Following one of the biggest health crises in the world, we’ve seen a lot of significant changes to the way companies operate. As terrible as major events like the pandemic can be, there’s something to be said for the idea that crisis spawns creativity. It seems like whenever major events happen; vendors are quick to respond with new, innovative ideas. In the case of the pandemic, these ideas have revolved largely around safety, security, and protection.
Some companies have shown more individuality than others in this regard. Workplace from Facebook now has safety features implemented into the system to help with emergency evacuations during natural disasters, mass shootings, and other emergencies. I have to give kudos to Facebook here, as many other UC and collaboration app vendors haven’t followed suit (as they should, in my opinion).
Elsewhere, companies are now implementing health and safety responsibilities for remote workers, just like they do for in-office employees. However, the primary focus of this blog isn’t so much staff safety – as wellbeing. Why? Because wellbeing is the answer to continued productivity.
Wellbeing and Productivity: They’re Connected
Studies constantly show the connection between wellbeing and performance. The countries with the highest rates of performance are also the ones with the shortest working days. Endless studies into employee satisfaction show that happier employees are more efficient, more creative, and even more present (with fewer sick days among happy staff).
As the restrictions of the pandemic begin to loosen in various parts of the world, the question becomes, how do we maintain the new focus on wellbeing that has begun to emerge during the last year and a half? We’re returning to the office to some extent, but most professionals agree that hybrid work is here to stay for a good portion of us. For this hybrid environment, the right strategies need to be implemented to preserve wellbeing, no matter where your office might be.
The good news is that that a more flexible mode of working already has significant benefits to offer for a good portion of us. Employees that embrace hybrid workstyles can avoid many of the common headaches of the old-fashioned workplace, from lengthy commutes to clammy offices and 9-to-5 restrictive routines. Of course, the right tools need to be in place to ensure the hybrid system works.
UC has proven itself to be a very useful tool for hybrid work within and beyond the pandemic, bringing teams closer together and opening the door for anywhere employment. But, how can our apps and technology encourage health, wellbeing, and wellness in the years to come?
Paving the Way for Hybrid Wellbeing
Some companies are already beginning to explore the concept of “wellbeing” as the next central factor for UC differentiation. Take a look at Microsoft, for instance. The Microsoft 365 environment has a feature called “My Analytics,” which is an excellent solution for monitoring workstyle and workload, while providing insights into how workdays are configured.
The My Analytics environment can also provide some advice on how to structure your day with things like “focus time” and breaks between meetings to reduce the risk of burnout. This is a great start – but something tells me there’s another level to come. Could UC vendors offer enhanced hybrid work by embedding a deeper focus on employee experience into the mix? Will APIs and integrations help to bring user and team behaviour into focus as we continue to transform the workplace.
UC and cloud technology proves to be a highly flexible and innovative solution for helping us communicate and collaborate on a grand scale. But could it help us to understand how we communicate better too and give us the guidance we need for better collaboration?
The evidence seems to suggest that a healthy mind and body leads to better productivity and satisfaction among employees. However, it might take more than a handful of studies to convince some employers that there’s a correlation between employee experience and the bottom line.
The Future Depends on Wellness
Perhaps access to additional metrics will be helpful. I already use a Garmin for tracking my running metrics and steps. The technology monitors my stress levels, heart rate, calories, training intensity, and a bunch of other figures. If we could combine metrics like these with work metrics like goals achieved and tasks completed, could we gain better insights into what wellbeing really means to the workplace?
Of course, there is an issue here with personal data to consider – but the focus here isn’t on employee privacy, but employee experience and opportunity in the long term. Perhaps users could have the option to opt-in if they want to use technology to their advantage? From there, we could combine the data we gather with goals, tasks, collaborative meetings, workplace, communication, and other insights, to unlock a more positive employee experience.
Food for thought.
