cover photo Reflect Blog
Ingo Kallenbach

Wellbeing at work: small change - big effect

Who would have figured? Even small changes in the wellbeing of employees have a big effect on their performance! 


The fact that wellbeing at the workplace correlates with work performance nowadays no longer astonishes anyone. However, the fact that even small changes have measurable results lets the reader rub his eyes. And for us it is worth writing an article about. 
An example: According to the latest study by Dr. Harter, chief scientist of the renowned Gallup-Institut, the fact that two employees are only 5% apart on a 100-point scale of the Well-Being Index has a big effect. If someone asseses himself only 5% less, the following increased risks apply: 

• 18.6% higher risk of sleep disorders 
• 15% higher risk of anxiety or depression 
• 14.6% higher risk of diabetes 
• 5.9% higher risk of hypertension 
• 6.3% higher risk of obesity 
• 0.6 unhealthy days in the past 30 days 

Astonishing, isn't it? Of course, these results can be questioned true to the motto "the only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself", but we have taken a close look at earlier studies of the Gallup Institute in the Q12 field and they can be considered quite solid. Let's suppose this study is based on rather solid figures as well, leaving us with the central question: How can a higher wellbeing be achieved? One of the answers is almost too trivial to name in this context, especially since it once again supports our assumption: The more a manager takes care of his own wellbeing, the bigger the chance that his/her employees will also take care of their own wellbeing. This will actually make them feel better and increase productivity. Questions regarding the implementation? We would be happy to answer them!