The quality of the work environment, balancing service excellence and employee well-being

In the contemporary business landscape, attention to the quality of products and services offered emerges as an indispensable pillar for ensuring customer satisfaction and success in the marketplace.
However, to pursue this goal, it is essential to recognize that at the heart of any strategy are the people who, working together, contribute to its success.
These are the two sides of the same coin, with the quality of customer service on the one hand, and the quality of the working environment for employees on the other.
We at CSE are convinced that only when these two factors are in balance is it possible to achieve maximum excellence.
For us, quality and innovation are the fruit of a work environment that enhances the well-being and productivity of employees.
For just as our service on machinery quality control is essential to our customers’ satisfaction, so the work environment we provide for our employees is crucial to their well-being and efficiency.
But how do we achieve quality in the work environment?  

Work environment quality: 8 points for well-being and safety

Happiness in the work environment has a significant impact on the lives of employees, group cohesion and the financial success of the enterprise.
This is proven by all studies conducted in the field of applied work psychology and organizational well-being.
Indeed, it has been shown that a positive work climate that provides security and promotes the well-being of those who work there not only improves productivity, increases motivation and sharpens focus on company goals, but also facilitates superior performance and increases in turnover.
According to occupational psychology, therefore, to ensure safety and well-being in the workplace while promoting performance and efficiency, a work environment must have the following characteristics:

1. Comfortable and welcoming work environment: spaces should be ergonomically designed to avoid fatigue and injury, as well as being aesthetically pleasing to promote psychological well-being.
2. Clarity of goals and enhancement of skills: it is essential that employees know the goals to be achieved and feel valued for their skills and contributions.
3. Active listening and conflict management: companies should practice active listening and have effective strategies for conflict management, promoting a harmonious work environment.
4. Information availability and cooperation: easy access to the information needed to do the job and an atmosphere of cooperation among colleagues are essential for an efficient work environment.
5. Fairness and stress prevention: it is important to ensure fairness in the allocation of responsibilities and compensation, as well as to put measures in place to prevent stressors.
6. Safety and injury prevention: workplace safety is critical, and companies must implement strict safety and injury prevention policies.
7. Promoting the social utility of work: making employees feel part of something bigger by contributing to society through their work increases motivation and a sense of belonging.
8. Flexibility and dynamism: a work environment that promotes flexibility and accepts stimulating challenges fosters employees’ personal and professional fulfillment.

These features, when integrated into an inclusive business strategy, can create a work environment that is not only safe and promotes the well-being of employees, but also helps improve their performance and the overall efficiency of the organization.  

Worker well-being in the work context: a story that goes way back

The culture of wellness in the workplace has evolved significantly over time.
Originally, in the first half of the 20th century, the emphasis was on physical safety and risk prevention in work environments.
With the advent of the Human Relations Movement, the perception broadened to include psychosocial aspects such as worker motivation, group dynamics and psychological distress due to monotony of work.
It was not until the 1980s that the concept of occupational well-being took on a broader connotation with the introduction of the term “wellness.”
This term goes beyond mere lack of illness, emphasizing a state of general comfort and satisfaction that includes mental as well as physical well-being.
Occupational health thus shifted from a reactive approach of disease avoidance to a proactive view that actively promotes the worker’s overall well-being.
Then, in the 1990s, there was a further evolution through the emergence of the emergence of Occupational Health Psychology, which marked a significant shift in the approach to wellness in the workplace, emphasizing the application of psychological findings to:

• Enhancing workers’ welfare and self-determination;
• Maintain high work safety standards;
• Promoting a healthy environment in work settings.

The concept of well-being at work has thus evolved considerably: it has shifted from an individual focus on physical and mental health to a broader view of organizational well-being.
In this new view, as noted on the website of the Ministry of Education and Merit, a company that is attentive to the well-being of its employees must make “organizational well-being” its inescapable benchmark:

Organizational well-being is defined as the ability of an organization to promote and maintain the physical, psychological and social well-being of all employees working within it.
Studies and research on organizations have shown that the most effective structures are those with satisfied employees and a serene and participatory “internal climate.”
Motivation, collaboration, involvement, proper circulation of information, flexibility, and people’s trust all lead to improved mental and physical health of workers, user satisfaction, and ultimately increased productivity.

And at the heart of organizational well-being is precisely the quality of the work environment, which becomes essential for promoting the all-round health of employees.
Being active and dynamic, being adaptable and flexible, being encouraged through challenges that motivate, and being able to realize personal aspirations and ambitions, as we have seen, are thus the components for creating the conditions for a corporate atmosphere where employees can thrive on all fronts.  

Quality of work environment and organizational well-being from a legislative perspective

Over the years, concern for employee well-being has found increasing resonance in European legislative measures.
There was, for example, the introduction of the Luxembourg Declaration in 1997, which aimed to promote health in the workplace.
Then, in 2002, the Commission of the European Communities developed an innovative strategy dedicated to health and safety for the period 2002-2006.
Later, in 2008, theEuropean Agreement on Related Work Stress was transposed through an Interconfederal Agreement.
In 2008-2009, the European Union advanced a definition of well-being in the workplace that emphasized the mental and physical well-being of workers as the result of a balance between the work environment, leisure and the work itself.
The recently trending focus has become the analysis of the overall well-being of the organization and its ability to ensure a favorable environment for staff.
Even in Italy, workplace well-being has received a significant boost thanks to the 2004 Ministry of Public Function Directive, which aimed to improve organizational well-being within public administrations.
Occupational well-being is under constant monitoring by Istat, which conducts studies to track corporate well-being and, as of Feb. 8, 2021, began a specific survey on occupational well-being and the phenomenon of bullying, with the aim of identifying and addressing critical issues.