Looking after employee wellbeing within Housing

By Peoplesafe

Wellbeing is a measure of health, satisfaction and happiness. When it comes to workplace wellbeing, this refers to the state of employees’ mental and physical health resulting from their relationships with colleagues, their workload, work environment and many other factors. Having an effective health and wellbeing strategy that prioritises your employees has the power to have a hugely positive impact on your business.

Investing in the mental and physical health of your employees will not only improve their quality of life, but will help to create a more engaged, motivated, and high-performing workforce. A report by Deloitte revealed that happy workers are:

• 20% more productive,
• 34% less likely to leave their jobs, and
• 37% less likely to take time off sick.

But with abuse towards housing workers still on the rise, employee wellbeing should be a focus for employers now more than ever before. A study by Inside Housing revealed that annually, there are 7.9 assaults for every 100 frontline housing workers and more than 41% of respondents who had been assaulted said the incident(s) had affected their mental health. Alarmingly, the survey also found that staff assaults are no longer confined to working hours. Workers are increasingly encountering abuse or harassment once they clock off.

Aside from the moral argument for protecting staff, with many organisations facing talent shortages for front-line roles, it’s vital to consider what can be done to make your organisation appeal to prospective employees. Often, pay is seen as the focus area when looking to attract new employees, but this is no longer enough. Employees are increasingly considering the added perks that come with the job, but with many organisations offering the same benefits, more people are looking for meaningful work perks. When it comes to retaining talent, 45% of employees in small and medium-sized businesses claim that perks for their wellbeing would make them stay with their employers a lot longer.

Research by Peoplesafe found that 6.8 million workers worry about their safety each week, while most employers are underestimating the level of concern among their workforce. Those experiencing a negative event at work are less satisfied in their role and are more likely to leave their employer. And employees are becoming more consciously aware of their desire to feel safe. Two in three employees say there is one or more safety mitigation options that are not available to them that their employer should implement and 48% say they would look at their employer better if offered a personal safety solution.

Providing wellbeing and personal safety support services for staff will not only improve retention but can also make a significant difference in terms of general staff wellbeing, productivity and mental health. Focusing on employee safety is an untapped recruitment and retention tool that has the potential to make a big improvement to the way staff feel about coming into work.