Approximately 40% of U.S. employees say their job negatively impacts their mental health, according to research from Gallup, highlighting the importance of employee well-being on the overall satisfaction and productivity of the workforce. As companies begin to shift their attention to focus on well-being, the employee experience will inevitably evolve alongside it. Workhuman’s Five Workplace Well-being Trends to Watch report examines the trends that are likely to redefine workplace wellness in 2024.
Employee stress is at a “record high,” with 44% of employees reporting to Gallup that they experience a lot of stress. Companies are working to address this long-term stress and the consequences that come along with it – including burnout, disengagement, lower job satisfaction, and other mental and physical health issues.
Sarah Hamilton, vice president of human experience at Workhuman, says that caring for employees’ mental health is a business imperative, as organizations stand to lose $20 million for every 10,000 workers due to low well-being and its subsequent impact on performance.
“Employees want to feel valued in the workplace,” she says. “When their hard work goes unnoticed and unrewarded, their mental well-being will suffer. They’ll become disengaged and dejected, and then they’re more likely to quit, or put in less effort. When these feelings of invisibility compound other mental health issues, the employer creates a dangerous environment that must be corrected immediately.”
Workhuman’s research with Gallup shows that giving effective recognition can improve employees’ overall well-being at work, as employees are 90% less likely to report being burned out at work always or very often, and are 10 times as likely to agree that they belong in their company, Hamilton shares.
“By taking the time to recognize employees for their accomplishments both inside and outside of the workplace, you remind them that they matter,” Hamilton says. “People are the greatest asset to any organization, and it’s their whole authentic self, not their number of hours clocked or projects finished, that makes them so.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are set to be used as a potential solution for overstressed workers through added training, career development, and opportunities for employee feedback.
“Employees will experience improved well-being when they can derive a sense of fulfillment and purpose from their jobs,” Hamilton says. “But when they’re bogged down by tedious busy work, it becomes difficult for them to see the meaning in their work. And when they do get to work on the projects they enjoy, they’re too burned out to give it their best.”
However, Hamilton adds that AI can easily automate many undesirable tasks, freeing up time for workers to spend more energy on what they’re passionate about. Workhuman’s August 2023 Human Workplace Index survey finds that time management and scheduling and drafting emails are the top two task categories that workers want AI to automate.
Generative AI in particular can provide employees with an assistant to help them navigate software programs, brainstorm ideas, and rough out communications, Hamilton says. By providing instant feedback, generative AI can help drive productivity and keep employees focused on tasks they enjoy.
U.S. Census data shows that more than 12,000 U.S. adults will turn 65 every day in 2024 – a phenomenon known as “Peak 65.” As more baby boomers hit retirement age and exit the workforce, a shift in generational diversity is expected to hit the workplace. At the same time, Gen Z is increasingly joining the workforce. As these demographics shift, what employees expect from DEI initiatives will likely change, too.
When it comes to fostering well-being in a multigenerational workforce, HR leaders should recognize people as whole individuals with unique needs, rather than representatives of their generations, Hamilton says.
“HR leaders should observe how other generations impact one another in the workplace, looking for positivity in action, and then use recognition to reinforce those behaviors,” she says. “This could look like an older employee mentoring an entry-level hire, a Gen Z worker encouraging their Gen X manager to take more PTO, or an intergenerational group coming together to form an employee resource group to advance their needs in the workplace. Rewarding these actions through social recognition will encourage others to follow suit, leading to a culture that can advance the specific needs of every generation in the workplace.”
Flexibility is the gold standard of the modern U.S. workplace, even as companies push for return-to-office mandates and a return to “normal” after the COVID-19 pandemic. 2023 reporting from the International Labor Organization finds that a flexible work policy contributes to more opportunities for work-life balance, a key component of workplace well-being.
“One thing the larget RTO debate often misses is that flexibility is so much more than where humans work,” Hamilton says. “Yes, the ability to choose between home and the office can be an important benefit. But flexibility also encompasses when employees work and how they work.”
Workhuman’s 2023 Human Workplace Index finds that RTO is one of the least important factors employees prioritize when considering a new job. Rather, they are more concerned with work-life balance and whether they can be productive. Efforts to offer more flexibility in the workplace should be holistic and encompass all aspects fo the employee experience, Hamilton says.
For example, if a company is returning to the office part-time, they could consider allowing employees to pick which days they come in or work half-days in the office and half from home, Hamilton suggests. If traffic is an issue, companies can allow employees with long commutes to come in later or leave earlier. Allowing people to go to the doctor in the middle of the day, take their kids to and from school, or attend a workout class in between meetings are also ways that companies can encourage flexibility, Hamilton says.
In the 2023 Workhuman-Gallup Culture Report, there is a strong contrast between the top words engaged and actively disengaged employee use to describe the culture of their workplace. Engaged employees use terms like “caring,” “fun,” “innovative,” “inclusive,” and “friendly,” while disengaged employees use terms like “toxic,” “disorganized,” “chaotic,” “horrible,” and “stressful.” By cultivating an employee experience that includes ongoing feedback, professional growth opportunities, and performance reviews, companies can help improve employee engagement.
Gallup has defined five key elements of well-being that contribute to people’s thriving in life: career, financial, social, physical, and community. While companies have historically focused efforts on building up employee well-being when it comes to their career, Workhuman forecasts that companies will continue to expand employee resources to include benefits focused on financial, social, physical, and community elements of well-being.
Gallup has defined five key elements of well-being that contribute to people’s thriving in life: career, financial, social, physical, and community. While companies have historically focused efforts on building up employee well-being when it comes to their career, Workhuman forecasts that companies will continue to expand employee resources to include benefits focused on financial, social, physical, and community elements of well-being.
Hamilton says that HR leaders should understand that well-being is complex, and therefore, the strategies to support it must also be multifaceted.
“Everyone needs a different level of support, no matter if they’re in the same role or same age group or same demographic background,” Hamilton adds. “There are trends, but there are no monoliths. Employees who receive the right recognition are four times as likely to view their organization as inclusive, and seven times more likely to see it as equitable. Perhaps most importantly, social recognition gives employees new opportunities to connect with one another, leading to a healthier, happier workforce overall.”
