Almost one-third of people plan to make significant changes to their lifestyle once the country has fully recovered. But to what specific changes in one’s way of life are they referring? And what does the future job market have in store?
Workplaces Will Change Because of Employees’ Lifestyle Choices
As a direct result of Covid-19, many people have rethought their priorities and made changes to their way of life. According to the findings of research conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), approximately one-third of people intend to make significant changes to their way of life once society has recovered. In addition, 42% of people are thinking about changing their business practices.
You may wonder what the work landscape will look like in the coming years. How can you change the way your company is managed to keep the most talented employees while also attracting new ones? We’ve included some suggestions for lifestyle changes under each category, which we hope you’ll find useful.
A Growing Number of People Are Adopting Healthy Lifestyles
Contrary to popular belief, the prevalence of healthy lifestyles is increasing. According to the results of a Better Health survey of over 5,000 participants, 80% of people aged 18 and up have resolved to live a healthier lifestyle in 2021.
In comparison to the previous year, nearly half of the population (43%) feels more motivated to improve their lives this year. 41% of those aged 40 to 60 plan to increase the amount of time they spend exercising, 40% plan to eat more healthily, and 39% plan to lose weight.
If living a healthy lifestyle becomes more important, businesses must examine the benefits they provide to employees and determine whether they are adequate to meet the demands of the increased emphasis on health. It is also critical to offer employees flexible or hybrid work options so that they can adjust their behaviour at work to fit their newly formed commitments to a healthy lifestyle.
Companies that encourage their employees to keep their commitments by providing proactive prompts and assistance will be rewarded with happier, healthier employees who perform better at work. You can prompt a variety of things, and line managers can actively participate in a variety of things, such as encouraging people to take breaks, including social calls with colleagues; motivating people to schedule exercise periods; and encouraging healthy eating with messages.
Suggestions like these work best when line managers are assisted in treating people on their teams as individuals within the context of a close team structure. Furthermore, it is beneficial for each team member to keep their profile up to date with the commitments they make, so that the other team members can back them up.
Physical and Mental Well-Being
Numerous studies have shown that social isolation hurts mental health and, in some cases, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to an ONS survey titled “Coronavirus and the Social Impacts on Great Britain,” more than two-thirds of adults who took part in the survey were concerned about the effects of COVID-19 on their lives.
Because of these high levels of anxiety, businesses must do more than ever to ensure that their employees have access to appropriate support systems. This could include programs that train people to be “mental health first responders.”
Gender Exhaustion
According to the findings of a Deloitte survey, the percentage of women who report being responsible for 75% or more of the duties associated with providing care nearly tripled during the epidemic, reaching 48% an increase. This will lead to burnout issues for your company in the future. If we do not take immediate action to support the caregivers on our teams, we may not see the performance boost that we expect as global immunisation programs begin to free us from COVID-19’s grip.
Making opportunities for learning and growth more adaptable to individual needs would be a step in the right direction. This will help women, in particular, have the perception that the epidemic has not “stopped” their career progression.
A Focus on Environmental Responsibilities
People have not only had more time to think as a result of the lockdowns but they have also been forced to reflect on society’s problems and the pressing need for change. This suggests that concerns about sustainable development and the environment are receiving more attention than ever before, and leadership is aware of this. According to the Worldcom Confidence Index, world leaders’ attention to environmental and sustainability issues more than doubled in the nine months leading up to December 2020.
There is no doubt that as a result of this change, employees will have very different expectations of their employers. Those in positions of authority, no matter how large or small the organisation, will be expected to take the initiative on issues that are more important to people after COVID-19 than they were before it. This provides an excellent opportunity to boost employee morale and productivity. It is an excellent time to solicit feedback and suggestions for positive changes that can be implemented on both an individual and systemic level within the organisation.
Engagement can be viewed as a golden thread that connects all of these disparate issues. However, genuine connection around issues that matter to your people is more important than contact for the sake of contact. Through our efforts, we have gained an understanding of the importance of working together on a human level. If we are successful in this endeavour, we have reason to be optimistic about the future.