68% of employers saw staff wellbeing decline through Covid.

68% of UK and Irish organisations have seen employee wellbeing decline during Covid, according to latest research. Over 1000 interviews were conducted with global organisations across 23 different counties and the UK and Ireland provided some of the most damning responses.

Express Refreshments closer examines these and looks at how employee experience may have driven such a negative outcome.

A decline in employee wellbeing. The key information.

Global Technology and Solutions provider NTT were who administered the study. It was for the purpose of their Global Workplace Report, which investigated future of work post-Covid.

And it seems there is a big disconnect between what employees want from their workplace and what employers think they want. This sets a dangerous precedent for poor employee wellbeing.

Just over 90% of UK and Irish businesses recognise that “employee experience” is important to their overall wellbeing strategy. This relates to what employees encounter and observe during their time with a company.

Despite this, however, just 38% of their employees said their boss fully values their wellbeing. Even worse, just 23% said they felt truly happy in their role and working for their company.

Overall, the difference between employers that think they deliver a solid employee experience and the employees that back this up is at 41%. Such a big gap shows that businesses aren’t truly understanding their staff’s requirements.

With this, they are leaving an open goal for poor wellbeing, poor motivation, poor productivity, and more chance of their employees looking elsewhere for a job.

Employee experience is guided by the modern world.

It appears employers are not recognising that employee experience, or workplace culture as we could call it, is flexible. It’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy. External circumstances will have a noticeable impact.

Of course, this currently stems around the evolving Covid-19 pandemic.

Your wellbeing strategies and facilities that worked for you prior probably won’t work now. Your employees need to see that you recognise the impact of Covid-19 and are prepared to adapt your plan of action.

A separate report shows that 62% of employers are taking an interest in employee wellbeing, but you must connect and communicate with your team to identify what is most valued.

As an example of further disconnect due to a lack of understanding, 79% of employers said that employees are happy to work in the office. In fact, this is just 39%.

So, there you have a worthy starting point. Hybrid working could here be implemented, whereby your teams feel comfortable working from home whilst continuing to use the workplace as a central hub for collaboration.

You could also investigate quiet zones or breakout areas, to encourage time out, open communication about any concerns or worries, and to ease the workload burden caused by possible reduced staff numbers.

Never forget that workplace wellbeing is more important than it ever has been before. Employee experience will always determine whether your efforts are right or wrong, so examine the effect of Covid to drive future changes.

The best way to do this is to sit down and talk to your team.

How the Micro Market can improve employee experience and wellbeing.

For those who have seen the Micro Market before, you may think such a grand workplace facility doesn’t make sense owing to reduced staff numbers and hybrid working.

But the fact is, no one Micro Market is the same. Part of its appeal comes in its flexibility, and that’s why your first impressions towards it could be wide of the mark.

You see, it’s set up perfectly for the modern world. From our tea and coffee in the morning to our dinner break and snack times, we need refreshments at work. When you talk about wellbeing and employee experience, these are the kind of perks that make our working day better.

The Micro Market delivers all of this and more with a self-service refreshment hub that’s open and available 24 hours a day. That means it can cater to shift patterns and hybrid working, ensuring your staff can get what they need when they want it.

Your market can be as big or indeed as small as you want. We plan, design, and create it for you, working with you to bring your vision to life. Most our customers have their market intertwined with tables and chairs for the perfect break.

This is very much your workplace facility that is driven by you and your team. Your products consist largely of what you demand, including vegan and healthier items. And everything is maintained and replenished by us in real time, thanks to a little thing called technology.

Because as you continue to get your business back on its feet, the last thing you want is a refreshment solution that’s causing you too much hassle.

In this new post-Covid world, our mindset towards health and safety has been shaped. Staff no longer want to head off site for a bite to eat, and nor do they want external catering companies coming onto site and adding an unnecessary risk.

If you want to learn more about the Micro Market or enquire for your business, get in touch with us a company that has the most experience in the UK.