Finances, Health, and Wellness in the Workplace

Dear valued client,

The last 20 months have been less than awesome for anyone, let alone a mid-sized consumer goods company trying to meet the needs of their customers and turn a profit. Not to mention, you have felt your fair share of mental, physical, and emotional anguish from your personal and professional worlds colliding without warning due to covid. This pandemic has affected you and all 40 of your employees through stress, turnover, and low morale.  You and your leadership team have hit a dead end as to how you can keep up with the customer's growing demands and keep employees happy, too. Have you considered the cost of wellbeing? Or rather, your entire staff not being well in the workplace?

A few facts to consider:

• 65% of employees think they can find a better position elsewhere.
• Employee retention rates hit a record low in March 2020.
• By 2030, low retention will, on average, cost the US $430 billion annually.
• Good retention can maximize company profits up to 4 times.
• The cost of replacing a trained employee can be more than 200% of their salary.
• Losing employees leads to decreased productivity for the entire team

In an article titled, "Toward A Wellness Based Workplace," research showed an estimated 7% of employer health-related costs can be attributed to absenteeism, and another 58% to "presenteeism"—the act of attending work while sick—according to SHRM data. This totals a potential 65% of health-related costs that are directly connected to the wellbeing of workers.

Employees who are dissatisfied with their workplace are more likely to call in sick: 35% of those who are dissatisfied called in sick four or more days per year versus only 13% of those who are satisfied. The result was even more dramatic when asked if they find their workplace energizing: 74% of workers satisfied with their workplace reported their space as energizing versus only 4% of those dissatisfied with their environment. Functionality, comfort, and adjustability of furniture showed particular relationships to employees' reported level of energy at work. Air quality, noise, and natural light also influenced energy levels and showed direct relationships to the likelihood of employees calling in sick.

With statistics like these, my question to you is: How can you afford NOT to consider the health and wellbeing of yourself and your staff? The foundation of your livelihood depends on this team's daily collaboration and productivity level, and both are affected by the environment in which these activities are conducted.

What this means:

• High-quality work environments improve employee health and satisfaction.
• Healthy workplaces empower workers to make better wellness choices.
• Empower designers to have wellness conversations.
• Shift conversations from medical costs to healthy behaviors.

So you are curious now... where do you go from here? What could be implemented or thoughtfully designed to help your workplace become a more hospitable, healthy, and emotionally supportive environment for all who work there?

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Reposition the Stairwells
• Natural Light
• Elements of Nature
• Air Quality
• Collaboration Spaces
• Ergonomic Workstations
• Health and Wellbeing initiatives
• Hybrid work options 

Bottom line – Happy workers are more productive, less likely to leave their jobs, and less likely to take time off sick. All these things affect your bottom line. 

So, let's talk about strategies. My design skills are at your service.

Sincerely,

Stacey

Sources

https://legaljobs.io/blog/employee-retention-statistics/ 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2019/01/24/how-your-office-space-impacts-employee-wellbeing/?sh=78f587d564f3 

https://www.gensler.com/gri/toward-a-wellness-based-workplace 

https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/office-design-impact-employee-health-productivity

https://haptivate.co.uk/blog/the-benefits-of-wellbeing-at-work-where-to-start-what-works/ 

https://corporatedesigninteriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/biophilic-design-a-naturally-beneficial-workspace/