Post-pandemic, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to restore a balance between employee wellbeing and performance

CHICAGO, September 16, 2021 – Eighteen months since nationwide shutdowns, the global surge in COVID-19 cases is exacerbating the onset of virtual fatigue for many employees. JLL’s new "Regenerative Workplace: Restoring employee wellbeing to achieve sustainable performance" report explores opportunities for companies to redefine what employee wellbeing looks like and achieve organizational resilience through the physical workplace.

“Our latest research offers data-driven insights to help companies on their journey to creating more sustainable performance across their workforce,” said Neil Murray, CEO, Work Dynamics at JLL. “Companies in all industries can use our regenerative framework to uncover growth opportunities and diagnose risks as they plan for reintegrating their workforce to their workplace.”

In surveying more than 3,300 office workers across 10 countries, JLL assessed employees’ state of mind over the last nine months to understand employee sentiments and identify their expectations for health and wellbeing in the months ahead. As employees transition from being fully remote to a post-pandemic future that includes a return to the office, JLL’s findings reveal that workers are asking for workplaces that address mental, social and physical wellbeing.

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Despite the initial widespread positive feelings toward the flexibility that work-from-home provided, employees are now experiencing increased feelings of virtual fatigue and burnout – with one-third of workers expressing their feelings of disenchantment. Further, as employees struggle to establish healthy boundaries between their professional and personal lives, the research finds 36% feel a lack of energy while working today and struggle to remain motivated and engaged in their job.

“With work and life happening in the same space today, workers are missing the clear boundaries that the office provides,” said JLL’s Global Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Bilbrey. “Prolonged remote work has also created an urgency among employees for real, human interactions. Our latest research finds that the majority of employees feel disconnected from their work community and are anxious to recapture strong work and personal relationships with their colleagues.”

Employees’ expectations of wellbeing support are shifting

With long-lasting homeworking taking a heavy social and mental toll, workers are looking to companies to support their holistic wellbeing in the workplace. Relaxation spaces, healthy food services and outdoor spaces, for example, top the list in terms of what employees want; yet, currently only 17% of people actually have access to relaxation spaces, 19% have access to healthy food services and 25% have access to outdoor spaces.

Further, with one-third of the workforce lacking access to any health amenities today, there’s a huge opportunity for employers to address this need by implementing services that promote wellbeing, such as conducting nutrition workshops, providing bike storage to promote exercise, offering mediation resources or making healthy food options available.

Providing easier access to health amenities, however, won’t make an impact on employees’ overall wellbeing if they don’t have the time to use them. With one-third of employees today feeling held back by a lack of energy and time to adopt healthy routines, companies have the opportunity to help their workers carve out time during the workday to focus on self-care.

Creating a regenerative workplace

With these shifting wellbeing expectations in mind, JLL, in partnership with renowned applied anthropologist, Chris Diming, created a framework to guide companies on their journey toward a regenerative workplace. This includes three main pillars – mental health, social health and physical health – and nine corresponding resiliency traits for companies to adopt to build a workplace that reconciles both holistic wellbeing and human performance.

Starting with the notion of health and how workers can be supported to achieve holistic wellbeing, JLL’s workforce resilience model illustrates how these pillars can be addressed for employees to feel safe in their body, their mind and their professional relationships. By achieving these steps, companies will be in a position to create a workplace where their employees can flourish and achieve sustainable human performance long term.

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