Why Your Clean Energy & E-mobility Workplace Needs To Focus on Well-being

Well-being in the Clean Energy & E-mobility landscape may not be entirely new, but it has gained increasing attention recently.

Complex and unpredictable social and economic environments are having a profound impact on the health of employees everywhere. Combined with increasingly demanding work schedules, these issues create a burnout epidemic.

Investing in a well-being strategy for your team improves your employer brand and ensures you adhere to compliance policies in your industry. It also means your team members can thrive in your business, deliver their best work, and remain productive. Furthermore, committing to well-being can help Clean Energy & E-mobility employers attract new candidates in a skill-short landscape and retain their existing employees for longer.

The Importance of Well-being in the Clean Energy & E-mobility Workplace

The well-being of your Clean Energy & E-mobility staff members directly influences how well they can perform in your business. It isn’t only physical illness that leads to absences and workplace disruption, but mental health conditions, ranging from stress and anxiety to overall burnout.

The strain on [Clean Energy & E-mobility employees has been gradually increasing in recent years. One CIPD report found around 80% of organisations are now concerned about their employees’ mental health. Additionally, studies from Deloitte show that 77% of professionals have felt burned out or overwhelmed at work.

Poor well-being in the workplace harms the efficiency and performance of your team, draining their energy and reducing feelings of engagement and motivation. What’s worse, now that Clean Energy & E-mobility candidates have more options for where to work than ever, many will abandon a company completely if they feel their well-being isn’t being preserved.

Unchecked issues with your employees’ well-being can lead to disengagement for multiple staff members, a toxic company culture, and even rapid employee turnover. It can also drive crucial candidates away from your business when you need to fill gaps in your talent pipeline.

How to Prioritise Well-being in the Clean Energy & E-mobility Industry

Prioritising well-being in your [Clean Energy & E-mobility workplace requires more than just a commitment to offering healthy foods in the breakroom or checking your employee’s engagement levels once per year. Unfortunately, many companies are struggling to deliver the well-being strategies employees need.

According to one Forrester study, most senior leaders agree that well-being is crucial to running an effective workplace. However, only 23% factor mental health and wellness into the decisions they make for their team.

Here’s how you can invest in the well-being of your Clean Energy & E-mobility staff.

1. Develop a Well-being Policy

Perhaps the first step you can take to improve well-being in the Clean Energy & E-mobility landscape is to define what you can actively do to support your team members. You might consider offering your team members access to in-house counselling and support when dealing with mental health issues. Or you may create a policy which allows individuals to adapt their schedules around their health needs.

One excellent way to promote work-life balance and reduce burnout is to give Clean Energy & E-mobility team members more flexibility over their working environments and schedules. One study found 60% of people believe they have better mental health when they can work remotely.

Creating a plan to ensure individuals within your team can request to work from home or adopt a hybrid schedule to improve their mental and physical health could have a resounding impact on their well-being. It also benefits your business by allowing you to attract a wider range of talented professionals interested in the values of remote work.

Once you’ve created your policies, share them with your business leaders, so they can lead by example and guide every staff member.

2. Prioritise Open, Transparent Communication

Minimising burnout, stress, and poor well-being require creating an open, honest communication culture. Team members need to feel they can come to their managers and supervisors with any issues they might face with their health: physical or emotional.

Ensure leaders in your Clean Energy & E-mobility company know how to speak to employees about their concerns regarding overwhelm, stress, and anxiety. Let them know what kind of support your business can offer to individuals who feel their well-being is suffering.

Encourage regular and open communication by creating well-being champions or groups where team members can connect with colleagues to share their concerns. Host regular discussions about how you’re investing in the well-being of your team members, and ask for their input about what kind of support they need most.

Consistently gather feedback from your employees about their perception of the workplace, the challenges they commonly face, and the strategies they’d like to implement to preserve good physical and mental health.

3. Create an Inclusive, Supportive Company Culture

46% of employees say that company culture is a crucial aspect of improving their satisfaction at work, and 15% of job seekers decline job offers due to a company’s culture. Creating an environment for your team members to feel supported and respected is crucial to attracting new talent and retaining your existing staff.

Focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring everyone in your team feels connected to the business and valued for their input. Encourage regular communication between team members to help strengthen bonds among your staff, and watch for any signs of exclusionary behaviour.

You may even consider training your Clean Energy & E-mobility team members to be more inclusive, showing them how to eliminate bias and toxic activities from the workplace. Encourage the leaders in your workplace to demonstrate the core values of inclusion and support regularly. Plus, ensure you’re constantly providing feedback and guidance to your staff to maintain their engagement.

4. Learn How to Recognise and Fix Burnout

Burnout can still occur even in an environment committed to inclusion and communication. Unfortunately, many business leaders still don’t recognise the signs. Burnout is more than just a “state of vital exhaustion”; it can come in several forms.

Some employees feel burnout because they’re overwhelmed by too much responsibility or work. Others feel burned out because they’re not challenged or stimulated enough at work. It’s even possible for burnout to occur when team members feel they have no sense of purpose or are not getting enough feedback or guidance from their leaders.

Watch for signs of disengagement, such as people refusing to participate in meetings or avoiding interacting with others. Pay attention to changes in your employees’ attitudes and behaviours. For instance, some team members might withdraw, while others become more combative and frequently argue with staff.

When you notice signs of burnout in your Clean Energy & E-mobility staff members, arrange a meeting with them where you can discuss the challenges they’re facing and collaboratively come up with a solution.

Constantly Learn, Adapt and Grow

Supporting the well-being of your Clean Energy & E-mobility staff members is crucial to ensure they can survive and thrive in your workplace. However, as the industry continues to change, the needs of your employees may evolve. Pay attention to your staff members' transforming challenges, and work with them to create a more nurturing environment.

Remember, you can also work with your Clean Energy & E-mobility recruitment team to improve well-being in your workplace. They can help you to hire staff with the right mental resiliency to thrive in your team and even promote your well-being initiatives to new candidates. They’ll also help you fill the gaps in your team faster when turnover occurs, so your existing employees aren’t overwhelmed by excess work or lose motivation.

Sharn Lalkiya

Founder/Managing Director - TechWaves Recruitment Clean Energy & E-mobility

At TechWaves Recruitment - Clean Energy & E-mobility, we have been helping start ups and those going through growth to acquire talent and job seekers find their ideal roles in the Clean Energy and E-mobility sector. Call us at 0247 5099567 or email us on help@techwavesrecruitment.co.uk.