Does Your Company Genuinely Care About Your Wellbeing?

Businesses like to use pretty cosy terms for their workforce.

They are a “team”, a “family”, a “community”. 

The implication being that we’re all in this together. 

But as the pandemic showed, not every employer walks the walk. 

And your boss can offer to legally adopt you if they like. 

It won’t mean a thing if they don’t show up when you really need them.

Blurred lines

Nobody wants to work for a company that doesn’t value and support them.

The problem is most of us don’t know exactly how much it’s reasonable to expect.

We’ve all dealt with candidates that don’t know their worth, and are scared to push for the salary they deserve.

Yet all too often, that’s exactly what we end up doing ourselves:

Putting up with employers who don’t give us the support we need, because we aren’t willing to demand it from them.

So I think it’s high time we all took a moment to consider whether our wellbeing is really being prioritised.

Here are three question you should ask yourself:

1. Do they value your specific needs?

It’s all very well to offer a Calm subscription or a discount to Fitness First.

But every recruiter has a specific life and specific needs – and an employer who cares will genuinely take that into consideration.

Have you ever been consulted about how you could better handle your workload? Has an effort been made to provide the flexibility you need?

A decade ago, you might forgive management for not having the imagination to reimagine the way you work. 

But now we’re all used to remote working, there’s no excuse for expecting every employee to work the same hours in the same place – regardless of their family commitments or emotional needs.

Just as an experiment, try designing your ideal working arrangement and presenting it to your managers. 

If they shut you down, you’ll finally know where you stand with them.

And if not, you might end up radically improving your entire work-life setup.

2. Do they respect your limits?

Every recruit has, at some point, felt that they were being pushed past their capacity.

This is a high-energy, hard-working industry – and we’re all very proud of that fact.

But we’re collectively coming to understand the terrible impact that lifestyle can have on our mental and physical health.

And an employer that cares will not just respect your limits – they will actively intervene when they see you’re being overextended.

Do you trust your employer to help you avoid burnout? Would you feel safe telling your managers the workload has gotten out of hand?

And if not, is that a “you problem” – or a sign that you’re in the wrong place?

3. Do they give you the recognition you deserve?

We don’t generally like to talk about it, but feeling appreciated is absolutely essential to our wellbeing.

Some of us don’t like to admit that it matters to us; others just don’t realise the impact it’s having.

But whether it’s a simple “well done” or public recognition, most of us need an occasional reminder that what we’re doing is worthwhile.

And while we get some of that from candidates, we shouldn’t have to live off that alone.

If an employer values you, they have an obligation to show it.

And while that doesn’t have to be some grand gesture of support, it’s worth considering when you last felt anyone in your organisation went out of their way to make sure you felt appreciated.

Because if they never have, it’s probably not you that’s the problem.