Work wellbeing in a post-COVID world
It’s been a year since we scrambled to rearrange our lives with the outbreak of COVID in WA. As a society we have endured full-scale crisis management and from the big end of town to solopreneurs a cultural shift is emerging as a result. So, what has the past year taught us?
For starters, we should have bought shares in Zoom. Then it taught us a whole new vocabulary — WFH, Zoombombing and quarantinis all made their way into the workplace lexicon. With lockdown, kids and dogs were suddenly welcome additions to our home-life-office workplace. Even workwear was redefined — for a while there you could get by in your jocks and shirt with a semi-decent hairdo. Now we have to wear pants again.
But most importantly, we were reminded of our humanity. Family, community and social networks are all the stronger for it, health has become a primary driver, and mindfulness, life-skills and movement classes have exploded. And one of the biggest outcomes of the pandemic has been increased acknowledgement of mental health in the workplace — how we engage in workplace relations, as well as care for our colleagues, matters. Despite this giant leap forward in mental health awareness, stigma still remains in many workplaces. Shame and fear of career repercussions affect employees’ ability to openly discuss anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress.
We have more work to do. We need open dialogue allowing people to be heard, understood and validated. We have to make mental health normal. So, what are the challenges ahead for organisations and how do they continue to keep wellness at the centre of their operations?
Firstly, it’s very important to remember every organisation is unique. Tailored solutions need to be implemented to ensure the right systems and processes are in place for their people. In an encouraging trend, we’re seeing a rise in the engagement of psychologists, coaches, and wellbeing and mindfulness experts in businesses across the board. It’s clear that wellbeing strategies, organisational health checks and employee assistance programs will definitely feature in the post-COVID workplace.
On top of that, we’re looking at the reality that the nine-to-five workday may never recover. Hybridised work arrangements and working from home will be a mainstay in the workplaces of the future. But, the digital world brings with it further challenges — expectations of on-demand accessibility and responsiveness and leaders will need to grapple with the realities of a semi-remote workforce. Communication will be a key part of that, and some of the hard work there has already been done. The initial crisis management phase of the pandemic has actually benefited ongoing relations — a sense of kinship, camaraderie and togetherness are likely to be a pandemic legacy.
On a larger scale, employee check-in and debriefing processes are being implemented, middle management is gaining attention and small to medium enterprises are restructuring delegated authority and investing in professional development programs to support second-tier leaders. And along with this superior communication, a new style of leadership is also emerging with soft-skill sets increasingly valuable. Self-awareness, empathy and compassion are on-trend. Leaders who model emotional safety in the workplace establish a culture of trust. They make it OK for staff to discuss issues affecting their life and wellbeing.
The main take-away from the year of COVID is that investing in employee wellbeing is not just a feel-good. Carefully considered change initiatives incorporate structural and personal development. Wellbeing programs increase employee loyalty, engagement, and productivity. The downstream benefits of compassionate leadership are obvious. Happy and engaged people drive business performance, improve customer satisfaction — and increase profitability. The most recent lockdown in WA reminded us that uncertainty exists. Workplace wellbeing is no longer an optional extra for businesses, it is vital.
This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 27 February 2021.