FOSTERING THE WELL-BEING and resiliency of employees has long been an important element of the best business models. Now, in part due to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become even more of a necessity. Encouragingly, business leaders are catching on. While they are redesigning their organizations based on learnings from the last year, responsible workforce strategies and caring more for worker well-being have emerged as central themes for both Canadian and global organizations.
This is a significant shift. Prior to the pandemic, 48 per cent of the Canadian C-Suite executives we spoke to felt ‘highly responsible’ for supporting their workers’ holistic needs. Just six months later, in the midst of COVID-19, that number rose to 55 per cent. Similarly, at a global level, responsibility sentiment increased among C-suites from 35 per cent to 50 per cent over the same period. These findings suggest a movement in the right direction — and an opportunity for businesses to embrace a fundamental mission: To improve the way in which we care for our workforce.
This mission can also support business recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. It turns out that taking better care of workers results not only in improving their health and wellness, but also the financial health and
