Prof Hew Gill, Associate Provost Sunway University
It probably comes as no surprise that there is now substantial evidence from scientific research showing that higher levels of employee health and well-being are linked to higher employee productivity. We all instinctively know that when we feel healthy and happy we tend to perform at our best, and we also know that if we’re feeling tired, stressed or uncomfortable in any way then the quality and amount of work we do is likely to fall. So, it’s amazing that so many organisations don’t consider this obvious link and take some of the very simple and cost-effective steps which can have a major impact on productivity and profitability.
Ensuring employees are physically and mentally healthy increases profits, but it also reduces costs by reducing staff sick leave and expensive health insurance bills. Experimental studies have shown that better physical health and higher subjective well-being are directly linked to each other and both lead to increased levels of worker productivity. Further research has shown that increases in levels of job satisfaction are also associated with greater individual and organisational productivity, and many of the factors which raise job satisfaction also appear to be good for employee health and well-being. This means that helping employees improve their health through access to healthy food, staying hydrated, taking exercise and quitting smoking can all pay dividends. Employee assistance and support programmes that help workers tackle personal problems and reduce stress have been shown to more than pay for themselves through increased efficiency and reduced staff absences. Even very basic measures like ensuring good natural lighting, a flow of fresh air, a comfortable ambient temperature and green plants around the workplace can boost health and well-being leading to higher productivity.
Before the pandemic there was an accumulating body of research showing that employees can still be highly productive when they are not at the workplace or expected to work at rigidly fixed times. The Covid lockdowns tested these ideas around the globe and they confirmed that giving workers more choice about where and when they do their work can be good for business. Being more flexible about when employees start or finish work or allowing people to choose when they work from home leads to direct physical and mental health improvements and, perhaps more surprisingly, the evidence is that people are more productive and also often work longer hours because the time saved by not sitting traffic jams becomes work time. Flexibility around starting and finishing times can also help employees manage other commitments such as caring for children or elderly relatives, and knowing that they have the flexibility to meet their social and family obligations can reduce a lot of employee stress and days off work leading to better focus and productivity.
Although flexibility is generally good for productivity, the scientific evidence also suggests that there are limits because people still value a certain amount of stability in their working hours, so they want broad guidelines about when they should start and when they should stop. These boundaries make it clear when work begins and ends so employees know what is expected of them, they can plan to balance their work and personal time, and they know when they should be available and when it is private time. Working within such guidelines allows people to establish their own rhythm or routine which also helps to ensure that people get enough sleep because this is another key factor in health and well-being – people who get seven to eight hours sleep most nights tend to be much more effective at work and they also live longer !
Most people want to do a good job and they get frustrated by anything that prevents them from working efficiently, whether that be the restrictiveness of micro-management or not being allowed to solve their own work problems. The people doing a job usually have some ideas about how to do the job better, so allowing employees to determine their own workflow and giving them the opportunity to make workplace improvements fosters well-being and also boosts job satisfaction. Several studies have shown that organisations which allow workers to tackle problems and make changes in their jobs and workplace have lower stress levels and better overall health, so they are more productive. As an added bonus, employees who are able to exercise autonomy also develop stronger social relationships with each other which increases group productivity, and this underpins strong relationships which make it less likely that employees will leave their jobs. This is another key benefit for organisations that want to retain valuable talent because it eliminates the costs and disruption of having to hire, induct and train new staff.
All of the measures outlined above are supported by scientific research and are easy to implement. So now is a good time to improve the health and well-being of your employees to make a big difference to the productivity, cost control and profitability of your company.
