Achieving a better quality of life is a legitimate aspiration for every citizen. Likewise, facilitating this should be the primary objective of any government. But how can we improve the future well-being of our citizens?
A country’s economic and scientific progress is only meaningful if it leads to a rich and healthy life for its people. People’s well-being is a powerful catalyst that brings numerous benefits.
Workplace well-being, a crucial socioeconomic component
In this context, workplace well-being emerges as a crucial component. This concept not only implies fair and safe working conditions but also the creation of an environment that promotes the mental and physical health of workers.
And improving well-being in the workplace not only benefits employees; it also contributes to the overall well-being of society.
A healthy and stimulating work environment increases productivity, fosters creativity, and improves job satisfaction, which has a positive impact on the economy and the quality of life of citizens.
Therefore, promoting workplace well-being helps governments achieve their goal of improving people’s future well-being, thus aligning socio-economic and scientific development with the tangible improvement of their daily lives.
Are we Spaniards satisfied with our lives?
According to the latest data from the World Values Survey and the World Bank, 85% of Spanish citizens say they are “satisfied with their lives”, a higher percentage than the EU average, and which puts us at the top of the “happiest” countries in the world in terms of satisfaction levels.
The challenges: how to improve well-being in the medium and long term
Despite generally positive satisfaction levels, the outlook is less promising when Spaniards are asked about their expectations for quality of life over the next 15 years. A mere 21% believe conditions will improve.
There are a number of objectively measurable challenges that will affect the future well-being of citizens in Spain. These are the 5 main challenges we face:
1. The Future of Our Economy
Our welfare state is closely linked to the performance of the economy. The forecast is that Spain will experience slow economic growth in the long term. Everything is interconnected, and if income decreases, so will public revenue, which is what sustains social benefits such as retirement pensions, the Minimum Living Income, unemployment benefits, and access to quality public services.
This would lead to increased inequality and, consequently, a loss of current and future well-being that would particularly affect the most vulnerable groups.
2. The Shortcomings of the Labor Market
Problems such as high structural unemployment, job insecurity, long working hours, or new forms of work could lead to a further deterioration in working conditions, which would further increase job dissatisfaction among Spaniards, which is currently the main cause of frustration among citizens.
3. Risks for the Elderly Population
The ever-increasing average life expectancy can be a double-edged sword for improving the future well-being of many citizens over 65 years of age.
The evolution of some social patterns, such as smaller households and the depopulation of rural areas (the empty Spain), does not favor social interaction, which would imply an increase in unwanted loneliness in older people.
4. Climate Change and Environmental Deterioration
If we don’t act soon, the environmental impact will worsen our quality of life. Air pollution and rising global temperatures will significantly worsen the future well-being of Spaniards.
The consequence of inaction is that by 2050, more heat waves, more torrential rains, and greater transmission of diseases through food, water, or animals.
5. Changes in Population Distribution
By 2050, Spain is projected to experience depopulation coupled with a decline in economic activity in many rural areas. In practice, this will mean that 12% of the population will live in rural municipalities and will lack easy access to basic services such as banking, administrative services, healthcare, and transportation, resulting in a significant loss of well-being.
Solutions: How to Improve Future Wellbeing
Spain’s clear objective in the medium and long term is to maintain the level of well-being achieved in recent years and try to occupy a prominent place among the happiest countries in the world by 2050.
To guarantee this, it is necessary to apply a series of measures:
- Placing Well-being at the Center of Public Policies
Protecting and enhancing the well-being of citizens should be the cornerstone of all public policies. To this end, establishing a “well-being budget” and improving the mechanisms for citizen satisfaction, as other neighboring countries have done, would be an important step.
- Improving Citizens’ Job Satisfaction
To achieve this, it is key to correct the deficiencies of the labor market (unemployment and temporary employment) and improve conditions so that all jobs are safer and healthier, following the guidelines of the Spanish Strategy for Safety and Health at Work.
- Ensuring the Quality of the National Health System
Prioritize and improve the provision of mental health services, both from primary care and from specialized care, reducing waiting times for diagnosis of these disorders, integrating mental health care into the “Service Portfolio of the National Health System”.
- Promoting Education for Well-being
It is essential to gradually introduce socio-emotional and humanistic knowledge and skills into primary, secondary and tertiary educational centers to help students better manage their emotions and prepare them to face failure and success, as well as to lead a healthy life.
The Responsibility that Companies Have
Ultimately, companies also bear a significant responsibility in all these solutions for improving future well-being. At our company, we contribute our expertise and tools to help the organizations within the larger Nalanda Community achieve ever-improving workplace safety and health.
