More and more companies are investing in supporting the mental and physical health of employees. The Benefit Systems report shows that 72 percent enterprises realize that this is an important task of non-wage benefits. Experts indicate that investments in well-being improve efficiency, reduce absenteeism and limit staff turnover.
– Research on employee well-being shows that from 40 to 50 percent reports various types of problems. This well-being may be related to the work environment, but it is often related to employees' relatives or family, i.e. employees experience family problems in relationships outside of work and this affects how they function in the work environment – tells the Newseria agency Dr. Tomasz Rowiński, a psychologist from the SGH Think Tank for Health Protection. – To there are natural situations when the employer can show understanding, financial support or even a day of vacation. These are ordinary mechanisms and legal tools that the employer has in his hand.
According to WHO data, depressive and anxiety disorders worldwide cause the loss of 12 billion working days and cost the global economy approximately USD 1 trillion. annually in lost productivity. In Poland – as the EZOP II study indicates – every fourth adult experiences an episode of mental crisis during their life, and every 10th struggles with long-term mood disorders.
Experts emphasize that employees' personal problems, e.g. their well-being, are increasingly reflected in their professional functioning, but a number of factors influence the well-being of employees. The report “The Well-being of Polish Women and Men” prepared by infuture.institute on behalf of Benefit Systems shows that 61 percent respondents declare a high level of anxiety related to the socio-political situation. It is also difficult for employees to find a balance between private and professional life, especially in the world of accelerating digitalization. Research conducted for the Multi.Life wellbeing benefit shows that Poles complain about overstimulation, which is one of the main sources of stress today. 54 percent respondents admit that they feel it at least once a week.
– The work environment may or may not support well-being and here we have a constant – there are certain companies that function well, create an appropriate organizational culture, and there is a certain percentage of companies where this problem is stable. After the COVID-19 pandemic, we see that the personal well-being of employees is decreasing and this is often related to mood and anxiety disorders, says Dr. Tomasz Rowiński.
Companies are beginning to treat mental health issues as part of organizational risk management. More and more of them are building internal procedures for mental support and introducing training in responding to crisis situations. At the same time, enterprises are expanding the scope of health-promoting services and benefits aimed at long-term and comprehensive support for well-being, with particular emphasis on mental resilience. Those that combine health prevention with personal development are becoming more and more important. According to a survey of the non-wage benefits market conducted on behalf of Benefit Systems, benefits conducive to the acquisition of new competences, such as courses, training and advisory services or co-financing for education, are appreciated by employees (at least 75 percent of responses).
– In today's unstable times, it is worth investing in benefits that protect both the health and development of our employees. The DNA of every organization should include attention to creating a safe workplace where we can solve problems and confidently talk about them, and at the same time provide a systemic solution, specific paths that both managers and employees can use – says Izabela Nasiłowska-Włodarek, business development director at Benefit Systems. – Well-being is not only our sense of harmony, but also the desire to continue building our position in a given organization based, for example, on our development.
As he emphasizes, it is crucial that support covers all stages of professional life – from the start of a career to retirement. Employees expect not only medical benefits, but also real tools for personal and emotional development.
– We can educate, we can support systemically, we can look for commercial solutions in the form of benefits. The entry threshold for such assistance, based on non-wage benefits, may be low. In the case of the Multi.Life program, per month, per employee, it is the cost of one coffee in the city. Even with such expenditure, we can effectively take care of employee well-being in organizations – emphasizes Izabela Nasiłowska-Włodarek. -The above-mentioned Multi.Life program comprehensively takes care of the various well-being needs of teams – from psychophysical health prevention, including consultations with experts, including: in the field of psychology, to development and numerous courses strengthening personal and professional competences. System solutions are very limited. The waiting time for advice from a psychotherapist or psychologist under state care is on average 124 days.
Employers increasingly notice that preventive programs bring measurable results – they reduce absenteeism, reduce employee turnover and improve team commitment.
Employers must take into account the issue of psychological safety in the workplace and implement burnout prevention programs. This is a burning problem because, for example, according to Lewiatan research, 33 percent employees in Poland experience burnout or feel threatened by it – says Kuba Giedrojć, deputy director general of the Lewiatan Confederation and author of the research, as well as an expert in anti-burnout policies.
From 2022, WHO classifies the phenomenon of burnout as one of the main public health problems.
– Building employee well-being is becoming a key task for the employer. An employee who is well-being, however we understand it, is more effective, has lower absenteeism, has a positive impact on the team, etc. However, it is very important to shape well-being strategically, implement appropriate programs, consider what the goals are in each organization, and in what direction these programs should evolve. Well-being will not build itself, it requires systematic work – says Kuba Giedrojć. – I am sure that with each passing year, programs that take care of well-being in the organization will become something that is necessary, and during recruitment interviews we will only ask what they look like and what components they have, not whether they exist at all.
Experts debated the role of this type of programs in companies during the panel “Between today and tomorrow: well-being in organizations”, which took place during the European Forum for New Ideas (EFNI) in Sopot.
