How rising work pressures are reshaping employee well being and performance

This is a workforce dealing with the rising cost of living while carrying family responsibilities that have grown heavier over the last six years. Food prices, house, rent and transport have risen, taking a larger share of salaries. School fees and medical expenses drain savings.

In a (2023) Cigna Healthcare 360° Global Well-Being Survey Kenya report, Kenya scored 60.6 out of 100 on the well-being index, compared to the global average of 62.9.

Alarmingly, 95 percent of respondents in Kenya reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, and 93 percent acknowledged high levels of stress. A separate survey by the Institute of Human Resources (Kenya) found that 62 percent of professionals in Nairobi felt overwhelmed by work.

Amidst these findings the workplace is still expected to run at a set desired pace. A mid-level professional in a local logistics company offered what many feel, “the office needs focus and drive. Home needs support and money.

I am doing both, but I am constantly broke.”

Managers may notice reduced enthusiasm, quieter meetings, lower initiative or dips in productivity. The risk is misinterpreting this as disengagement or poor attitude. In reality, many employees are experiencing what psychologists call functional burnout, the ability to keep performing, but without emotional reserves. People don’t break, but simply fade.

Employers risk treating a well-being issue as a performance issue, and in doing so, they risk losing good people.

The leadership challenge is not just financial. Costs of operations are rising, competition is tightening, and organisational survival demands caution. This calls for staff motivation and support beyond the pay, and an organisational culture shift.

How are companies responding? Some are examining how work is structured and how people are led, not how work is managed. Some have reviewed workloads to eliminate duplicated reporting, unnecessary approvals and “busy work” that drains time without adding value.

Others have begun training supervisors in soft and people management, recognising that technical skills alone don’t create a great leaders.

Read: Beyond words: How culture shapes workplace dialogue

Changing workings hours from a rigid 8 to 5 schedules to staggered reporting hours in selected departments will allow employees to manage commuting time, caregiving and rest. Within months, companies are likely to note a rise in customer service scores, a drop in sick off days, and absenteeism. The organisations will not have solved employees personal problems, but avoided adding to them, because, people do not need the workplace to solve all their problems. They need the workplace not to add to them.

Support can also take the form of re-designing workload and expectations. Many supervisors are technically competent but lack people management skills.

Short, targeted training in emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, feedback and coaching can shift the workplace environment. This matters because a workforce under strain can slowdown company growth.

In a regional study by mHub Africa, over 80 percent of East African employees reported moderate to extreme stress in 2023, with 48 percent saying stress had reduced their productivity and 51.6 percent citing difficulty concentrating.

That kind of decline, if mirrored in Kenya’s major sectors like banking, manufacturing or healthcare, translates into real costs, like lower output, more errors, pilferage, longer delivery times, weakened customer loyalty and higher health-related absenteeism and costs.

And behind these trends are human stories. A nurse working double shifts to make ends meet and pay college fees. A junior accountant planning for rent, school fees and medical bills for ageing parents, or struggling with gambling and alcohol addiction.

A young professional repaying a student loan while supporting younger relatives. A manager outwardly composed but privately struggling to meet family needs, and maintain an ego. These are not isolated cases. They are the lived reality of many Kenyan workers.

Those that overlook the quiet strain may find themselves managing excess staff turnover, low staff productivity, absenteeism, rise in misconduct cases, or pilferage, high court of equipment maintenance.

On a positive note, the workforce is still showing up. The challenge facing leadership today is how to adjust and effectively responds to these changes that affect employee well-being and organisational performance.

Company leadership and HR Managers collaboration with mental health professionals is critical in sensitising employees on mental health, and developing employee assistance programmes at workplaces.

The writer is an HR strategist and founder of Pristine Management Solutions. [email protected]