Enabling a happier and healthier workforce for tomorrow

Business and HR leaders now have the responsibility to ensure that the workspace is safe, positive, and conducive for employees. But how can we achieve this?

- MICHELLE LEUNG

With vaccines rolling out and economies reopening, now is the time for businesses to reimagine the future of work. Choosing the right work arrangement can help businesses foster better team collaboration, preserve the workforce’s physical and mental well-being and save funds.

The pandemic has forced millions of businesses globally to shift their workforce to work from home (WFH) to safeguard and preserve their health and well-being. With the vaccine rollout gaining pace and economies reopening, businesses are now finding themselves in the novel position of re-evaluating their work arrangements. So how do we, as HR leaders, redesign our ways of working and the physical spaces we work in, to ensure the happiness and health of our employees?

Deciding on an arrangement that balances the needs of the business and employees’ preferred work environment has its challenges. For some companies, the nature of the work they do means that working from home just isn’t an option, others with a traditional mindset just prefer to have everyone back in the office. Interestingly, many employees actually want to head back to the office to some extent, despite the advantages that come with WFH.

According to Cigna’s COVID-19 Global Impact Study series, in mid-2020, at the end of the first wave of the pandemic in most markets, data from Asia, UAE, UK, and the US showed an overwhelming preference for remote working globally, as people enjoyed the flexibility and family time it offered.