Long gone are the days when it was thought that attractive remuneration and a company s reputation alone were enough to attract the best employees!

Since the 2010s, start-ups have paved the way for new managerial models, and Quality of Working Life has become a key concern for human resources departments.

And with good reason: the stakes are immense! Beyond the human aspect, initiatives that promote well-being in the workplace have a very positive impact on absenteeism, staff turnover, burn-out and employee productivity.

Companies have made no mistake in investing massively in human capital. They have even created a new position, the Chief Happiness Officer, responsible for looking after employees well-being.

Likewise, to echo the "foodtech" and "fintech" movements, there is now a "happytech". This is a movement of startups offering technical solutions to improve well-being in the workplace.

This field of Quality of Life at Work (QWL) is set to become central in the current health and financial crisis.

How can we continue to motivate employees when :

- bonuses and pay rises are going to go out the window

- Employees will come to work afraid of catching the Covid-19.

- The over-emphasis on telecommuting will weaken ties between teams.

- The severity and exceptional nature of this crisis will affect morale and priorities.

There is therefore an urgent need to restore meaning to work, to make it a place to live again, and to prevent employees from turning in on themselves. To achieve this, we can rely on initiatives that have already been successfully tried and tested.

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Rethinking sport at work

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Sport in the workplace is one of the pillars of Happytech. Of course, many employees practice sport on a regular basis. So it s only natural that the field of sport was one of the first to be invested in by companies.

On-site gyms, yoga classes, sports club memberships, employee soccer championships... These initiatives are well established.

But what is new, and what is beginning to change profoundly, is the very notion of sport. The focus is no longer on physical effort, performance, burning calories or building muscle, but on reducing a sedentary lifestyle.

To reduce psycho-social risks and improve well-being, you no longer need to be a sportsman, even on Sundays. Many companies have adopted the use of applications that enable their employees not to run marathons, but to... respect the 10,000 daily steps recommended by the World Health Organization.

And to encourage employees to move more, they use gamification and collective challenges, which have the added virtue of strengthening team cohesion.

The Kiplin app, for example, reports an impressive 70% of participants in its programs out of the sedentary threshold.

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Focus on the work environment

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In recent years, the sanitized workspaces of the 90s have been abandoned. Here too, startups have played their part by introducing designer work environments and furniture to motivate employees. We no longer hesitate to invest and call in interior designers when it comes to decorating premises.

But that s not all, because there are many environmental constraints: poor acoustics that hinder employees concentration, poorly thought-out ergonomics that lead to musculoskeletal disorders, unsuitability for new nomadic habits, poorly regulated temperatures...

Kandu, for example, will intervene from diagnosis to completion of the work to optimize spaces and promote employee well-being.

Lack of light, too, can be a constraint in many premises. Cumulux, for example, installs "light windows" and false ceilings. These are backlit luminous tiles that diffuse landscapes with a light close to daylight.

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A new conception of work/life boundaries

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More and more companies are turning to online concierge services, to make life easier for their overworked employees and save them the stress of running, for example, to drop off a jacket at the dry cleaners.

But it s a whole area of private life that is beginning to be integrated into the corporate world. Hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons now offer their services on company premises.

All these initiatives help to reduce the mental burden on employees. By managing all these little daily constraints, the company helps them to concentrate more fully on their missions.

Similarly, relaxation at work is no longer taboo - on the contrary, it has been shown to boost concentration and performance. Napping areas, massage sessions, sophrology: employees stress levels are now taken very seriously, and concrete solutions are offered.

And if we ve already talked about employee sports participation, some companies are going even further by offering their employees smoking cessation programs. Or fruit baskets to prevent unhealthy snacking.

We can t talk about the boundary between work and private life without mentioning the right to disconnect. While some companies are still lagging behind, others have taken the issue head on.

Nespresso, for example, in a humorous and challenging tone, rolled out its "Detox mail" program in 2019, giving 10 best practices to reduce the anxiety-inducing and time-consuming burden of e-mailing. Thanks to a diagnostic tool, employees were able to self-assess and gain in efficiency.

We also noticed that managing expense claims was causing a certain amount of stress among employees. Fear of loss, delays in reimbursement, etc... To remedy this, there s iPaidThat, an expense report management application. One photo and you re done! No need to keep the ticket, and reimbursements are made much more quickly! Less stress for employees and more time to focus on value-added tasks!

In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, companies will have to take advantage of new efficiency levers to boost employee productivity. In a deteriorating economic and health context, well-being in the workplace is more than ever going to be a safe haven.

By influencing the environment, promoting employees good health or offering them services, companies can reduce stress and anxiety-inducing factors, and better mobilize employees.

At Stairwage, our vocation is to help you attract and motivate employees by offering them pay-as-you-go. To help them avoid the stress of unexpected bills and agios, we can help you implement this innovative HR initiative that will promote their financial well-being.