Well-being in the workplace has become a key managerial issue for companies, and can take many different forms. Are we talking about comfort or real happiness? We wondered whether this concept, as seductive as it may be, was a delusion or a real step forward.
The quest for happiness is universal – we all aspire to it. In recent years, this notion, once thought to be reserved for the personal sphere, has been extended to the professional sphere.
It’s no longer enough to consider one’s profession as a mere means to support oneself: one can also feel good, and even be happy, in it. The Covid-19 pandemic has reshuffled the balance between professional and personal life: well-being at work has become a key criterion for job applicants and a managerial objective for employers. But is it really possible to be happy at work?
What does well-being at work mean?
On paper, the concept has a lot going for it. It may concern employee comfort: a suitable workspace with ergonomic furniture, adequate lighting, quality equipment, but also heating in winter and good air conditioning in summer… While good working conditions seem essential and are made compulsory by law (as stipulated in articles L 4121 of the French Labour Code), other criteria come into play, which are more conducive to psychological well-being: a pleasant working atmosphere, good understanding between colleagues, positive corporate values… These aspects are just as important, but more abstract and difficult to impose.
Management therefore has a vital role to play in creating a beneficial working environment. For several years now, we’ve been talking about “benevolent management”, a concept that defines a new way of managing a company and, above all, its teams. The employee is placed at the heart of the manager’s concerns, supported in his or her professional development and missions, and, above all, his or her well-being is taken care of by listening. In short, we value people.
A fine idea, but one that needs to be brought down to earth. Without accusing benevolent management of “false humanism”, there’s no need to delude ourselves. Behind the implementation of this method, the employer is also looking for efficiency: to increase productivity, avoid turnover, absenteeism and the costs linked to all these phenomena. So don’t be fooled, benevolent management is a win-win combination: happy employees for good company results.
Balance your personal and professional life
Let’s scratch the surface of the idea of well-being at work. Could the trend towards professional happiness at all costs be a trap? For its detractors, it can turn into a way of thinking imposed on employees, without waiting to see if it suits them. Dictating a philosophy to one’s teams can turn management into a “cult” mindset that some would find disturbing.
Because talking about happiness at work also means blurring the boundary between personal and professional life. A complicated balance for employees to manage.
Under the guise of benevolence, the manager must not become obsessed with the idea of personal development, and is obliged to accept that not all his or her colleagues will necessarily subscribe to the concept of the pursuit of happiness in the workplace.
An unavoidable reality for companies
Don’t panic. There’s plenty of time before you come across as a horrible, opportunistic manager inventing a cool image.
If some people question the idea of guaranteeing their teams well-being at work, perhaps it’s simply to avoid committing themselves to the subject.
Even if we remain wary, the reality of today’s working world is clear: without a policy focused on quality of life, companies will not attract young people.
Employers today must offer their teams an optimal working environment, and show them respect and attentiveness.
The means of action are many and varied: for example, it involves a less “siloed” organization and more cross-functionality between the company’s entities, for greater dialogue and equality.
The introduction of workplace services (gym, crèche, relaxation rooms) is also a solution.
According to a Cisco / Ipsos study in 2022, 80% of the employees concerned claim to have better relations with their colleagues thanks to sport, and 77% declare that sport in the workplace helps to remotivate teams.
Whether individual or collective, professional well-being reflects on the whole group.
So, whether you’re an employer or an employee, let’s give happiness at work a chance. It’s more than just a concept, it’s a real business challenge.
It’s up to the manager to find the right balance.
It’s up to the employee to decide whether to believe in it and play along.