Wellbeing by definition means "a person's subjectively perceived sense of happiness, prosperity, satisfaction with the state of life." Is well-being, then, simply being well? Well, not quite.

This concept views a person and his needs in a holistic, comprehensive way. Wellbeing is a state to be hosted in our lives permanently, it is not just a temporary emotion (such as joy or sadness). So it doesn't mean a temporary lack of worry or a temporary good mood, but more a sense of stability in mental health, physical health and overall satisfaction with life. It's also the ability to cope with stress, a sense of purpose and commitment, and good relationships with others. In very general terms: it is taking care of oneself; being at peace with oneself and one's surroundings.

Following the principles of wellbeing has a positive effect on our health, approach to life and motivation to accomplish daily tasks. Unfortunately, we are often exposed to many factors that make it much more difficult for us to maintain inner balance and peace. According to the Mind Health Center's 2022 Mental Condition of Poles report, as many as 62 percent of Poles experience stress at least once a week. Its most common causes are the rising cost of living, concern for the health of themselves and their loved ones. We also often stress about the situation at home and our relationship with our partner or partner.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, our mental health and life satisfaction are also heavily influenced by work. However, it is worth realizing the magnitude of this problem. Interestingly, as many as 34 percent of respondents cited work as their cause of stress. In turn, 22 percent said they experience stress at work every day - that's an average of one in five Poles.

Human problems do not begin and end with work alone, but it is undeniably a significant part of our lives. Without the comfort associated with where and how we work, it is difficult to speak of well-being.

Wellbeing in the workplace. What can a company do?

Fortunately, employers are increasingly aware of the problem. There is more and more talk about wellbeing at work and, most importantly, the talk doesn't stop there. Today's employees, especially younger, Generation Z and millenials, highly value a sense of comfort and mutual respect in the workplace. It's not without reason that the Internet is teeming with memes about dishonest employers ("Business jerks") or treating employees down ("Mr. Areczek, coffee is for management only"). This is an interesting social phenomenon, based on which we can determine what, from an employee's perspective, wellbeing in a company... is not. After all, memes about work and employers also ridicule the use of secondary, superficial initiatives instead of practical, important changes for employees (for example, throwing a "pizza party" as a response to falling morale in the company, while serious factors cause the situation and requires equally serious solutions).

So what IS well-being at work? What steps have companies - in the finance sector and beyond - taken so far to provide employees with the best possible opportunities to take care of their wellbeing?

1. Opennes to remote or hybrid work

Of course, there are times when some employees are unwilling or unable to work from home for various reasons. But for many, being able to choose when (or whether) to come to the office at all is at a premium.

A study by UK-based International Workplace Group (IWG) and Mortar Research found thathybrid work makes employees happier, healthier and more productive. As many as 75 percent of those surveyed say they feel significantly less burned out and stressed as a result of alternating their duties between home and office than when working 100 percent stationary. Even more - 86 percent - say they owe hybrid work to significantly more free time and a better sense of work-life balance.

Higher quality sleep, more time for exercise and preparing healthy meals are also benefits of a flexible work schedule, the study found. It's not hard to see that each of these translates directly into our health and life satisfaction.

For some people, hybrid work also reduces other stressors related to private life - working this way, for example, makes it easier for us to care for children or a sick loved one. Even if we need to provide extra care for such people anyway, the feeling of being close to them significantly relieves our psyche. Among those surveyed, as many as three-quarters admitted that a complete return to stationary work would damage their well-being. This statistic perfectly captures the importance of hybrid work for the average employee. The ability to work from home is just one of the ways companies are taking care of the wellbeing of the people in the organization, but definitely one of the more important ones. Moreover, due to the increased productivity during hybrid work, such a decision on the part of the employer is a win-win.

2. Diversity in the workplace

It is well known that the topic of diversity in an organization is important in terms of issues such as leveling the playing field, opposing discrimination, a larger talent pool or corporate image. In that case, surely it's an issue also related to wellbeing? By all means!

The culture of an organization that prioritizes diversity has a positive effect on employees. They then have a greater sense of community, and do not feel that they are diverging from their co- workers because of who they are. This comes with a sense of security, which is a very important part of wellbeing.

Diversity in a team can also promote productivity, creativity, development. An employee who feels accepted as he or she is will have more courage to contribute and put forward ideas.

