I’m Not Ok

I’ve recently noticed an increase in the number of colleagues expressing feelings of exhaustion and burnout. Apparently, it is much more common that I thought. A June 2023 report by Deloitte Insights [READ IT HERE] finds that most employees are struggling. Based on a survey of 2150 people across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, they found that only around one-third of employees felt their health improved on the last year, whereas “three out of four executives inaccurately believe that their workforce’s well-being improved, illustrating that leaders didn’t have a firm grip on how their teams are really doing.”

Other findings of note in the report include:

• 74% of employees say they struggle to take time off or disconnect from work.
• Only around one-third of employees feel their job has a positive impact on their physical, mental, and social well-being.
• 60% of employees, and 75% of the C-suite say they are seriously considering quitting.

Thankfully the report also provides a pathway forward, but with the caveat it needs to be a long-term view. The three keys to unlocking workforce well-being are:

1. Empower managers to support workforce well-being.
   • Managers play a pivotal role in employee well-being, but they’re struggling to provide the support their team members need.
   • 70% of managers noted a number of actors that limit their ability to provide adequate support.
   • These factors include organisational barriers such as company policies, heavy workloads, an unsupportive workplace culture, and not being equipped with the right skills.
     
     
2. Hold executives and the organisation accountable.
   • Accountability for workplace well-being starts and ends eth the C-suite, but requires greater transparency and public commitment.
   • Over three quarters of executives believe if their company cannot maintain an acceptable level of workforce well-being, then the leadership of the organisation should change.
   • Workplace well-being goas and performance against those goals should be made public in order to build trust between employees and the organisations.
     
     
3. Embrace the broader movement toward human sustainability.
   • The future of workplace well-being depends on a significant mindset shift and a long-term approach – one that extends beyond the walls of the organisation.
   • Human sustainability is the creation of value for current and future workers, and more broadly, human beings and society.
     

The report concludes with a challenge to organisations to acknowledge how exhausted and stressed workers are, to empower and resource managers to provide support, and to take the broader perspective of not just their own organisation, but to also consider societal well-being. How well does you organisation manage worker well-being? How do you know?