Wellbeing at Workplace

 Extravagant wellness projects are been taken at corporates so as to ensure the wellbeing of the employees. It is a fact and an observation that on average employees spends the major part of their life cycle at work. Corporate social responsibility has by and large focused on maintaining “goodness” at workplace. The way we feel is reflected in the work we do.

Be it any nature of work, it is expected that enthusiasm is transmitted to the receiver. A gentle behavior and a least smile are expected primarily and then the performance output. Wellness ensures a sense of purpose among the employees and towards the organization. It is vital to evaluate the happiness and wellness quotient at workplace. Both dispositional and contextual factors might be responsible for the goodness quotient. How the structure of this behavioral aspect works has been briefly elaborated below with intriguing questions on how it could be ensured?

A popular positive psychologist Diener has a history of working on a behavioral factor – subjective wellbeing for the past 3 decades. Subjective wellbeing is general understanding of good living factors of individuals, communities, societies and cultures. The underlying factor of this quality of life and good living factor is “happiness”, happy life is good life. The evolution of concept of subjective wellbeing can be traced back to its equivalence with happiness (however, there are many others feel that they are different as happiness is episodic and keeps on shifting while well-being is more stable. Considering with the nature of happiness as an explanation to wellbeing, it comprises of two categories: hedonic, emphasizes more on pleasant experiences and good life and eudaimonic, which has a firm focus on meaningfulness of life, fulfillment and achievement of one’s potential.

It can be understood that subjective wellbeing is often evaluated in terms of pleasantness and unpleasantness and as reactions to life stimuli encountered in various contexts (individualistic, family, work, life and other social domains). Hedonic and eudaimonic happiness are both parameters of employees who feel “well” or we can say happily involved at workplace. Organizations should focus more on developing fully functional person. , that is realizing the full potential of the person and relating it with engagement, growth and skill development

How essential it is to maintain wellbeing at workplace is a question? The wellbeing of employees is now being ensured at workplaces. Performance evaluations and commitment of the employees contribute to the larger chunk of responsible management at workplaces, which are both byproducts of wellbeing. Happiness and wellbeing are the key ingredients ensuring growth, productivity and positivity at a workplace. It is a fact that a happy employees performs better. More or less, it becomes essential to trace the contextual factors as to what contributes towards the happiness quotient of employees. The culture, diversity, hierarchy, leadership, pay, and appraisal etc. at the workplace are some of the factors contributing to wellbeing of the employees which have been linked and explored over the years globally. On the contrary, numerous researches have shown that interpersonal relationships play an equally important role in the affective component. Some of the key highlights of what the organizations are currently practicing to ensure at the wellbeing at workplace are:

1. The hierarchical and divisional relationship shall be closely tracked.
2. To ensure and appreciate the decision making role of employees at every stage.
3. What kinds of duties are allocated to the employees? Is there a rotational role?
4. Whether or not flexibility is allowed to ensure the output and quality of output
5. Need assessment of employees on the periodic basis
6. Training and development at workplace
7. Constructive Feedback for and by the employees
8. Appraisals (360 degree)
9. Higher empathy with the employees
10. Framing policies in the favor of employees health

These are some of the factors which contribute to employees’ output at work and other wellbeing factors such as motivation, commitment, engagement, citizenship behaviors etc. Wellness of the employees is more or less impacted by both tangible and intangible factors. The close monitoring in the qualitative form is an interesting assessment method where employees’ goodness quotient could be mapped. There are also demographic factors related with wellbeing such as age, gender, religion, marital status, socio economic status and intra individual factors such as personality type, traits, ability, attitude and other dispositional factors. Aforesaid factors also contribute to the wellbeing quotient. The assessment of wellbeing is essential to map so as to have more generic opinion on the same. Recent updates on popular business magazine “Forbes” quote engagement, motivation, support and strategy as key drivers of complete wellness cycle: from work style to lifestyle.

At an individual level also, well-being is extremely rewarding and self-satisfying. It contributes in holistic development of an individual and helps them thrive. It enhances the skill set and nourishes the mental, physical as well as emotional health. Some of the benefits of wellbeing at the individual level are:

1. Goodness factor increases the mental strength
2. Happy employees present and feel associated with their organizational identity
3. Happy employees multiply positivity at home and workplace
4. Happy employees motivate other employees , adds up to the positive climate of the organization
5. Happy employees thrive for success and target on attaining higher targets

There is a strong need to harness wellbeing at workplace. It not only adds up to the individual competency but also is in the larger benefit of the organization.  It is essential to tap the facets of employee’s wellbeing categorized as: the being and belongingness as the perception of future. This end goal of happier employees adds up to the common goal of intent and future vision of every organization. So, when people respond to the largest used greeting “How are you?, by saying I am well, Thank you”, they all should semantically mean it. Hence, it could be clearly opined that there are enough evidences on importance of goodness quotient and how one shall consider it as a prime factor of assessment at workplaces.

A wonderful quote by Dr. A.P.J. Kalam states “In a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation”. And so it stands true for every context!