What is quality of life at work?
Let us discuss about Quality of life at work with 6 tips to promote in company.
For a long time, it worked well, especially for companies and their owners, the work model in which the employee fulfilled their workday and their tasks, mechanically, without having to offer anything more to motivate them. . Only the conditions of salary and benefits, such as transportation vouchers and meal vouchers, for example, were enough.
Today, however, with the increase in competitiveness in the market, companies have needed to reorganize and change their way of treating employees, starting to offer differentials not only for their customers and investors, but for their internal audience as well, that is, employees .
This differential is a combination of factors: it started with better salaries and more attractive benefits, and currently concerns mainly the quality of life at work, the company’s physical environment, social relations and people’s physical and mental health.
It also concerns the employee’s life outside the company, mainly because, in most cases, people spend more time working, usually away from home, and leave aside their personal desires, due to lack of time.
Specifically, quality of life at work is about:
- to be able to reconcile the professional side with the personal, in terms of time and priorities;
- feeling good, emotionally and physically, to fulfill their professional tasks;
- live and live in an environment with people who have good social interaction, respect each other and are able to exercise good teamwork;
- feeling valued and recognized, acting where they should be, within the company, and being able to envision professional growth;
- work in a quality and accessible physical environment, with space to carry out your tasks with comfort, concentration and safety.
To be able to provide these benefits to their employees, companies can and should invest in projects, actions and strategies that enable this reality.
See 6 tips for your company to promote quality of life at work
Now that you know what quality of life at work means, below are 6 tips for your company to start practicing this concept that is so important to both parties:
1. Strengthen organizational culture
Creating conditions for a healthy work environment is an action that requires the participation of all parties involved. From owners and directors to employees who hold operational positions.
On the part of the company, creating and strengthening a strong organizational culture means clarifying the company’s rules and procedures, talking about the organization’s history and reinforcing strategic guidelines, such as mission, vision and values.
In addition, it means knowing the company’s characteristics, routines and the way processes are conducted on a daily basis, and passing on this knowledge to everyone. Strengthening the organizational culture helps to create a sense of belonging and recognition on the part of employees.
2. Work on internal communication
An internal communication done well is one of the factors that favor the quality of working life.
This means that the company must be transparent and agile in passing on information of interest to everyone, keeping employees updated on the routine and changes that are made, for example, such as a change in procedure or carrying out works in the company, in addition to maintaining a dialogue that is always open, which means allowing the employee to hear and to be heard as well.
Poor communication within the organization favors gossip, misunderstandings and disagreements, which is why investing in this part is essential in the process.
3. Encourage employee participation and growth
As already mentioned, good wages and benefits alone do not provide quality of life at work.
Therefore, the company must invest in projects and programs that favor the participation of employees, encouraging them to contribute with new ideas and solutions, and that this participation is awarded and publicly recognized.
Another possibility is to create a job and salary plan , with goals and internal promotions based on merit. Valuing employees is believing in their ability. It is up to the company to offer the employee values compatible with the function they perform and with the market, since, after all, the financial part is also very important in the labor relationship.
4. Invest in the company’s physical environment
Without a doubt, a well-structured physical environment directly interferes with the quality of life at work.
Investing in the physical environment means making sure that the lighting, climate, accessibility and comfort of furniture, such as chairs and tables, comply with ergonomic rules and meet employees and the tasks they need to perform.
It is to provide physical working conditions to generate comfort, tranquility and concentration.
5. Caring for the physical and mental health of employees
Quality of life is directly related to good physical and mental health. And the company has an important role in this context, not only in offering corporate health plans , for example, but in the genuine concern for people.
Excessive work, pressure and internal discussions are situations that can occur in companies. But it is important that the company, especially the Human Resources sector, be aware of the physical and behavioral issues of employees.
6. Offer flexibility at work
The flexibility at work is another factor that interferes heavily in quality of life, returning to the company in the form of productivity and employee engagement.
In addition, it provides employees with benefits such as taking care of personal demands, the possibility of resolving their own issues during business hours and even avoiding traffic at peak hours.
To offer flexibility, the company can choose to adopt the hybrid work model, alternating the home office with the face-to-face workday.
In recent months, with the coronavirus pandemic, companies have been able to prove how adopting remote work is possible and positive. In addition, with home office tools , managing employees who are far away is much easier.
