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A new report warns that companies in Canterbury will be out of pocket and out of pocket if they don’t take wellbeing more seriously.
Skills Consulting Group interviewed nearly 2,000 workers across the country from a variety of sectors – and while it found everyone was struggling with an average wellbeing score of 61 out of 100, Canterbury scored the lowest at 56.
Wellbeing general manager at Skills Consultancy Jane Kennelly said employers needed to hear the alarm bells about employee wellbeing.
“The recipe for what can happen if not paid attention to can be really disastrous for businesses.”
She was shocked to find that a third of New Zealand businesses do not have a welfare plan.
Kennelly said the job market and ongoing Covid-related stress are creating a perfect storm for workers, and employers should acknowledge the pressure.
“People have such a heavy burden on them,” she said.
“It’s not unusual, especially in today’s job market, to hear people say, ‘I’m doing the work of two people’.”
But Canterbury has its own problems, with the aftermath of the earthquakes and terror attacks that hit the region before Covid-19 arrived.
Annabel Turley, president of the Central Christchurch Business Association and owner of three pharmacies in the central city, said the problem stemmed from local and central government dragging their feet on earthquake reconstruction projects.
“People in Canterbury feel like they just want to keep going.
“Seeing empty sites because the city hasn’t progressed as it should. All these things take a mental toll on people.”
She said employers were doing what they could to support workers through the shared struggle.
For her company, a genuine relationship with the employees was what kept morale high.
“I have a real open door policy, I actually work with all my employees.
“I like to make myself available to them, because I like to think of them as family.”
While Canterbury was the hardest hit region for worker wellbeing, government and health workers were the lowest scoring sectors in the report.
Jayne MacFarlane, the Public Service Association’s national support manager, said the unprecedented pressure on these workers is undeniable. She wanted more opportunities for unions to represent workers’ needs.
“The unions don’t seem to be part of the compilation of this report…I think we can add a lot to understanding this pressure.”
Kennelly generally said that if employers wanted to take care of their employees, the support had to go beyond free fruit and discounted gym memberships.
“It’s actually deeper and more important issues that need to be addressed as far as people are concerned.”
She said genuine care for individuals and accommodation for different needs were essential to curb burnout.