As well as being an opportunity to catch-up, these meetings can be a platform for sharing success stories and celebrating company-wide, team or individual achievements and milestones.įor many employees, the workplace is where they get most of their social interaction, so companies should ensure that their communications with employees are not just task-focused. Regular team meetings are not only a practical means of managing workflow, but can help employees feel a sense of shared endeavour and comradery.
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Technology has been a key player in staying connected during the pandemic – both professionally and socially – and it would be prudent of businesses to continue to take full advantage of these platforms.Īccording to the WTW COVID-19 Benefits Survey, 92 per cent of UK businesses increased access to videoconferencing, to allow for virtual meetings to keep employees connected around work after the pandemic hit. Tapping into technology to stay connected In order to effectively incorporate social wellbeing into a wellness strategy, it must be seen as a key priority, on a par with physical and mental wellbeing, rather than being viewed as a ‘nice to have’, non-essential or temporary ‘fix’.Īs well as working to gain board level support for social wellbeing initiatives, companies can underline their commitment by leveraging employee communications, for example, the active promotion of buddy schemes and virtual coffee mornings. In Willis Towers Watson’s Benefits Trends Survey 2019, more than one third (35 per cent) of UK companies said that social wellbeing was an emerging focus for their business.įurthermore, 88 per cent of businesses said they will focus on strategies to build a culture of inclusion and wellbeing in the workplace that encourages a supportive work environment over the coming years – a rise from the current 57 per cent.
This was undoubtedly accelerated by the pandemic, but there was certainly appetite to enhance social wellbeing before the coronavirus outbreak. Indeed, there is growing recognition of the importance of social wellbeing amongst businesses.Īccording to Willis Towers Watson’s 2020 COVID-19 Benefits Survey, improving social connections was one of the top benefits priorities for businesses, cited by almost one quarter (23 per cent) of UK companies. Whilst employees enjoy a greater sense of belonging, and feel more emotionally supported and appreciated, employers benefit from a motivated, loyal, productive and socially cohesive workforce. Promoting social wellbeing is a mutually beneficial pursuit. If employees do not have a sense of belonging, or feel on the fringe, their output may not only be affected, but their overall wellbeing too.īy creating a supportive environment, where employees can successfully foster social connections and maintain meaningful relationships, companies can ensure they are on a more holistic route to wellbeing and begin to forge a physically thriving, emotionally balanced and socially connected workforce. The omission of simple human interaction can have a profound effect on employees and efforts to replicate such connection through virtual means, though well-intentioned, may prove fruitless, if not conducted in the right way.
Social isolation is a key modern-day workplace issue, exacerbated by the rise in the flexible, remote and virtual working, the gig economy, and the increase in the number of working caregivers, and the current climate only serves to compound this problem.Īll too often, mid-morning coffee breaks, canteen catch-ups and a chat with a neighbouring colleague is undervalued and the benefits overlooked.
When it comes to worker wellbeing, efforts have traditionally been concentrated on improving physical and mental health, but as the impact of social isolation has become more widely known, understood, and keenly felt, the onus is slowly shifting to making provisions for social wellbeing too.
Indeed, many companies adapted so well that they are preparing for a permanent reshaping of business operations, with home working expected to become the norm rather than a temporary trend.Īny period of change comes with its challenges, and one of the key hurdles businesses are faced with in the new age of home working is employee isolation and the associated low morale. The mass home-working directive proved a steep learning curve for all but many employers and employees adapted quickly in this period of disruption, and the transition to new working practices was smoother than expected. The last 10 months have been tumultuous, with companies across the country – and indeed the world – having to grapple with a new way of working. We may have joyously – but quietly – cheered in 2021 but the challenges that we have faced in 2020 have not been shed or left behind with the dawning of a new year.
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