Employee Wellbeing in Organizations in Post Covid 19 in Kenya

Abstract

Employee wellbeing is a concept that has been elusive in the workplace for a long time now. From time immemorial, wellbeing drives were considered as not so crucial, and they were not prioritized by many employers. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented consequence on the labor market. The business outcome of struggling workplace wellbeing is critical, and leaders are progressively preoccupied about the wellbeing of women at work. Gallup analysis found out that 500,000 more women than men left the workforce during the pandemic and the US Census Bureau reported that 45% of mothers with school-aged children were not actively working in April 2020, representing 3.5 million women who left active work in a single year. The psychological pressure and incertitude caused by the current changing workplace environment have led to negative consequences for workers especially women. This paper is an empirical study that sought to identify the female workers’ wellbeing issues that organizations should consider as crucial to achieve high performance work systems in the post covid era. Considering the predictive relationship between female employees’ engagement and wellbeing and in light of this new situation that affects workers of all the organizations worldwide, this study identified the key main drivers of female workers’ engagement that could lead to their wellbeing in the current context. Content analysis was done from various academic articles world over in relation to the current topic under study. The challenges confronting female employees’ wellbeing programs were highlighted and the strategies for overcoming such challenges deliberated. In the present global environment, characterized by fast change, covid pandemic, technology and increasing competition, female employees’ wellbeing practices should be embraced by all organizations for their success. The paper concludes that for organizations to achieve the aforementioned, organizational leaders should focus on facilitating remote working, comply with the covid 19 protocols, pay special attention to mental health and empower female employees.