How Well-Being Fosters a Resilient and Equitable Workplace

BY Riley Kaminer | March 04, 2023

What would be possible for your organization if everyone showed up as the best version of themselves?

This is the bold question fueling Shannon Hopkins’ work as regional VP at BetterUp, an online coaching platform. Hopkins is laser-focused on empowering employers with the tools necessary to improve their workers’ well-being.

“Unlocking peak performance from your employees starts with building a healthy, resilient mind,” she told attendees of From Day One’s February virtual conference. However, Hopkins asserted that achieving this resilience has never been more challenging. A Harvard Business Review survey indicated that 85% of workers believe their well-being has declined since 2020. There has also been a 25% increase in the global prevalence of anxiety and depression since 2020. 

Meanwhile, the average lifestyle of a skill, and how long a skill is relevant, has shrunk from five years to just 18 months over the course of the last decade and a half. And with today’s global macroeconomic uncertainty, there is increasing pressure for employees to do more with less.

Well-Being Drives Performance, Especially in Times of Uncertainty

Well-being can be the key to successfully navigating turbulent times. It is a major driver of resilience: the ability to bounce back in times of change. Resilience helps increase the competitiveness and profitability of an organization, even under highly disruptive conditions. In an analysis of 16,000 BetterUp members, the company identified a 35% difference in resilience between those who score low on well-being and those who score high.

There is also a strong link between well-being and productivity, noted Hopkins. “Well-being actually can drive an increase in performance, or productivity in times of change–not just maintain it.” 

Shannon Hopkins, regional VP at BetterUp (Company photo)

In an attempt to understand the complex interplay between productivity and well-being, BetterUp studied a group of 1,000 people. They tracked how these participants’ productivity changed before the pandemic compared to immediately after. “The results were surprising,” Hopkins said. “We had expected to see that all participants would experience some decline in their productivity, given the extreme circumstances of that period. But what we saw was those that received coaching actually saw an increase in their productivity. So people that were actively working on their well-being during this period scored higher than those that didn't.”

A partnership with Salesforce provided more data to back up this story. Employees that used BetterUp’s well-being solutions increased their productivity by 25%, were 56% less likely to miss work due to health reasons, and were five times more likely to be rated as a top performer.

Having high well-being is also closely correlated to increased cognitive agility, or the ability to make the right choices in moments of uncertainty. The good news? “This is highly coachable,” said Hopkins. “We need to make improving our cognitive agility a proactive daily practice and invest in it over time, and in advance as well.”

How Can You Enhance Well-being in Your Organization?

Hopkins believes that most employers still lack the right solutions to support the majority of their workforce–moving beyond training sessions, digital health tools, and employee–assistance programs (EAPs).

“What we need now more than ever is a new, comprehensive well-being solution,” she said, advocating for an approach that builds employees’ mental strength and enables their peak performance. “Ultimately, that creates organizations that employees seek out and where they want to remain, which is super important for today’s times.”

In Hopkins’ estimation, these programs should have measurable outcomes, be culturally and globally relevant, and be integrated in the normal flow of everyday work. “What would be possible for your organization if everyone showed up as their best self?” Hopkins asked the virtual audience. “And what would that look like for your people, your team’s diversity and inclusion efforts, and ultimately for your organization? And more importantly, how would it feel to work there for the employees?”

These are difficult questions. But as Hopkins explained, keeping well-being top of mind is an excellent first step towards a productive, fulfilled, and equitable workforce.

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, BetterUp, who sponsored this thought leadership spotlight.

Riley Kaminer is a Miami-based journalist, researcher, and content strategist. As a freelance tech writer and researcher, he has profiled more than 400 of the world’s top entrepreneurs and investors. His work has been featured in publications including Forbes, the Times (UK), the Economist, and LatAm Investor.

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