Introduction
This review aims to explore the well-being of the employees in the National Health Service in the UK. Employee well-being is a critical element of a good working environment and institution. Numerous studies have been done on employee well-being, the work environment and the factors that affect well-being. Well-being is the mental and emotional strength leading to optimism and contentment toward work. A suitable working environment plays a vital role in employee well-being in any organization (Wise, 2018). The promotion of well-being in an organization enables the employees to cope with stress levels and maintain their productivity.
Factors Impacting Employee Wellbeing
The factors include stress management frameworks, job control and autonomy, work-life balance, and workload. According to Wise (2018), the factors mentioned above were considered vital in determining the well-being of the workers in NHS. A high-pressure environment may lead to business success (Hulls et al., 2020). However, this kind of environment hurts employees over time as the level of stress increases, and productivity may fall.
Autonomy and job control impact the well-being of the employees to a certain extent. Autonomy is the degree to which employees have the freedom to decide how the execution of tasks assigned to them is done, while job control refers to the influence an employee has on what happens in the work environment (Wise, 2018). Motivation is associated with job control and autonomy since cases of anxiety and depression are minimal in such working environments.
Work-life balance impacts well-being in that life out of work and life at highly determines employee job performance. Employees require enough time for a vacation to refresh themselves. Research on well-being acknowledges that employees who get enough time off work are likely to perform relatively better than those with little or no time on vacations (Hulls et al., 2020). The amount of workload per employee is yet another factor that impacts well-being. Heavy workloads are associated with adverse mental and a decline in concentration and a rise in absenteeism.
Conditions of Work Within NHS
As the review focused on the working conditions of NHS, several unfavourable conditions were noted. According to the studies, the current working conditions in NHS are stressful (Keeman et al., 2017). As one of Europe’s largest employers, NHS has a huge workforce (Wise, 2018). Reports have suggested that the organization is short-staffed despite having over 1.5 million workers (NHS 2019). Additionally, Hull et al. (2020) noted that the NHS administration process is challenging as the demand for NHS services is very high since many rely on the organization. Reports have indicated that there are not enough medical personnel to meet the demand for the services in NHS.
Moreover, studies focused on workers’ pay and workload to determine whether they are proportional. The findings suggested that the NHS’s existing pay structure does not reflect the amount of work each staff does for the organization (Hulls et al., 2020). The NHS staff are overworked but underpaid, according to the reports. Some studies have noted that many staff leave NHS annually due to overworking and underpayment (Wise 2020. Reports reveal a high level of accountability and supervision in the NHS environment (Keeman et al., 2017). Employees have little freedom in deciding how to accomplish tasks. Additionally, employees cannot influence what happens in the work environment (Keeman et al., 2017). Low motivation and high levels of depression and anxiety are the outcomes of strict accountability and supervision; hence, the employees feel their well-being is not considered in NHS.
Recommendations
Based on the research done and the findings of understaffing, ensuring that NHS is adequately staffed is one of the recommendations that can help improve the employees’ well-being. High demands for work or putting more pressure on employees to work very hard adversely affects their well-being (Keeman et al., 2017). By adequately staffing NHS, employees will have reasonable workloads; hence chances of health risks will be minimized.
Another recommendation for NHS on improving employee well-being is to allow workers to have more control over how they do their work. Small positive changes in worker independence can play a significant role in improving well-being. Studies do indicate that the high level of accountability and supervision in NHS results to employees’ feeling of sense of no purpose in the organization hence low productivity (Hulls et al., 2020). Therefore, it is evident from the findings that employee well-being is highly impacted by the degree of autonomy the employee has hence, benefitting both the employee and the organization since the employee’s performance is likely to go high.
It is relevant to recommend that NHS adopts policies that enable employees to manage their stress. An annual survey conducted on the well-being of employees of NHS revealed that in the year 2020, 44% of workers reported feeling unwell (Hulls et al., 2020). An in-depth investigation into the matter revealed that feeling unwell was a result of job-related pressure. Employees who feel overwhelmed with work are likely to have health issues. Furthermore, NHS needs to employ stable workers’ schedules to reduce work-related sicknesses.
Lastly, for the well-being of employees in NHS to be improved, it is crucial to enhance their pay. Studies about the pay structure for employees in NHS, particularly doctors and nurses, indicated that the amount of pay they receive does not reflect the amount of work they do. A significant pay rise will lead to a motivated team of workers in NHS hence improving their productivity (Wise, 2018). Reports also reveal that delayed payments may lead to low motivation for the employees; hence it is recommended that the employees’ payments be made at the right time.
Psychometric Tests to Use to Gather More Data
To gather more data on employee well-being in NHS, psychometrics tests will be required. The two major types of psychometric tests that can be used in this study are; personality tests and cognitive ability tests. Personality tests involve a psychometric assessment that aims to identify the personality traits essential in performing a specific role in an organization (Wise, 2018). These tests offer a crucial understanding of a candidate’s key abilities, behaviours and inspirations. Personality assessments are based on the big five-factor model, which enlists five major personality traits of humans in varying degrees (Hulls et al., 2020). A satisfiable psychometric assessment can aid in measuring the level of these traits by conducting a run of questions and problem-solving exercises.
