Having a good work-life balance is essential for both your mental and physical help. However, that isn’t easy for everyone. Irish employees have revealed that they are not happy with their current work-life balance and stressed that their employer has a responsibility to provide wellbeing support to employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite these beliefs, less than half of employers currently provide such support, according to new research published by Hays Ireland.
The Hays Ireland Wellbeing Matters: What Workers Want Report 2020, which surveyed 1,700 people across Ireland, examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on employee wellbeing and explores how employers can take steps to support their workforce.
40 percent of employees admitted that their employer’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been “okay” to “poor”.
People wished their employers would improve their communication skills, strategy and planning and staff management during the coronavirus pandemic.
At a time when an unprecedented number of Irish employees are working remotely, employers must work harder than ever before to maintain workplace morale and foster a positive team spirit.
Hays’ research suggests that the most prominent supports offered by employers promoting employee wellbeing include professional training, social activities, online doctors, and exercise initiatives.
Approximately eight out of ten employees (84 percent) check in with the colleagues on their team every couple of days, if not every day. However, almost one quarter (24 percent) of employees feel relationships with colleagues have become more distant since the coronavirus restrictions.
Commenting on the report, Maureen Lynch, Director of Hays Ireland, said: “As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it is estimated that 320,000 employees are currently working remotely across Ireland, which represents approximately 14% of the working adult population in the country.”
“The coronavirus has changed the way we work and how employees perceive the workplace. This presents challenges and opportunities for employers, who must now adapt to new ways of working and better understand their employees’ motivations.On 10 August, we will see the final phase of the re-opening of the Irish economy and more specifically, the re-opening of office buildings across the country.
“We’re seeing some employers already making changes. Less than a fortnight ago, Twitter committed to making its current remote-working practises available to staff on a permanent basis. This move is a recognition of the positives that have emerged from this new mode of working, including improved employee wellbeing and, for the employer, new ways of achieving optimum productivity.”
Are you happy with your work-life balance? Or could it improve?
