With a new year comes new plans – a chance to prepare for new ideas, strategies, goals and achievements. After all, we can only hope that this new year will be even more successful than the last and can only bring good things towards all those involved. Despite this, 2023 will be considered an ‘unpredictable’ time for many with the previous year casting a fair amount of uncertainty towards a lot of aspects that make up a successful business. Take a look at what you should be prepared for in the new year and what you should consider within your wider strategies.
Recognising the current climate
We can’t turn on the news without hearing the dreaded ‘cost of living’ crisis and there’s no denying that many employees may be struggling financially during this time. Recognising how this situation can also have a knock-on effect towards other things such as mental health can prepare you for other concerns that may be affecting your business in the new year. This could be:
More staff taking time off
More staff experiencing burnout
Low productivity and staff morale
Positions being left due to staff seeking other opportunities.
It is therefore essential that businesses recognise the importance of workplace wellbeing and actively address it. These concerns are reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw unprecedented health concerns affect businesses throughout the world along with hybrid working and other changes becoming commonplace.
While many businesses would have settled into a new routine that accommodates the changes we saw a few years ago, we must not take our eye off the ball. New challenges will emerge that we expect will inevitably hold workplace wellbeing at the core.
Longer term strategies
Addressing workplace wellbeing is not something that can be managed with a quick fix solution. It is a long-term process, one that encompasses an essential part of your business that must be nurtured and actively prioritised throughout the year. Developing a wellbeing strategy that puts employee wellbeing at the heart can develop your ethos as a company that cares, amongst many other things, such as:
Ensuring employees can feel like they can discuss concerns
Allowing your business to reflect and adapt towards improvement
Highlighting that staff are valued and that their opinions matter
That you recognise wellbeing as an essential part of work
If you want to find out more about how you can develop a wellbeing strategy for your business and how the Edtesa Wellbeing toolkit can support you with this, take a look at our website for more information.
