Research says happy employees are productive workers.
Salaried employees dread Monday blues – but what kept them motivated?
Happy employees tend to be more productive work at work, according to a research conducted by University of Warwick. Unfortunately, more than 50% of Malaysian workers are unhappy with their jobs. Cross examination of research finding would implicate that Malaysians are unproductive because they are unhappy with their jobs.
Unsurprisingly, employees in Malaysia ranked fourth in a comparison study of seven countries in Southeast Asia. This leaves Malaysians falling behind Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines. In the same study, company reputation, good colleagues, and work location are identified to be key job happiness influencers.
Overworked Malaysians
Predictably, happier employees are more productive according to a research. It is found elevating their moods boosted their productivity levels during the experiments. In a separate study, Malaysians are overworked, stressed, and they live unhealthy lifestyles. Approximately 84% of them developed musculoskeletal condition whereas mental health problems are likely to disrupt the lives of 53% respondents. Any employees working under such demanding duress is unlikely to be productive at the workplace.
Turning Frowns Into Smiles
A study by University of California found that employee wellness programs can aid in restoring employees’ productivity. The execution of comprehensive corporate wellness programmes for employees can do more than reducing healthcare spending. For instance, complimentary health screening helped employees to discover undiagnosed illnesses. In consequence, employees appear to be thankful and synthesize their gratitude into greater work output.
Initiatives to improve employee wellness is also paid off through greater loyalty towards employer reported in the study. Surprisingly, employees who were found to be relatively healthy are also more productive in the aftermath of health screenings. Employees who participated in the initiative reported 6-11% productivity increment, varying based on their state of health.
Fixing The Damage
The unhealthy lifestyles and health issues faced by Malaysians have bigger impacts beyond the radius of their personal lives. Insured employees under corporate insurance will unwittingly involve employers to finance the healthcare cost. Fluctuation in healthcare inflation will cost employers more money to settle the medical bills. Continuous adjustments in insurance premiums caused by economic factors such as weak currency and tax adjustment are to blame.
To mitigate this preventable expenditure, employers should follow “Prevention Is Better Than Cure” adage. Education and early prevention should be top priority of wellness programmes of every human resource department. While investment on such programmes may incur additional cost in the early stages, it is a worthwhile investment for long term returns on employees.
High Quality Employee Wellness Training
A good employee wellness programme should include these three key motives:
Health screening: Complete blood work, urine analysis, and other additional tests can provide acute insights into possible underlying health issues, not visible to naked eyes.
Nutrition awareness: Understanding the ideal choice of food and source of nutrition can assist in managing health risks such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Most importantly, it can keep obesity at bay – commonly caused by less than desirable eating habits.
Mental health management: Work can be overwhelming under certain circumstances and the ensuing mental strain spells woes. It is essential to possess the correct mechanism to cope with stress lest one’s work performance and quality of life will deteriorate.
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Supported by Beacon Hospital, the programme is spearheaded by experienced dietician to make a big impact in only 1 day.
