In a study of 20,000 employees done by the Energy Project and Harvard, they found that employees were vastly more fulfilled and productive when four of their core needs were met at work:
- Physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge.
- Emotional, by feeling valued and a part of the community.
- Mental, by having opportunities for growth and time to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks; and
- Spiritual, by finding meaning and connection to the company’s mission.
Physical: Employees who took a break every 90 minutes reported a 30% higher level of focus than those who took no breaks or just one during the day. They also report a nearly 50% greater capacity to think creatively and a 46% higher level of health and well‑being. The more hours a person worked beyond 40 — and the more continuously they worked — the worse they felt, and the less engaged they became. By contrast, feeling encouraged by one’s supervisor to take breaks increased by nearly 100% people’s likelihood to stay with any given company, and also doubled their sense of health and well‑being. Look for times in your day when a small change or a break could benefit your physical wellbeing.
Emotional: Feeling cared for by a supervisor had a more significant impact on people’s sense of trust and safety than any other behavior by a leader. Employees who said they had more supportive supervisors were 1.3 times more likely to stay with the organization and 67% more engaged. Look for ways to support the people around you, whether it is a student, employee, co-worker, or friend. Helping the people around you feel cared about can transform your work experience.
Mental: Only 20% of respondents said they were able to focus on one task at a time at work, but those who could were 50% more engaged. Similarly, only one‑third of respondents said they were able to effectively prioritize their tasks, but those who did were 1.6 times better able to focus on one thing at a time. Look for ways to eliminate distractions by turning off notifications, finding a quiet place to work, or blocking out time to work on one activity. Try prioritizing your top 3 tasks for the day and focus on those.
Spiritual: Employees who derived meaning and significance from their work were more than three times as likely to stay with their organizations — this had the highest single impact of any variable in the survey. These employees also reported 1.7 times higher job satisfaction and they were 1.4 times more engaged at work. Read the BYUmission documents and write down how your role contributes to it. Talk about it with your co-workers and remind your students of how they fit into the big picture as well.
Making an effort to ensure physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs are met in the workplace can have a positive impact, not just for employee wellbeing but also for productivity and work engagement.