There's a correlation between how workers are treated on the job and whether they believe their employer is concerned about their life beyond work. It's a tough one to pin down, but Virgin Pulse took at stab at it.
Virgin Pulse interviewed 500 employees, focusing on how engaged they felt at work, why they felt engaged, and whether an employer's concern for their welfare beyond work made them feel more engaged. This latter "feeling" was dubbed Total Quality of Life by Virgin — TQL.
Overall, Virgin found that engaged employees feel less stress at work and do a better job. No big surprise there. They also tend to report that they believe their employer does care about them as a whole person, not just as a worker bee.
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At the same time, engaged workers also reported feeling better about their job when family and friends feel some connection to their work, which sort of flies in the face of many therapists' counsel to separate work from home and be happier.
Both findings — that engaged workers feel that their employer cares about them and that they want friends and family to care about their work — signal a shift in the traditional employer-employee model that assumed it was healthier to keep personal stuff out of the workplace.
This concept of total quality of life, which Virgin Pulse is actively promoting internally in its own wellness programming, is, according to Virgin's survey, akin to a chef's secret ingredient — it tends to spice up every good dish to which it is added.
Virgin asked respondents if they agreed with certain engagement benchmarks. If they said, "Yes," Virgin then asked those people if they felt their employer cared about their total quality of life. Here were some of the correlations:
- 68 percent of those who agreed that someone at work encouraged their development also felt their employer cared about their TQL.
- 64 percent of those who said their employer's mission made them feel important also felt their employer cared about their TQL.
- 62 percent of those who said their manager cares about them also felt their employer cared about their TQL.
- 62 percent who said they had growth and learning opportunities at work also felt their employer cared about their TQL.
The matter of family and friends supporting one's worklife may still need more study.
Virgin found that "among engaged employees, between 54 and 56 percent said their family and close friends have no connection to their work life, co-workers, or employer."
"The gap was much larger among employees who are not engaged. This means that although engaged employees are more likely to feel their friends or family have a connection to their work life, it is an overlooked area for helping to boost engagement, improve employee health and happiness, and have a positive impact on the bottom line."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