3. Support for employee development and talent

The aforementioned work-life balance, sense of comfort and security are extremely important issues and should not be neglected. However, this does not mean that the best job for our well- being is one that will always be peaceful and risk-free. The feeling that our daily duties are repetitive and don't give us a chance to continue learning is a simple path to job burnout, motivation problems and many other feelings that negatively affect our well-being. Therefore, one way to take care of employee wellbeing is to take care of employee development.

Organizations do this in a variety of ways. One of the most popular is the clear delineation of career paths. With this solution, the employee knows from the very beginning what he needs to do to seek further development in the company. This gives him not only motivation, but also a sense of a stable, transparent professional situation. Mentoring, i.e. learning from someone in a higher position, also helps in supporting the development of the potential of the employed.

Some employers also offer financial and/or merit aid for taking courses and earning certifications.

4. Financial stabilization

This is an important, if not the most important element of wellbeing. It's hard to imagine a person who worries about covering the basic costs of life feeling secure and enjoying inner peace. And while money alone will not provide us with wellbeing in all its meanings, it is important that our financial situation is satisfying enough to give us a sense of stability and independence.

Interestingly, according to the 2024 Talent Trends report, only 42 percent of employees would refuse a promotion in order to maintain their well-being. This shows that the issue of financial security is a priority for most Poles.

Offering employment contracts instead of so-called "junk contracts," clear rules on raises and bonuses, private medical care and other perks that help save money and make life more comfortable: these are all things companies can do to make their employees feel financially secure.

5. Mental health care

Before it gets to the point where we suffer damage to our mental health and need the help of a specialist, there are a number of things a company can do for us to try to prevent this from happening. Organizations mainly work on prevention in this case.

Many companies offer webinars and training for their employees. Topics vary, but all focus primarily on helping them maintain the best possible mental health. Lectures on well-being arealso organized for managers and leaders to use this knowledge when managing their teams on a daily basis.

Prevention of mental health of employees also means taking seriously all manifestations of bullying, discrimination, harassment and similar harmful phenomena. Ignoring such situations can lead to serious damage to the mental health of the victim. Training employees on their rights and the company's processes for reporting unsafe behavior, as well as giving them real support and assistance in such cases, is a huge support for wellbeing. Today, this type of training is standard with most employers, especially in large companies.

What else can we improve? Future prospects

The solutions applied so far are not the end of the work to be done in the area of wellbeing among employees. All of us - so the employers - are still learning how to take care of ourselves and each other. Research, reports and, of course, communication help us do this. While we don't know all the problems we will face in the future, we can try to deduce what changes in the area of caring for wellbeing in the workplace await us in the coming years, based on observations of trends and topics of public discussion.

Above all, we can see the need to improve employer-employee communication. A 2022 wellbeing report conducted by JWC Group shows a stark contrast between what both groups think about the company's labor standards. The former is generally characterized by a more optimistic approach.

Employers and employees were asked the same question during the survey. It read: "How effective do you think your organization is in supporting mental health and well-being in its employees?" . The answer "very poor" was indicated by 4 percent of employers but as many as 20 percent of employees, "good" was answered by 42 percent of employers and only 28 percent of employees.

Unfortunately, sometimes, despite even the best efforts, people in managerial positions will not know what problems their subordinates are experiencing and what changes they need. The solution to this situation could be, for example, frequent, 100% anonymous surveys with precise questions and the creation of a tool that would allow people to leave suggestions or complaints anonymously.

According to the JWC Group report, the three main changes related to employee support that those involved would like to see are: the creation of an environment that is open to discussing mental health; management that believes in supporting mental health; and official wellbeing support programs.

It is also possible that over the next few years we will see changes supporting well-being and work-life balance in Polish labor law. There is increasing talk of a statutory four-day work week, which is likely to come into force as early as within the next three years. Menstrual leave, which has recently been legally regulated in Spain, is also a hot topic of discussion.

Although none of these projects are currently underway, employees at some companies in Poland already enjoy menstrual leave or a three-day weekend. These function as employee benefits, as do all other wellbeing initiatives. It is likely that over time more and more companies, wishing to remain competitive in the labor market, will offer these or similar

amenities to their subordinates. Most importantly, workplace wellbeing continues to be talked about, discussed and researched. This gives a very optimistic outlook for the future.