The Covid-19 crisis is unprecedented in its scope and form. It can and must serve as an opportunity to encourage change and the humanization of current management methods. Indeed, the health crisis has shown just how resilient and innovative companies can be in an emergency. We now need to ensure that these innovations in management practices have a lasting positive impact.

More generally, the crisis has highlighted the importance of establishing an economic model that is mindful of social equity and well-being in the workplace. Over the past year, we have seen a real reappraisal of the human resources sector and of quality of life at work (QWL), a key issue in the working lives of today s workers.

QWL, at the heart of these new practices, because well-being rhymes with "well-doing"[1].

It is now widely accepted that well-being at work has a positive impact on employee performance. "We know that subjective well-being has positive effects on health. It also influences creativity, problem-solving ability and prosocial behavior (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005)... High employee morale creates more cooperation and better relations with customers and suppliers (Riketta, 2008)."[2] The link between employee well-being and corporate prosperity is well established.

The ILO (International Labour Office) has even tried its hand at calculating the cost of work-related accidents and illnesses. " The International Labour Office has estimated [...] that the economic costs of work-related accidents and illnesses represent the equivalent of 4% of gross domestic product worldwide "[3] Social science research shows that issues relating to the organization and distribution of remuneration within companies are also key factors in well-being at work. Autonomy and trust are also at the top of the rankings, and are on the rise. Enjoying a high degree of autonomy at work and feeling recognized would have the same effect on job satisfaction as doubling one s salary.

There s no turning back: workers must be able to gain greater autonomy and flexibility, particularly when it comes to managing their pay.

One of the major areas of QWL is financial well-being. A worker who dreads the end of each month because of financial difficulties cannot be fulfilled and efficient. Financial insecurity is therefore an essential societal issue, closely linked to that of work-life balance. We have seen that giving workers greater flexibility and autonomy is an excellent performance lever, as well as increasing job satisfaction. Telecommuting is a prime example. Although it is not suitable for all situations or for everyone, studies claim that it has " boosted employee productivity by 22%", according to calculations by the Sapiens Institute. In particular, this efficiency has helped to preserve more than 200 billion euros of GDP in 2020. "[4] However, it can be complicated to manage large teams, particularly at a distance, because the variety of individual situations is too great to be handled efficiently. The aim is therefore to give individuals greater flexibility, so that they can make the adaptations and changes they consider necessary to protect their work-life balance, and thus optimize their performance at work. Stairwage, by offering a tool to easily obtain an advance on salary, gives employees back control over their pay.

Coping with the unexpected and living serenely with uncertainty: a new challenge

"Among the multiplicity of factors affecting employee health, organizational modalities and the management of uncertainty are becoming increasingly essential"[5], as confirmed by the Covid crisis.

The need to refocus on human capital

This crisis has reminded us that man cannot control or predict everything. Stubborn habits such as office work can disappear in a matter of weeks, as was the case with the first confinement and the meteoric rise of telecommuting. Fighting to preserve management models that will inevitably become obsolete is a time-consuming waste of energy. On the contrary, people will always be at the heart of management. It s a question of refocusing on human capital, paying attention to and protecting each person s individual strengths. People can be resilient, provided they are given the means to do so. This is why we need to refocus and reconsider the issues of health, safety and well-being in the workplace, if we are to be prepared to face future crises in the best possible way. HR and QWL players have gained in importance during the crisis, and it is essential to sustain this trend for the future.

What s more, we also need to change the way we deal with the unexpected. In terms of management, we have built up a science of forecasting and planning that lacks flexibility and suffers from impotence in the face of this kind of crisis. In view of the new climatic challenges, crises like the one we re experiencing today are not likely to disappear, but rather to multiply. The question for us is not how to anticipate them, but how to learn to be resilient. Knowing how to live with uncertainty is a new imperative. We need to innovate in terms of managing the unexpected and managing risks. Adaptability and flexibility are two weapons that HR and QWL sectors must rapidly acquire. Being prepared to deal with the unexpected also means being ready to seize opportunities and take account of societal changes, a necessity if we are to develop a sustainable and responsible company.

[1] OlivierBachelard, Optimizing well-being at work and overall performance: challenges and prospects, Regards 2017/1(N° 51), pages 169 to 179

[2] ClaudiaSenik, Foreword. Le bien-être destravailleurs est-il source de productivité accrue? Bien-être au travail(2020), pages 11 to 17

[3] OlivierBachelard, Optimizing well-being at work and overall performance: challenges and prospects, Regards 2017/1(No. 51), pages 169 to 179

[4] HayatGazzane, Le Figaro, published 15/03/2021

[5] OlivierBachelard, Optimizing well-being at work and overall performance: challenges and prospects, Regards 2017/1(N° 51), pages 169 to 179

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