Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JULY 2019 6 NEWS Relationships with colleagues top factor in workplace well-being: Study ' e only way humans made it to where we are today is by having highly functional tribal relationships, ' says expert BY MARCEL VANDER WIER RELATIONSHIPS are the lead- ing contributor to workplace well-being, according to the fi ndings of a three-year study by Myers-Briggs. Relationships ranked as the highest contributing aspect of workplace well-being — which is more than simply feelings of hap- piness, according to the study. Relationships ranked at 7.85 out of 10, followed by meaning (7.69), accomplishments (7.66), engagement (7.43) and positive emotions (7.19) — all of which collectively form well-being. One-third of a worker's life is spent at the offi ce, said Rich Thompson, senior director of research at Myers-Briggs in Minnesota. "Most of us at work try to fi nd someone we get along with and have a positive relationship with," he said. "So, the fact that that is one of the major drivers was… not so surprising." e study compared workplace well-being across geography, oc- cupation, gender, personality type and age, using responses from more than 10,000 workers from 131 countries. The study also analyzed re- lationships between workplace well-being and organizational outcomes such as commitment and job satisfaction. Workers responded to ques- tions each spring over a period of three years. e study was specifi c to well-being in the workplace, said ompson. It found workplace well-being is generally stable, with an overall score of 7.5 out of 10, he said. "People are doing pretty well globally, but there is still some room for improvement." Researchers didn't expect over- all well-being scores to be as high as they were, said ompson. "From talking to diff erent peo- ple I know in diff erent occupa- tions all over the world, you tend to get more grumbling than you get kudos," he said. e study included responses from 318 Canadians — a group that reported one of the high- est levels of overall workplace well-being at 7.76 out of 10, said ompson. Canadians ranked engagement fi rst at 8.02, followed by relation- ships at 7.95. Seeing relationships atop the list is not a surprise, as humans are wired to love, according to Paul Krismer, chief happiness offi cer and founder of the Happiness Ex- perts Company in Victoria. "It marries up with the science of positive psychology quite well," he said. " e only way humans made it to where we are today is by having highly functional tribal relationships." "If you're in a workplace that's got a lot of bitter, unhappy, poor relationships… then you're not going to have a constructive, prof- itable or productive workplace." More than relationships Well-being improves with age, while gender also plays a role in workplace happiness, according to the study. Young workers reported the lowest levels of well-being at 6.77, while those age 65 and up came in at 8.14. at may be because employ- ees tend to seek jobs that fi t better with their desires as their career lengthens, said ompson. ere's also an apparent advan- tage to being female, he said. "Females have slightly higher well-being across the board, with one exception — that being nega- tive emotion." Additionally, statistics show workers in occupations involving service-related activity such as education or health care enjoy the highest well-being, while those in practical, physical positions such as food preparation or production rank the lowest. ree factors drive employee happiness — satisfaction, engage- ment and morale, said Adam Stoehr, vice-president of leadership and research at Excellence Canada, a non-profi t organizational perfor- mance group in Toronto. Morale refers to relationships and how groups interact togeth- er, while satisfaction and engage- ment deal with necessities such as pay, work environment and meaningful work, he said. Poor attitudes shared collec- tively amongst staff can pull down a workplace, said Stoehr. "No matter how strong your satisfaction and engagement are, you can quickly be torn down by a group that's not buying in to the same mindset." When it comes to meaning in work, that can vary, said Krismer. "It may not look the same for each worker, which is why super- visors really need to have personal relationships with the people that they work with, and fi nd (out) what makes that person tick." Workers' individual prefer- ences have forced employers to uncover the ways workers can fi nd meaning in what they are do- ing — and that includes specifi c appreciation for work that is well done, he said. "People need appreciation in a way that a lot of organizations don't get," said Krismer, noting it's more than just a standard pat on the back. "Better kinds of appreciation are simply bearing witness to the good work that professionals do." Advice for HR One-size-fits-all approaches no longer work in terms of em- ployee well-being initiatives, said ompson. Employers would do well to an- alyze their individual culture and well-being needs before imple- menting changes, he said. "Organizations need to spend a little bit more time rather than just quick and dirty, or one-hit (initia- tives)… diving a little deeper into what their employees actually want, and what would work for them, and then off ering diff erent options," said ompson. "You wouldn't necessarily be able to tailor your activities to each individual, but you'd at least take some of those individual dif- ferences into account." HR should focus its eff orts on the physical environment, health practices, a supportive workplace culture and civility, said Stoehr. "Even though it's very simple, these things aren't very present in many Canadian organizations," he said. " e more a company and a leadership team can focus on some very simple tasks daily, (they) can up people's happiness." It's the employer's job to con- struct an environment or culture that influences well-being and happiness, said Krismer. Yet most cultures develop by accident, consisting of shared be- liefs or emotions among front-line workers, he said. For senior leaders to infl uence change, they need to provide managerial staff with a skill set and then hold them to account as leaders in encouraging social rela- tionships, said Krismer. "Changing culture is totally doable," he said. "But it has to be done in a concerted eff ort over a very long period of time." Over and above relationships with colleagues, the most impor- tant relationship a worker has is with her manager, said Krismer. "If they hate their boss, then they're working against the com- pany," he said. " ose are the ones who are actively disengaged." Creating informal meeting places or welcoming break rooms, while encouraging employees to mingle and make relationships, is another step in the right direction, said Krismer. "Some people will still want to eat at their desk," he said. "All you can do is your best to make spaces and diff erent avenues for them to become engaged in the social life of the workforce." It comes down to understand- ing that social relationships are essential — as is the need to love and feel loved, said Krismer. "Without those kinds of re- lationships in our lives, we ba- sically have such an enormous well-being deficit… everything else doesn't matter." Well-being improves with age, while gender also plays a role in workplace happiness, according to the study. Of ce environment plays a role: Survey Physical workplace elements such as offi ce furniture can factor into employee well-being, according to Denis Mathieu, president of Novexco, an offi ce supply distributor in Montreal. The majority of Canadians believe they do not work in the best possible environment, he said, citing data from a 2018 survey of 1,001 workers conducted by Hamster, a subsidiary of Novexco. As the Canadian population ages and family values change, so too must the work environment — in some cases, it's as important as the job itself, said Mathieu. Work environment satisfaction varies by generation, he said. "Baby boomers are very pleased at work. They don't ask for a lot. You give them an offi ce and they will be pleased with that offi ce." It is gen-X workers and millennials who aren't as happy with their offi ce surroundings — and employers must take note if they hope to attract top talent, said Mathieu. "All sectors in Canada are facing signifi cant challenges in talent acquisition and retention," he said. "Employees are the most important resource for a company and we believe it is essential to fully understand their aspirations and needs to better meet them in order to have a competitive advantage." 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