workforce.

When it comes to keeping employees active in their wellbeing efforts, leaders have to take a holistic approach. It’s not enough to simply offer these services as a one-off initiative. They have to be part of an ongoing strategy for developing a high performance workforce—one that focuses on developing the individual leaders in your company, building a culture of collaboration, and empowering those leaders to make decisions for themselves.

3 strategies to improve your company’s wellbeing

The first strategy to improve your company’s wellbeing is to focus on the people within it. This means implementing a culture that supports curiosity, creativity, and adaptability. When your employees feel engaged and fulfilled, they’re more likely to be creative and creative ideas, resulting in more innovative products and services that, in turn, lead to higher revenue. To support this, you can do a few things. First, find ways to build trust and create a culture where employee feedback and soliciting ideas are encouraged and respected. Second, create opportunities for employees to create value for one another. For example, create a program that rewards peer-to-peer coaching and mentoring opportunities for employees to help develop beyond their working capabilities. And last, invest in employee wellbeing activities such as wellness programs, flexible work options, and corporate culture initiatives that promote creativity and flexibility.

Ways to build a high performance workforce.

Human resources plays a key role in developing and transforming an organization’s high performance workforce. This includes the creation of high performance teams and individuals, as well as high performance cultures. High performance teams and individuals include enabling communication, accountability, and trust between team members. When team members can communicate openly and honestly, they have the accountability to deliver results and are more likely to be creative and innovative. They also have the trust to be creative and innovative. The high performance workplace culture, on the other hand, includes a commitment to continuous improvement and performance management to develop employees beyond their working capabilities. This helps employees to become more adaptable, productive, and satisfied with their jobs.

Stay Flexible and Respond to Change

The second strategy to improve your company’s wellbeing is to remain flexible and responsive to change. The digital era is forcing organisations to evolve and transform their business models to better support the needs of their customers. This means that your organisation will need to change and adapt to meet the needs of customers, employees, and investors. To stay flexible and responsive to change, you’ll need to strengthen your people management capabilities. This includes building a strong talent management function to attract, develop, and retain high-performing employees. It also includes implementing a robust performance management function to enable a culture where employees feel confident in their ability to develop beyond their working capabilities. To stay flexible and respond to change, you’ll also need to implement a digital transformation architecture that supports the flow of information and resources throughout the organisation. This helps keep your organization agile and able to adapt to rapidly changing business conditions.

Conclusion

The digital era is forcing organisations to transform their business models and evolve to support the needs of their customers. This means that your organisation will need to change and adapt to meet the needs of customers, employees, and investors. You can strengthen your people management capabilities by building a strong talent management function to attract, develop, and retain high-performing employees. You can also implement a robust performance management function to enable a culture where employees feel confident in their ability to develop beyond their working capabilities. And last, to stay flexible and responsive to change, you’ll need to implement a digital transformation architecture that supports the flow of information and resources throughout the organisation. This helps keep your organisation agile and able to adapt to rapidly changing business conditions.