Embracing Well-being in the Workplace: A Tech Entrepreneur's 2025 Resolutions
As a tech entrepreneur in the healthcare space, well-being is always top of mind. This year, I'm focusing on enhancing well-being within my remote workforce, particularly by addressing burnout—a pervasive issue in today's fast-paced business environment.
The Impact of Burnout
Burnout is a real threat to productivity. With calendars packed with meetings and inboxes overflowing before our first coffee, many of us start the day already exhausted. Research from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows that exhausted employees perform poorly. Frank Giampietro, chief well-being officer at Ernst & Young, notes that productivity and IQ start to decline at 350 digital interactions per day. A busy day of problem-solving and interactions can quickly surpass this threshold.
Moreover, back-to-back meetings without breaks can increase burnout risk and anxiety. Just seeing a packed schedule can be overwhelming.
Questions for Holistic Employee Wellness
To foster holistic wellness and prevent burnout, here are nine questions employers should consider in 2025:
1. **Are you supporting physical health?**
- Encourage walks during the workday, friendly step challenges, or gym stipends. Flexible scheduling allows employees to attend their favorite yoga class or get a swim in before work.
2. **Can meeting behavior be addressed?**
- Even a five-minute break between meetings can boost well-being and reduce anxiety. Stick to meeting etiquette, include agendas, and cancel unnecessary meetings. Ensure every attendee knows the purpose and expected outcomes.
3. **Are you going far enough with flexibility?**
- Allow for schedule adjustments for personal responsibilities like attending a child's recital or preparing for extreme weather. Extra time away from work can significantly improve well-being.
4. **Are you giving opportunities to step away from work?**
- Provide robust PTO policies and ensure employees feel comfortable taking time off. Balance workloads and provide cross-training to cover tasks during absences.
5. **Are you making work meaningful?**
- Meaningful work is crucial for engagement and satisfaction. Connect employees to the purpose behind their tasks, even in industries where this might be challenging.
6. **Are you providing comprehensive insurance benefits?**
- Offer free or low-cost therapy and behavioral health services. Encourage their use and eliminate barriers to accessing these benefits.
7. **Are you optimizing work practices?**
- Leverage generative AI to eliminate administrative tasks and optimize workflows. Create intentional time for learning and practicing new tools.
8. **Are you measuring your wellness plan?**
- Use data to discover patterns and prove the effectiveness of wellness initiatives. Regular measurement can help track progress and make necessary adjustments.
9. **Are you leading by example?**
- Personally adopt a holistic approach to well-being. Be unavailable sometimes, turn meetings into walking meetings, and encourage your leadership team to do the same.
Business Benefits of Ending Burnout
Healthier, happier employees are more productive and less likely to experience burnout. Addressing burnout also aids retention, especially in the tech sector where talent is highly mobile. Losing talented employees to burnout can be costly, impacting recruiting, hiring, and training budgets.
While past wellness efforts have been impactful, 2025 is the year to embrace a broader approach to holistic well-being. This could be the year we achieve optimal work-life balance.