Cognitive ability tests, also known as aptitude tests, involve assessing the mental capabilities of people. Aptitude tests help assess a person’s logic, verbal capability and skills that help in problem-solving (Wise, 2018). Studies reveal that cognitive ability tests can help predict a person’s academic performance, professional training performance and job performance. However, using this psychometric alone to conclude can be erroneous.
The importance of these psychometric tests in this study is that they provide more useful data in assessing the well-being of employees in NHS. Additionally, psychometric tests will provide more information that can help address the literature gaps researchers left. For example, previous studies did not focus on the employee versus employee factors that may impact their well-being (Keeman et al., 2017). Hence, if psychometric tests are employed in this study, they can help to fill the gaps.
Interventions That Can Improve the Wellbeing in NHS
This review identified the following interventions which are vital for the staff’s well-being:
- Establishing stress management programs to address the high-stress level noted within the NHS staff. According to Wise (2018), this kind of intervention is key to improving the workers’ mental health since studies reveal that the mental health of the worker is directly related to patient satisfaction.
- Flexibility and autonomy at work were identified as important interventions in improving the well-being of the employees at NHS since they will improve employee self-esteem and a sense of purpose (Keeman et al., 2017). Flexibility at work is essential in ensuring employees plan themselves and have enough time outside work.
- The other important intervention was the recruitment of adequate medical personnel to fill the gap and reduce workloads for doctors and nurses in NHS, as noted in the findings (Wise, 2018). The workloads impacted employee well-being in NHS as the inadequate workers felt overwhelmed. Hence this intervention is key in improving the well-being of the workers.
To determine whether the above interventions are implemented, this study suggested evaluating staff health and well-being often by conducting more studies. Psychometric tests can be used in NHS to measure the extent to which the interventions have improved employee well-being (Keeman et al., 2017). Through NHS employees’ feedback, it is easy to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in improving well-being. The other way to assess the effectiveness of the interventions is by reviewing the productivity levels of the NHS since research suggests that employees whose well-being is considered are likely to be more productive.
Trainings That are Required to Improve Employee Wellbeing in NHS
This review has noted that training for managers is relevant, whereby leaders will be trained to effectively develop and coach their team to curb absence and cases of stress in the workplace (Hulls et al., 2020). The training can major in successful behaviors for leaders, managing team conflict, stress awareness, and coaching skills. This training has been identified by the fact that leaders may play a role in employee stress and poor performance.
Conclusion
This review aimed to explore the well-being of the staff in the National Health Service in the UK. According to this study, the working conditions in NHS have a relatively unfavourable working conditions. The review pointed out that there is no adequate staff in NHS, particularly doctors and nurses, which leads to the staff overworking. Due to long working hours and little time for rest, there were work-related sicknesses among NHS employees. There is high demand for NHS services while the workforce is not adequate to serve the demand. Hence, this study found out that the stress level is high among the workers as they strain to ensure that customers are satisfied with their services. Another finding that this review identified was that the NHS staff are underpaid but overworked. The review concluded that the current pay structure for NHS employees does not match the amount of work they do. The well-being of the workers is therefore compromised as they may not have enough motivation hence low productivity level.
After identifying the above findings, this review suggested some recommendations that can improve the well-being of the staff in NHS. One of the recommendations was to recruit more workforce for the employees to have a reasonable workload. The review explained that a reasonable workload would reduce the chances of work-related sicknesses hence, high improving the performance of NHS at large. The study also recommended that to improve the employee well-being within NHS, it is important to enhance the pay for the employees. This will ensure a motivated workforce and hence improve performance. If the workers are motivated, they ensure excellent customer service, raising the NHS’s standards. Finally, this review recommended that NHS management should allow workers to have more control over how they do their work. A significant degree of autonomy is likely to induce better performance as employees can make their own decisions on how they can execute tasks that they are assigned. If all these recommendations are executed, NHS can be the best place to work and the best place for the customers to be served. Through this study, the audience can grasp an overview of the well-being of employees in NHS and what can be done to improve it. A need for more research is required to substantiate the claims by other researchers that there is a gap in employee well-being in NHS.
References
Hulls, P., Richmond, R., Martin, R., & de Vocht, F. (2020). A systematic review protocol examining workplace interventions that aim to improve employee health and well-being in male-dominated industries. Systematic Reviews, 9(1).
Keeman, A., Näswall, K., Malinen, S., & Kuntz, J. (2017). Employee Well-being: Evaluating a Wellbeing Intervention in Two Settings.Frontiers In Psychology, 8(5).
Wise, J. (2018). Survey of UK doctors highlights blame culture within the NHS.BMJ, 5(10), k4001.