Companies that pay attention to employees’ welfare and mental health stand a better chance of improving productivity, and ultimately, business performance, experts have concurred during the latest HSBC ‘Living Business’ webinar series.
The webinar shed light on the social and financial challenges that employees in the Middle East face because of the COVID-19 pandemic and offered solutions on how companies can effectively become part of the solution while also looking after their business’ growth.
Sabrin Rahman, Managing Director and Head of Sustainability Europe and the Middle East at HSBC, remarked: “Studies show that there is a strong and clear correlation between the satisfaction level of employees and their performance. The last 18 months also brought into sharp focus some of the other issues that perhaps were not readily spoken about, such as loneliness, isolation, and digital fatigue.”
The expert panel comprising corporate executives and leaders of social enterprises and non-profit organizations recommended several ways in which companies can support employees’ mental health and improve the work environment, especially blue-collar workers who were hard-hit by the pandemic.
Tatiana Antonelli Abella, Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, highlighted the value of an employee welfare plan, suggesting that there should be long-term commitment visible in a concrete plan with a measurable impact. She further emphasized the importance of having an expert within a company focused on providing support to employees with whom they can discuss work-related issues.
“It is important to have someone within the company that can provide support on a full-time basis. It needs to become a habit to be able to share, communicate a problem and find solutions,” Abella said.
