We’re all experiencing a tough period. Most industries have been hit hard since the pandemic started and businesses have been forced to make hard decisions to stay afloat, and it came at a price. The uncertainty and fear are taking its toll. And as people can’t leave their emotions at home, they are bringing to the office and it’s effecting their ability to do their job. Your employees are suffering and with every that passes they feel the stress and pressure accumulating. Most of us had expected life to be back to normal by now – and unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Wellness programs have always been important for the well-being and productivity of employees, only now with Covid-19 investing to help your employees deal with the demands of today’s world has become high priority for the future of any company.
If something in your car is broken, the problem will become bigger the longer you wait. Or if you take it to the garage, but the mechanic doesn’t fix the source of the problem, the problem will become bigger. The same is true in your company. There is nothing that stays the same.
As the HR manager you should ask yourself these critical questions:
As the HR manager you should ask yourself these critical questions:
- Is what we’re currently doing reducing fear, anxiety, and stress (as studies show that these emotions weaken the immune system)?
- Are we simply following government protocols or are we actually providing the care and support our employees need?
- Does the wellness program we offer bring measurable improvement in productivity and happiness?
- Are we actually solving the source of optimal performance in our company, shown by results?
Nothing stays the same in this universe – Things either get better or they’re getting worse. Your company is either growing or dying. The world has changed beyond anything any of us had ever expected possible. Most HR managers, business owners and executives, are not really equipped to handle the unprecedented demand and stress on the employees and company. As the situation is getting worse and continuing, its taking its toll on your staff.
Let’s face it, everyone in the organization is doing everything they can, and are maxed out just doing their own job. Their focus is on survival. The reality is there’s not much bandwidth left to add to their plates what’s required to help employees overcome stress and create the shift from surviving to thriving – and this is costing your organization money.
According to the Headspace for Work 2020 Mental Health Trends report 21% of workers lost up to two hours of work time a day because of stress, and 24% of workers lost up to an hour of work time a day because of stress. Calculate how much this is costing you. For example, if your company has 100 employees and 21 of them lose two hours per day, that’s ten hours per week, times 21. Multiply 210 hours per week with the average hourly cost per employee, let’s say $48 per hour, that is $10,080 per week that is going out the window!! Another 24% of employees lost up to an hour a day. In the same example of 100 employees, it means that 24 people lose 5 hours per week, which is 120 hours at $48 per hour, is an additional $5,760 you’re losing every single week. So, in total the company is losing $15,840 per week, which boils down to $68,640 per month – $823,680 per year (almost a million dollars!!), due to unproductivity of stressed employees!!! And this doesn’t even calculate lost revenue, unhappy clients, damage in your reputation and other additional losses. As you can clearly see, investing in a Productivity Wellness program won’t cost you a dime – on the contrary, it will make you money.
To create an environment where everybody can flourish despite the challenging situation, requires a new approach. Especially now during Covid, it’s more important than ever before to provide emotional and practical support for your staff stay productive and your organization to bounce back and come out stronger.
Dr. Urvish K. Patel, MBBS, MPH, Research Associate in the Dept. of Neurology in New York, surveyed 5,000 employees[1] to find out what measures they were taking to de-stress and not worry during the pandemic? 70% responded, watching cable or satellite TV and 62% responded watching Netflix and/or other moving streaming apps. Obviously watching movies and TV shows is not solving the source of the problem and so the problem grows, increasing stress levels and reducing productivity even more.
For companies to thrive again, they must pivot and make employee wellness and productivity the centerpiece of their decision making.[2]
As productivity and wellness experts we’d love to help you. We design and deliver strategies, and training to make your executives and employees overcome stress and thrive again. You will save your company a small fortune in wasted expense. What’s more, everyone will love you, because you’ve helped them feel better and do better in life. They won’t feel stressed anymore, enjoy their jobs more and feel happier. And of course, everyone will respect and admire you for creating the future of the company by reducing cost and increasing profit.
[1] https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/349819
[2] https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html
