The busy seasons are slowly approaching and for small and midsize businesses, the outlook is murky at best. Shifting focus to maximizing opportunities is essential for SMBs as the undecided economy continues to chug along. One area of control that directly affects profitability is employee wellness. Individual wellbeing challenges can negatively impact productivity as well as increase costs through reduced efficiency and the potential for time off work. Smaller organizations cannot take chances with customer interactions and increasing costs and check-ins at the business level can go a long way in building a culture of wellbeing to continually maintain high levels of productivity and efficiency from staff.
Strategies for Stress
Customer facing positions and entry level jobs are some of the most stressful out there and the build of stress in individuals can take its toll on the person and eventually, negatively impact productivity and the business. Owners and managers who are aware of these stresses can take quick steps to help individuals relieve the pressure and maintain composure during the work day. Some real time tips for leadership:
- Focus on breathing and taking deep, long breaths to help center the individual
- Challenge their perception of the situation and reiterate that they are in control
- Use grounding techniques to steer away from the situation and re-center the individual
- Break up problems into smaller challenges and support the individual to overcome them
- Ensure that the individual is aware that they are supported and offer any help they may ask for
Paying attention to stress levels within the team is a way to fine tune performance and keep output high on a consistent basis. Alleviating short term stress can also yield long term benefits by driving the overall worker experience.
Leadership Plays a Role
The attitude and mood of the business entirely starts at the top and it is up to owners and managers to set the tone in the workplace. This holds especially true for employee wellness, health and safety. Leadership of the business can play a key role in the overall health of the team by providing open lines of communication as well as outlets for support when individuals need them. Identifying wellness priorities that are in line with the business can help elevate team wellbeing with the added benefit of increasing and maintaining high levels of productivity, reducing wellness related costs and positively influencing the longevity of individual employees. Communication is a core tool when it comes to team health and owners and managers who embrace open and active lines of communication will realize better relationships with individuals as well as being able to quickly see problems and correct them before they negatively affect the business.
What’s Trendy in Wellness
With ‘the great resignation’ and COVID related employment obstacles in the past, small and midsize businesses are refocusing efforts on elevating the worker experience. Owners and managers are realizing that the labor pool is unfriendly and working with the human assets available is the best course of action to keep driving the business. Highlighting people-centric aspects such as morale, individual wellbeing and development are refocusing energy and resources to potentially the most important part of the business, the frontline team. A 2023 Workhuman / Gallup survey found a distinct contrast in descriptors when it comes to engaged and disengaged employees when asked to describe their workplace. Words like caring, innovative and inclusive were used by engaged workers while adjectives such as disorganized, chaotic and toxic were used by disengaged workers. For owners and managers, it’s easy to see which terms should apply to enhance workplace wellbeing and continually drive the business forward.
The Bottom Line
Personal well being is becoming an important consideration for workers, especially in high pressure environments such as customer service and contact centers. These types of positions can easily take their toll on a person’s emotional and physical wellness which will eventually affect the business negatively. Adopting strategies for wellbeing at the business level can benefit the business by influencing positive habits and behaviours that positively impacts the individual. A culture of health and safety has long term benefits as worker experience and happiness increases over time. It is essential for SMBs to maximize every customer opportunity in the current economic climate and ensuring frontline teams are healthy and happy will positively influence those important interactions.