24 / 112
24
/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2015
Retaining People: Ready, Set, Well.W
hat’s keeping the nation’s C-Suite awake
at night? A recent survey revealed their
upmost concern: the paramount defi-
ciency in supply of knowledge workers in 2020.
This puts retention of talent at the center of focus
for the next five years. Companies are looking for
forward-thinking ways to engage and retain their
people, resulting in their piqued interest in an ev-
er-familiar buzzword, “wellness.”
Wellness indisputably has captured the spotlight
lately – and deservedly so. There is no mystique
surrounding the positive impacts of supporting
employees’ wellness in the workplace. For many,
the underlying benefit is to simply reduce health
care costs, as research shows that happy, healthy
and engaged employees produce more and cost
less. Other audiences have taken interest of the re-
cent data, which uncovers the hidden costs of pre-
senteeism and absenteeism, making wellness not
only an attraction and retention strategy, but also
one that can affect the overall profitability of ones
business.
While it is clear that the importance of employee
wellness is understood, there is an inherent need
to elevate wellness considerations to the next level
and implement a holistic approach to impact an
individual’s well-being.
Wellness to Well-Being
∆Employee Wellness is focused primarily on
physical health, with emphasis on health pro-
grams, ergonomics or other physical characteristics
of the work environment.
Employee well-being includes employee well-
ness, but also addresses the psychological well-be-
ing of the individual worker, addressing consid-
erations such as worker engagement, choice and
control, work-life balance, financial well-being, etc.
The indirect costs of poor health and well-be-
ing trump the direct costs by a wide margin.
There is a direct relationship between well-be-
ing and health care costs, productivity and more.
The top global drivers of well-being initiatives
are increasing productivity, improving engagement,
reducing absenteeism and reducing costs (U.S. only).
Workplace strategies that address employee’s
physical, emotional and social well-being can in-
crease employee engagement.
While most organizations invest in wellness, few
address well-being. Only 11 percent of U.S. organiza-
tions offer what is considered to be a comprehen-
sive wellness program. It is a privilege to reside in
Colorado – one of the nation’s healthiest cities in
the U.S. As heightened awareness and interest sur-
rounds well-being, let’s take a look at five ways that
workplace strategy can support and contribute pos-
itively to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs. Maslow’s Hi-
erarchy of Needs is a useful framework for thinking
about workplaces, work processes and work practic-
es that can impact employee well-being.
The foundation of Maslow’s Needs focus on em-
ployee’s basic physiological and safety necessities,
like physical aspects of work and wellness. For in-
stance, baseline expectations include adequate
lighting, thermal comfort, reasonable noise levels,
sufficient privacy, etc. The physiological level is ex-
pected to be provided in any workplace, and just
because the basics are met it does not result in sat-
isfaction, nor can one expect engagement.
At the transition from wellness to well-being
near the center of the pyramid, holistic consider-
ations for well-being are introduced. Interpersonal
relationships have always inherently contributed
toward one’s sense of belonging, and when a com-
pany can build a team-based culture there are nat-
ural camaraderie and connections made.
Putting Well-Being to Work
The physical environment can contribute toward
each tier of needs. As each tier of needs are met,
employee satisfaction is indeed the result.
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
BUILD ESTEEM
BELONGING
SAFETY
PHYSIOLOGICAL
Ultimately, what is good for people is good for the
organization. To win in the years ahead, organiza-
tions will need to concentrate efforts on ensuring
Jenny West
Architecture
and Design
Manager,
Knoll
Moving Forward