Six factors that increase the likelihood of flourishing and productivity in workplace

The Study revealed that 70% of the respondents are employed, but only 17% of those are flourishing at workplace.

Having long working hours and experiencing work stress are common in Hong Kong. Only 53% of the respondents felt that they have control over their workload and 37% were able to strike a work-life balance. There is clearly room for improvement in workplace wellbeing.

With an aim to understand how to better support the working population, the Study has identified six factors that are key to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace:

• Mental health support by employers: employers are uniquely placed to promote mind health among their staff. Employees who work at companies that provide mental health support are more productive and are 3.5 times more likely to be flourishing than those without access to support.  
• Hybrid work mode: 43% of respondents said that there is no difference in productivity between working home and the office, while 24% is likely to be flourishing if they are working in hybrid mode, compared to those who work exclusively from office (17%). The ability to be flexible in work location would provide employees with a sense of belonging and inclusion.
• Control over workload: If employees feel they have sufficient control over their workload, their likelihood of flourishing would increase from 4% to 26%. 
• Strong skill or job matching: Employees’ likelihood of flourishing increases from 3% to 26% if their skills match the work they are being asked to do.
• Clear goals and expectations: If employers set clear goals and expectations, the likelihood of employees flourishing increases from 6% to 25%.
• Skill development support: Employees working for companies which support employees to develop skills and to support career progression are 7.5 times more likely to be flourishing.

 If all these six workplace factors are implemented, the likelihood of flourishing for Hong Kong employees would increase from 17% to 52%, indicating that employees are 3 times more likely to be flourishing.

A strong and positive correlation between mental wellbeing, productivity and job retention

While talent retention remains a challenge for most employers, the study shows that over 80% of employees who are flourishing do not intend to leave their jobs in the near future, or even do not have intention to leave at all.

It is clear that there is a close link between employees’ mind health, productivity and job retention.

AXA is the first insurer in Hong Kong to include mental wellness in its Employee Benefits plans and introduce “Mind Health” programme - an employee mental health care scheme for its corporate customers. The company has also launched a series of mind health initiatives in Hong Kong including the annual AXA BetterMe event, and the Mind Healer and the Mind Charger services on the “EMMA by AXA” mobile app, supporting customers in building up resilience and practicing mindfulness.