Employee wellbeing in the new normal

Things just got real. What we thought was a few months of isolation, quarantine, and social distancing is now called the new normal. Ergonomically designed, swanky office spaces have now been swapped with living room couches, dining tables, and the bed! The shifts are not temporary, they are tectonic.

How can one now accept these new realities as the old continue to stay? Career growth is important but so are kid’s schedules and shopping for essentials. Office commute is down to 0% but household chores are at an all-time high and so is stress and anxiety.

The current realities in the new normal have shown us that employee wellbeing is important – now more than ever! Employee wellbeing will play a role in defining an organization’s ability to make it through these tough times and beyond.

What is employee wellbeing in this new normal? Gyms, recreation rooms, and even football fields are mere ghosts of the past. So now what can an organisation do to ensure their employee’s wellbeing?

Key areas that need focus in the new normal are:

• Emotional health
  Stress and anxieties are at an all-time high. Inability to balance work and the home front or the anxiousness related to COVID. Employees are looking at their organizations for professional support and guidance. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is the need of the hour; Additionally, awareness via webinars and seminars help employees gain clarity on various emotions or experiences they might be going through. Lastly, yoga and meditation provide techniques to relax, practice self-care, and live mindfully.
• Medical assistance
  Lifestyle-related health problems continue to rage havoc, except visiting a doctor at their office is no longer anyone’s preference. Provide your workforce with the means to consult experienced professionals via telemedicine.  Protect them by reducing exposure to COVID-19 and helping them gain access to telemedicine services.
• Nutrition
  Binge eating, oral gratification, or just boredom – healthy eating is completely ignored. The ease of convenience will result in a quick plate of ready to eat packaged food replacing daily staples. Support your workforce with awareness, and healthy meal plans. A nutritionist to guide them to stay on a healthy path and some group engagement related to eating right should do the trick.
• Safety at the workplace
  Those who head to office brave the current health crisis to ensure the smooth functioning of the business. Ensure their safety by putting into place measures that ensure their wellbeing. Communication of the new norms is key.
• Sleep and relaxation
  The new normal is unchartered territory to our daily routines and has disrupted our sleep patterns. Working extra hours, caregiving at home, loneliness, stress and anxiety – all of them will cause sleep disruptions. This is something that every employee has to solve so that they can survive in the long term.
• Financial security
  The looming possibility of a medical emergency, instability, and insecurity in the job scene/industry, and economic slowdown are woes on every employees’ mind. Provide and raise awareness of financial matters to get all employees to be prepared.
• Social wellbeing
  Humans are social beings and without the everyday face to face interactions, there is a sense of disconnect.  Empower your employees to connect effectively in a virtual world. Virtual meetings with no agenda, virtual runs, charity projects, manager connects, and other such group engagements will help combat loneliness.
• Support for leadership/management
  This is probably one of the most trying times for leadership. Grappling with their own stress, leaders shoulder the added responsibility of supporting their team to face the new normal. Managing teams to succeed in these circumstances is tricky. Provide leaders with means and methods to empathize and lead from the front.
• Physical fitness
  Restricted movement within the four walls of your home will force a sedentary lifestyle. Home chores, parenting, stress eating, the list has no end. Fatigue of online consumption of fitness programs and just being stuck at home might result in an aversion to fitness. Promote running and walking – a solo exercise which is one of the safest means while social distancing.

Employees need all the help that can be offered. Our key focus over the past few weeks has been on incorporating all of the above into a single platform. We have put together a survival kit for your workforce’s wellness plan – Wellbeing on the Web. This program has EAP, telemedicine, nutritionists, and much more packaged in one.  All of these are accessible via a single online platform which acts as the one-stop-shop for everything wellness for your employees.

Click to know more about the program or call us on +91 99809 30541 to request a demo.