Have you heard of emotional pay? Today, the salary is no longer made up only of economic remuneration; Employee well-being is increasingly positioned as an issue that companies need to consider and ensure, which is why emotional pay is becoming increasingly important. According to a recent study by Citrix in 5 Latin American countries, 88% of respondents believe that it is very important for the company’s culture to focus on the physical and mental well-being of employees.
The focus on well-being is not new, but like many other aspects of work last year, its evolution has accelerated. Until a few years ago, job well-being was seen only as a good work environment, growth opportunities and good leadership. Then we move on to adding other benefits, such as healthy snacks, gym memberships, lunches together, and more. Shy, the home office appeared, daylight saving time and flexibility began to take place as a benefit of well-being little by little, and there was talk of work-life balance.
Now, achieving this balance is at the heart of well-being and has a lot to do with the fact that we can better manage our times, having flexible days defined by goals and not by fixed programs. Technology has a lot to contribute in this regard, providing the opportunity to access all the data and applications we need to work from anywhere and anytime. And this goes beyond having a laptop and an internet connection, it’s about having the same work experience as at the office. If a place becomes “equal to the office” all the time going to the same physical place, does it make sense? In fact, 66% of those surveyed believe that the future of offices will be hybrid, meaning that office work will be combined with remote work. And the goal of going to the office will be to create with others, to collaborate and not to spend 9 hours sitting in front of the computer.
But as more technologies are built into the workspace (which no doubt happened in 2020) there is a need to take care of digital well-being; what would be the healthy relationship we need to have with technology. In fact, there are technologies that eliminate noise and distraction, that help us organize our day and guide our people so that they can achieve their daily goals. They are even responsible for performing small repetitive actions. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, they have the ability to learn how each employee works and to adapt to intelligently guide them to the applications, data and tools they use frequently. In this way, technology is positioned as a facilitator and not as an obstacle and allows employees to optimize their workday by achieving the desired flexibility.
Over the years, it has been the Human Resources department that has implemented the wellness policies. But it is clear that in the future welfare is achieved only with the synergy of the entire organization. And more than ever, human resources and technology departments need to work together to give people back control of their time, which is ultimately the most valuable resource we all have.
