By | Josh Bersin | hrexecutive.com
The pandemic’s continuing effects have left us with an economy that is “partially open,” ever-changing policies for vaccines and masking, and employees fatigued from remote and hybrid work, as well as staffing shortages, irate customers and caregiving worries. So, it’s no surprise that research finds almost half of people are still feeling high levels of stress.
In response, companies are investing in new benefit offerings, resilience tools, mindfulness programs and flexible work options to help people recover. But, overall, HR and business leaders don’t really know which practices and programs actually make a difference when it comes to employees’ stress levels, productivity and engagement.
In research we conducted over this past summer, we came up with the concept of “healthy organizations”: companies that have transitioned from the traditional focus on employee benefits to one that encompasses job and work design, rewards practices, a demonstrated commitment to psychological safety and fairness, and a culture of employee listening.