Businesses must not ignore staff wellbeing in a post-Covid world
As lockdown eases and more people return to their places of work businesses must not ignore staff wellbeing in a post-Covid world.
As lockdown eases and more people return to their places of work, many of us are speculating that the workplace has changed forever. Some activities may go back to the way they were. However, there are likely to be long term and lasting changes in the way we work and where we work. Furthermore, some employees returning to the workplace after prolonged furlough, redundancy or shielding may continue to feel vulnerable, needing reassurance that their employer is doing everything it can to protect the wellbeing of its staff.
How does an organisation show that it is acting responsibly towards the health and wellbeing of its staff in these circumstances?
Becca Clayton, the founder of Tonic Wellbeing, is ahead of the game.
“When I founded Tonic Wellbeing in 2004, businesses were only just starting to realise how vitally important it is to look after their staff’s mental and physical wellbeing. Today there is masses of data that backs up my own experience that a well-managed wellbeing programme improves absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover. It can be a major factor in attracting the best talent too.
“Above and beyond these measurables, however”, says Becca “are some additional, significant benefits like happier & more valued employees and a positive corporate brand. Intangible VOI’s are not to be ignored.”
With the likelihood that we are now entering a world where a large proportion of the workforce continues to work from home for at least part of the week, how do managers keep in touch with their teams? How can they offer them help and support, let alone identify who needs it?
Becca Clayton says the answer can be found on our mobile devices in the Tonic and Me digital platform. Reaching for your phone to help with stress and wellbeing might feel counterintuitive, but the Tonic and Me app offers help to employers, to support, educate, heighten awareness, and motivate their staff, right now.
“Before the Covid crisis, Tonic Wellbeing was already looking for a way to deliver wellbeing plans virtually in order to reach more people and reach them cost effectively. We worked with our partners, NDM Business Hub, to build our well@work app that would run alongside all the other wellbeing services in our ‘Tonic Toolbox’.
“By adopting technology that many people already use, we are able to offer business owners a snapshot of how their workforce is coping physically and mentally and, more crucially, the ability to address problems, through real-time interventions.
“The app is not a substitution for an in-house wellbeing services, but a progressive and powerful tool, to support employees 24/7. Crucially, at the heart of our activities are our health checks and assessments, 1-2-1 coaching, wellbeing workshops and rewards days. These are all supported by the app which acts as a diary, an information hub, a motivator and a means of asking for help.”
