Trend: Work is Under Intense Review and the Old Superficial “Workplace Wellness” Is History
Week of July 12th, 2023
Five new benefits and perks employers will tailor to your needs–The Wall Street Journal
The workforce of the future will be made up of a greater mix of employees of all ages as people live and work longer. Companies will offer more benefits tailored to needs at different stages of life. Here are five key shifts coming to work and wellness in the next decade: 1) work-abroad stints and sabbaticals will increase, as younger gens see travel and life experiences as keys to their happiness; 2) paid daycare and companionship for parents; 3) meaningful mental health resources, with moves to provide in-person, on-site counseling with therapists or coaches; 4) hyper-personalized benefits that meet employees needs in different locations, age ranges and family situations, and 5) post-parental leave: Paid parental leave is widespread, but more companies will add a transitional period at the end of that break.
Companies are starting to adopt menopause benefits–Time
More global companies are offering menopause benefits. At Genentech, employees and their spouses and partners get 24/7 access to menopause specialists, a menopause support group, and on-demand video chat and messaging with doctors, nurses and coaches specializing in menopause. Dozens of British companies, including big-name brands like HSBC UK, are now being certified as menopause-friendly by Henpicked, a third-party group.
Millennial and Gen Z employees are rejecting assignments, turning down offers and seeking purpose. Here’s what they expect of their employers, according to Deloitte’s latest global survey–Fortune
Deloitte’s new global survey of Gen Z and millennial workers has bright spots: They believe employers have made progress in key areas such as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), enabling work/life balance, and driving positive societal change. But they expect more from businesses when it comes to embedding purpose in work and they’re holding organizations to new standards. Nearly four in ten have rejected work assignments due to ethical concerns; more than one-third have turned down employers who aren’t doing enough on the environment, DEI, or mental health. Only half of them feel empowered to drive change at work, while one-third say that decisions are made from the top down and that their feedback is not acted upon.
Employers, worried about a lack of social connections with the new remote/hybrid work, are trying to organize more fun in workplaces–The Wall Street Journal
Bonding with colleagues has become far harder in the new era of remote and hybrid work—and more employers worry that it’s harming company culture and operations. Offices are empty, a large percentage of people have recently switched jobs, and many employees want a sharper boundary between work and their personal lives. Polls show how office friendship has taken a real hit, and the social recession at work is tied to a likelihood to quit and to job satisfaction. In response, companies are whisking employees to party-packed social retreats, hosting bingo nights, and embracing workplace social platforms.
Wellness initiatives in the workplace: What really works in 2023?–The Globe and Mail
A new survey of employees (in the US, UK, Japan and France) by Future Forum finds that 42% of desk-based employees are experiencing burnout. This article explores how employee wellness needs have radically changed, and how companies cannot afford to not think outside the box. Companies are finding that DEI pieces can’t be an aside to workplace wellness, they have to be integrated into all aspects of it. Flexibility is an absolute pillar of workplace wellness now. The four-day workweek is being reframed as a wellness initiative, and companies are finding that one of the best metrics for people’s happiness in the workplace is a sense of ownership of their time.
The TRENDIUM is a compendium of the latest trends impacting the
multi-trillion dollar global wellness economy.
Sign-up for monthly TRENDIUM emails.