The dynamics of business are in a moment of transformation. A scenario in which terms such as business mobility, telecommuting and flexible working have ceased to be exclusive to certain companies and functions, becoming part of the routine of millions of people around the world, thanks to digitalization. They offer employees important benefits, allowing them to work from anywhere and select the hours that suit them best.
However, it is also a situation that poses various challenges to organizations to maintain employee productivity, motivation and, of course, their well-being. All the more so when some symptoms of wear have already been identified, which, if not taken in time, can cause physical and mental illness.
A situation that set off alarms from entities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) which included burnt or “burnt” worker syndrome on your list of illnesses. It is a type of work stress, which manifests itself through physical or mental exhaustion, which can affect people’s self-esteem and productivity.
“All organizations have specific goals. However, in order to achieve them, it is important to strengthen motivated and productive work teams that have the support of all types of alternatives that allow them to develop their work in a healthy and safe environment. In order to guarantee their well-being, it is possible to rely on different technological solutions, as elements that improve their experience and with which the full potential of the collaborators can be developed “, he says. Juan Pablo Villegas, CEO of Citrix Columbia.
These are elements that allow you to set up flexible and efficient work environments that provide access to the tools that people need and prefer to do. Today, all companies are able to implement them, thus guaranteeing a greater commitment of the teams and, therefore, their productivity.
A situation that is supported by the data in Preparing for a new era of digital well-being, a study launched earlier this year by Quartz Insights in association with Citrix Systems, which took into account the views of various business leaders on the role of technologies and their impact on digital well-being. There it was established that 90% of employees in economies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, China, Japan and Australia said they feel more productive, having access to technological tools that facilitate their work.
How to promote digital well-being in organizations?
In times when most employees work from home, it is important for organizations and leaders to understand what types of technologies are essential to help workers and avoid burnout. This, as an element that allows them to optimize, simplify and organize their work. What is the way forward?
The new role of the leader
One of the main challenges posed by this new reality of work is how leaders and team leaders will be able to guarantee the well-being of each of their employees. For this, different scenarios must be considered that will be fundamental, so that a balance can be found between professional and personal life. First of all, it is essential to set clear goals. With this, each of the employees will be able to set execution times and will have other spaces to meet other types of obligations. A scenario in which flexibility plays a key role.
Communication plays a decisive role in this new role of leader. In areas where employees share their progress, doubts and other requirements, working limits can also be informed and negotiated clearly and directly. This is in line with the right to disconnect so that job expectations are completely transparent to each party.
The role of technology in wellness
It is estimated that a worker can use up to 9.4 applications per day to perform their tasks. A situation that can cause fatigue and stress due to different circumstances, such as: lack of control and knowledge of tools, permanent adaptation to new contexts and functionalities of solutions and lack of autonomy in the workplace.
Today, organizations can rely on solutions that can provide the balance and flexibility that employees need to run more efficiently and in less time. These are tools that give them the ability to access the necessary resources without having to interact or use different applications during the day. We find technologies such as Citrix Workspace, which has been endowed with unique access to the applications and files that are most used every day.
The implementation of appropriate technological tools reduces the number of non-essential interruptions, allowing employees to focus on their work. There are solutions that allow you to configure your systems, eliminating Slack notifications, emails, or calendar updates during certain business hours. Today it is possible to integrate these systems of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, with which it is possible to automate certain tasks that are not a priority.
Involvement of human resources and IT areas in wellness strategies
The human resources offices and technological development areas of the organizations have a great challenge to be able to configure these environments that must guarantee the well-being of the employees. They must work together to develop a strategy that, in addition to meeting employees’ expectations, provides the conditions for implementing a positive and fluid work experience.
In this process, human resources must focus on understanding the particular needs of employees and the personal environment of each of them. This information will make it possible to determine the appropriate working models and tools for each case. At the same time, the IT area is able to establish a strategy adaptable to its expectations of connectivity, workflows, access and information security, in order to provide a valuable experience to the employee.
Today, technological tools are becoming the main allies of all organizations to ensure business continuity and productivity. But its potential is much wider. Their leadership role becomes more relevant as it offers the opportunity to generate environments that guarantee the well-being and health of employees, thus allowing them to establish a balance between personal and professional life. There are solutions that offer great benefits by simplifying the work routine, the flow of tasks and the development of their functions in an intelligent way.