Having surveyed approximately 55,000 business leaders over 10 years, The Social Enterprise at Work: Paradox as a Path Forward becomes one of the longest longitudinal studies. This study was commissioned by Deloitte, examining top workforce trends for 2020 and ways business leaders can blend technology and people to create lasting value for themselves, organisations, and society at large. 

See also: Employees Concern about Return-to-Work Measurement

Wellbeing and belongingness are at the two top global trends  

More than three-fourth (79 percent) of global respondents said fostering a sense of belonging in the workforce is important or very important to their organisation’s success in the next 12-18 months. In response to COVID-19 pandemic, the belongingness purpose will be the glue that brings workers together back into the office. Majority of organisations globally also said that workers’ wellbeing is vital or very vital for their success over the next 12-18 months, but only 12 percent said they are very ready to address this issue. 

Deloitte research also noted that while many organisations have wellbeing programs, as many as 79 percent of 2020 year’s respondents report that their organisation’s strategy does not explicitly seek to integrate wellbeing into the design of work. This shows that companies have missed a huge opportunity to provide workplace wellbeing for employees. 

Better ways to workplace wellbeing  

Pip Dexter, Deloitte Australia Human Capital Leader, commented employers should consider the wellbeing of the entire worker population through redesign of work. However, many question how companies can reinvent work to be better. Some of the better ways, Dexter suggested are as follows: 

• Provide technology to enable people to work from anywhere as many have done during the pandemic
• Increase flexible working practices, such as 4-day work weeks, staggering start and finish times
• Introduce wellness behaviours into everyday work, such as walking meetings, meditation and mindfulness practices 
• Redesign physical workspaces, such as standing or pedal desks, social distancing measures, meditation rooms, or on-site gyms

Meaningful wellbeing can be achieved by making thoughtful adjustments to how, when, where, and by whom work is done. This could mean restructuring work, hence, performance does not depend on a single individual. Consequently, there is a great possibility that everyone in the workforce takes meaningful credit for what they’ve contributed, which then builds a stronger sense of belongingness. 

Read also: 4 Positive Things Happening in the World during Pandemic