‘Work is a human endeavour': why the future of business will rely on the wellbeing of employees
Today, the mills of Saltaire thrum with the sound of keyboard strokes, not spinning machines. Originally built in the 19th century, the town – including allotments, schools, a library, a concert hall, science laboratory and a gymnasium – was one of many built by wealthy industrialists in order to improve their workers' health and living conditions.
Now a World Heritage site, many of Saltaire's 19th-century factories have been converted into flats and offices in a modern echo of a town created to support – and improve – the wellbeing of a workforce.
Today, the conversation about workers' wellbeing has moved on from 19th-century paternalism. But the focus on workplace wellbeing has been revived in a new, modern iteration – and arguably the business incentive to invest in maintaining a workforce fit in mind and body has only increased.
Attract and retain
The modern workplace is much more transparent than it used to be. Stories of workers' happiness – and dissatisfaction – spread, whether it's from a factory in Asia or a cubicle in Swindon. Additionally, as the workforce diversifies, employee standards and expectations have changed, with many seeing holistic wellbeing and supportive policies as a core part of what a workplace should offer.
'As a mother of two, I'm not bothered by your great nights out or free lunches, I want to know you've got my back if my kids are sick and that I can flex work to fit around schedules so that I don't have to choose between being a CEO or being a great mum,' says Vimla Appadoo, CEO of Honey Badger, a design and culture consultancy.
Psychologist and educator Dr Justin D Henderson is an expert on workplace burnout and wellbeing, and envisions a future of sustainable work environments built through multi-level wellbeing strategies.
'First of all, I think we should care about people,' Henderson says. 'The history of work has not considered human wellbeing as the front and centre,' he says. 'But work is a human endeavour. It's really important for organisations to remind themselves that workplaces are about relationships and relationships are about supporting wellbeing.
'The psychological stressors that you're subjecting yourself to for eight or 10 hours a day, every day, five days a week, has a collective erosion on our mental and physical health over time.'
This tanks productivity, creativity and engagement – but more importantly, it erodes our health too: 'Work stress has consequences to our physical health. It has consequences to our relational health when we go home, and has consequences to our psychological health.'
If workplaces want to avoid generating a burned-out, disengaged and unwell workforce, wellbeing must be a strategic priority – not just an add-on.
How tech can help
The transparency brought about by technology doesn't just expose its workings to the outside, it equips leaders to see through their own business and empowers employees to take control of their careers. Technologies like MHR's People First platform make it easy to schedule check-ins and analyse employee sentiment, as well as giving employees the tools, learning and insights they need to boost their own wellbeing.
A report from Wagestream has found that 70% of UK employees are worrying more about money. Giving employees real-time access to their payslips and wages ensures that they always know their own financial position. With MHR's real-time payroll system, employees can see exactly how much money they are earning as they are earning it, while its flexible pay initiative allows employees to access a percentage of their earned wages throughout the month, providing resilient and sustainable financial health.
'Tech and AI could help us do many aspects of our jobs that we might find incredibly stressful and time consuming,' Henderson says, resulting in 'people being able to engage in work that's more meaningful'.
The modern workplace now needs to adapt to the demands of the 21st-century: employees are expected to exhibit creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and empathy – and these skills will only become more valuable as machines take on more and more of the manual labour and basic administration. Having a healthy, fulfilled and financially resilient workforce is likely to become even more important in the future than it is today.
Beyond the office
Of the 90,000 hours most of us will work in our lifetimes, many will be outside of the workplace. Remote and hybrid working options have combined with complex lifestyles to result in a much more nuanced approach to the working day.
'The lines between work and home have become blurred, especially since the pandemic and the shift to home working,' says Appadoo. 'People don't see a split in time at work and time at home anymore, it's all just time and if businesses want to make the most out of their workforce they need to start supporting their employees to make the most out of that time.'
According to Henderson, the opposite of a burnout-oriented workplace is one of resilience: 'We have to establish a workplace culture that appreciates and validates people, knowing that policies and procedures may change, but those core cultures and values will not. Resilience is the combination of strength and flexibility.'
The modern workplace might be unrecognisable to the philanthropist employers of the 19th century. But they would certainly recognise the social and business value in keeping staff well.
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