QWL: which actions to implement to promote the well-being of your employees
For several years, the Quality of Work Life has been at the center of the concerns of many companies. Several studies show that happy employees are 2 times less sick, 6 times less absent, 9 times more loyal, 31% more productive and 55% more creative. There are therefore many advantages to making your employees feel good at work.
Whether it is to boost productivity, strengthen cohesion or recruit talent, here are 5 ideas for actions to put in place to improve well-being at work.
Promote employees agility
"It makes no sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We enlist smart people to tell us what we need to do."
This quote from Steve Jobs sums up, in a way, the agile spirit. This is characterized by a more horizontal and collaborative organization, in opposition to the classic pyramidal structure.
The agile company makes sure to give meaning to the work of employees so that they are more proactive and autonomous. It also relies on its employees to make decisions. Agility within the company finally requires the valorization of collaboration and teamwork to develop collective intelligence.
The benefits of agility for QWL:
- Promotes teamwork, cooperation and solidarity between employees,
- Improves communication, including the expression of disagreements and the resolution of conflicts,
- Encourages collaboration between colleagues and the exchange of good practices,
- Allows the empowerment of employees by encouraging initiative,
- Strengthens employees' self-confidence.
Rethinking management
The well-being of employees creates a virtuous circle for companies. Happy employees are also more engaged and more efficient. In turn, it is easier for the company to carry out actions in favor of the quality of life at work.
Not surprisingly, well-being at work is directly correlated with the management practiced within the organization. As a first step, you can evaluate your management on the basis of precise indicators such as absenteeism rate, average duration of contracts, staff satisfaction, etc. Depending on your observations, you can implement various solutions such as proximity management. This method aims to take the time to exchange with employees, to accompany them in their tasks, their evolutions and more generally their development. You can also strengthen team spirit by organizing various events such as lunches, seminars or afterworks.
Many companies have now understood this. Some have even created Chief Happiness Officer positions, specifically responsible for the quality of life of employees.
The advantages of a redesigned management for QWL:
- Sense of belonging to a group,
- Better understanding between the manager and his or her employees,
- Recognition of work and individuals,
- Conviviality within the teams.
Flexible working hours
As a positive sign sent to employees, the flexibility of schedules shows that the company trusts its employees and takes their needs into account. This type of accommodation is highly sought after by candidates and it can be a strong argument when recruiting.
Flexibility sometimes scares leaders who may fear abuse. Nevertheless, given the immediate well-being that this can provide to their employees, there is a good chance that they will see the benefits quickly.
The advantages of flexible hours for QWL:
- Reduces stress,
- Avoids travel during rush hour,
- Allows better management of professional and personal life,
- Limits the risk of "burnout",
- Improves employees' self-confidence.
Enabling remote work
The Covid-19 crisis has definitively brought remote work into the habits of Swiss companies. A survey published in early 2021 by Deloitte reveals that two-thirds of the employees surveyed would like to continue working regularly from home. More than a quarter of respondents would even be willing to telecommute full-time. Like flexible working hours, remote work is something highly sought after by workers, especially the younger generations.
The adoption of a remote work policy gives the image of a modern company, concerned about the well-being of its employees and the environment. However, remote work requires the implementation of real remote management.
The benefits of remote work for QWL:
- Time saved on transport,
- Reduction of fatigue related to travel,
- Respect for the environment due to reduced use of cars,
- More inclusive for employees with disabilities,
- Feeling of trust on the part of employees.
Grants and benefits
Last idea of action: social benefits. The latter can be in the form of subsidies to take public transport. Indeed, the latter cause less stress and fatigue than car travel. They thus limit the risk of accidents on the journey from home to work. It also allows you to enroll your company in a sustainable development approach while promoting the mobility of your employees.
In order to make life easier for Geneva companies, tpg offers them a fully dedicated service: tpgBusiness. Companies have a free and easy-to-use platform to:
- Purchase travel passes and their dematerialization via the Swisspass card,
- Manage grants in order to finance all or part of the employees' travel in an individualized way,
- Control and generate billing,
The benefits of transportation subsidies for QWL: - Engage the company in a sustainable development approach,
- Promote equity between employees,
- Reduce absenteeism,
- Reduce the risk of home-to-work accidents.