According to the 2016 Well-Being & Engagement Report, great workplaces are fueled by employees with high well-being — and who feel their employers value them as people. The joint report issued today by the Limeade Institute and Quantum Workplace is based on survey responses from more than 1,200 U.S. employees across 45 markets who answered questions on well-being and engagement.
The report reveals that 88 percent of employees with high well-being are highly engaged in their work. Highly engaged employees also intend to stay longer, are more likely to enjoy their work and are more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work.
“The connection between well-being and engagement may seem intuitive, but there has been little research that statistically relates the two,” said Dr. Laura Hamill, Limeade chief people officer and managing director of the Limeade Institute. “These findings confirm the relationship and can serve as the foundation of taking companies from good to great.”
“Employee engagement is the holy grail for many companies aiming to attract and retain top talent,” said Jason Lauritsen, director of customer success at Quantum Workplace. “The 2016 Well-Being & Engagement Report validates this goal and provides evidence-based strategies for getting there.”
The Missing Link: Organizational Support
According to the report, 99 percent of employees with high well-being and high organizational support (for their well-being) recommend their employer as a great place to work. Organizational support describes the support, resources and tools, an organization intentionally provides to encourage well-being improvement.
Employees with higher well-being are also more likely to feel their organization supports them, which is critical to well-being improvement.
In fact, 72 percent of employees with high well-being say they receive organisational support, compared to only 8 percent of those with low well-being. This research builds on the 2015 Workplace Well-Being Report, which found that when employees feel their employer cares about their well-being, they’re 38 percent more engaged at work.
The report also uncovered the three most important aspects of organizational support:
See: The Correlation between Benefits and Employee Retention
“Most people assume that C-suite executives are the most important drivers — and they do matter — but we found that managers have the most profound impact on employee well-being, more than leaders and the six others factors we studied,” Dr. Hamill said.
The Role of Culture and Trust
Culture is defined as the underlying norms, values and beliefs of an organization that drive employee behaviour. Findings uncovered the four most important cultural attributes that support well-being. The organization must:
Organizations need to understand cultural strengths and obstacles to well-being improvement, and they need an intentional culture built around attributes where well-being and engagement can thrive. Cultural attributes (like flexibility and transparency) can inhibit or solidify an employee’s ability to feel support from the organization.
Trust is a two-way street. Employees need to know that they won’t be punished if they take care of important personal priorities at work and that the organization has their best interests in mind. And employers need to know their staff won’t take advantage of flexible wellbeing policies.
This research indicates that organizations should provide the policies, visible manager and leadership support, role modelling, encouragement, and norms to fully support well-being improvement.
Also read: Did You Know the Mere Design and Colour of Walls at Workplace Can Promote Employee Wellbeing?
Image credit: LinkedIn
