Quality of Work Life: A luxury or a necessity?

Quality of Work Life (QWL) is a concept that aims to improve both physical and mental well-being at work by promoting a healthy working environment that enables people to do their jobs effectively and be their best selves at work.

For the past 20 years, the ANACT-ARACT network (National and Regional Agencies for the Improvement of Working Conditions) has organized a week of events every year in June to promote the quality of life and working conditions.

At Witco, we had a whole week planned around certain themes surrounding this concept. Find out more about it in this article.

Why is it important to raise awareness about Quality of Work Life?

The pandemic has reinforced the importance of Quality of Work Life (QWL) in organizations. Whether it is people’s expectations from the workplace or their mental well-being in general, employers failing to meet these needs at work is the major reason that phenomena like the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle are on a rise.

Employees who feel valued and respected will be more engaged and productive. This goes for both new hires and long-term employees alike. Quality of Work Life (QWL) is an important part of employee engagement and retention. It has been shown to improve employee productivity, absenteeism, turnover rates, sick leave use, and workplace stress levels.

How can companies improve QWL?

In today’s workplace, employee health and well-being are more important than ever before. And while each company has its own unique challenges, there are some common themes that arise when it comes to improving the quality of working life at your company.

There is no set model that fits the needs of every company, however, keeping people at the center of the discussion and improving the quality of life at work will help leaders to enhance productivity and collaboration in the workplace.

– Conduct surveys with your employees to understand what makes them happy at work and what can be improved upon.

– Give employees a voice. This means allowing them to be part of the decision-making process and providing opportunities for them to provide feedback on their working environment. If you want your employees to feel engaged and happy at work, they need a voice.

– Facilitate hybrid work. Hybrid working has become the new normal – and every organization must find its own path toward new ways of working and offering flexible working arrangements to employees. It is a must!

– Elevate workplace experience. The classic workplace that we knew pre-covid isn’t enough to attract and retain employees. People’s expectations of the workplace have evolved tremendously. It is about technologically advanced workplace experience, the added perks, and value propositions that make all the difference today.

– Send out newsletters or organize workshops about topics such as office wellness to educate employees.

At Witco, over the course of last week, we participated in “Quality of Work Life Week”. We dedicated the entire week to different themes and educate our employees about the benefits of small things that can make a difference.

What activities took place at Witco during the QWL Week?

We kickstarted the week with an introduction to what QWL is all about and its importance in the workplace. To be able to improve the QWL of our employees, it was imperative to first understand their problems. We launched an anonymous survey with a few questions aiming at understanding the health and well-being of our employees.

Tuesday was assigned to “nutrition”, where we gave some insights into what to feed the brain to make it work the best way possible every day! For this day, we ordered a basket full of fresh and organic fruits for our colleagues in the Paris Office.

On Wednesday, we took a dive into the topic “gratitude”. Even though it might seem unrelated to QWL, it is important to express gratitude towards your colleagues and of course to yourself as well, to reduce overall stress and strengthen the team spirit!

As a highlight of the week, we gathered on Wednesday evening for a cozy after-work event of playing board games and lightening the mood in general.

On Thursday, we focused on one of the QWL topics many of us are already familiar with: exercise! For that, we shared some tips and tricks on how to integrate a bit of exercise every day and shared some resources that are easily accessible.

And even though the official week of QWL is over now, the process of improving the health and well-being of our employees at work will continue…

To conclude, it is important for employers to be aware of the importance of QWL. Without an understanding of what their employees need to be productive and healthy, they cannot deliver on these needs. It’s also important for them to understand the consequences of not paying attention to QWL: employees who are unhappy and unhealthy are more likely to leave their jobs or not perform at their best level.

QWL matters to employees. It is not just a luxury, but a basic need that can help them to be productive and happy. Employers should start paying more attention to this aspect to have a healthy and productive workforce. Every organization must find its own path toward new ways of working or risk staying behind.

Developing a new strategy for the well-being of employees at the workplace does not happen without providing the appropriate tools for this purpose.

Looking for an all-in-one solution to optimize your workspace, organize hybrid work and redesign employee experience? We can help!