The Importance of Employee Wellbeing – A CEO’s Perspective

Employee wellbeing is vital for any organization to achieve success and growth, so, as a leader, your employees’ wellbeing must be your paramount concern. This is something that’s really been illustrated this year with the outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic has highlighted how vulnerable we can be and the importance of putting both our physical and mental health at the top of our priority list.

There are multiple reasons why employee wellbeing is crucial to the health of an organization; it has a massive impact on all business activity. We spend a lot of time at our workplaces, eight to twelve hours a day depending on the role, and where and how we spend our time impacts our attitude. Multiple academic studies undertaken throughout the past number of decades have shown that a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere and investment into mental and physical health practices results in positive, motivated employees. The result is three massive organizational benefits – enhanced engagement, productivity, and retention. 

Engagement

It’s hugely important that employees not only enjoy their work but also that they enjoy the time spent with their colleagues. It’s also crucial to that they are proud of their organization and brand. In a 2015 survey, Gallup found that employees who are engaged at work are 30 percent less likely to call in sick and in one year, they miss 70 percent fewer workdays than those who aren’t engaged. Investing in wellness seminars and sporting activities for your organization has been shown time and time again to massively boost employee engagement.

Productivity

A study by Quantum Workplace found that employees were 18 percent more likely to put in extra effort when they felt their employers cared about their wellbeing. Investing in employee wellbeing equates to high-quality work and high productivity – the ultimate quest of any commercial enterprise.

Retention

CEOs must be aware of how closely related wellness and retention are and that engaged employees are more loyal to their employers. According to a survey by Gallup, engaged employees are 59 percent less likely to want to find another job. Often, examining your organization’s success at employee retention can provide a good indication of your workplace wellness levels and if it’s the entire organization or just a certain department that requires more effort.  

Since employees of good mental and physical health get better results and make for more positive bottom lines, it is a CEO’s responsibility to create a culture of wellness within their organizations and continually invest in it. Optimizing your organization’s potential and leading it towards success and growth means optimizing employee wellness.  Therefore, it’s vital that employee wellbeing is placed high on the agenda for every ambitious CEO or business leader.