How to Promote Wellness in the Workplace?
Employees spend a significant amount of time at work, giving employers a powerful position to contribute to their wellbeing. This focus on wellness benefits both employees and employers alike. Regardless of company size, promoting wellness in the workplace should be a priority.
After all, 87% of employees consider wellness offerings when choosing a company 87% of employees consider wellness offerings when choosing a company. If you haven't yet incorporated wellness into your workplace culture, this guide will equip you to design a solid program that works for your employees.
Why Promote Wellness in the Workplace?
It's undeniable that an employee's wellbeing directly impacts their work. Employees who feel healthy, both mentally and physically, can deliver their best work. It's nearly impossible for someone struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental or physical health issues to perform at their peak.
The four pillars of wellbeing include an employee's overall health, including mental, physical, social, and financial welbeing. Organisations that prioritise employee wellness experience numerous benefits. When employees are in top physical and mental shape, they feel more productive and motivated.
From an organisational perspective, promoting workplace wellness can increase employee work satisfaction, retention, and morale. Even seemingly small steps can make a significant difference in your business growth. If employee wellbeing suffers, their performance will decline, negatively impacting their team and the entire organisation.
Tips to Promote Wellness in the Workplace?
Now that you understand the importance of employee wellbeing, let's explore the best ways to promote it in your workplace. The first step is recognizing that every employee has different needs and requirements. Therefore, implementing a variety of tactics is crucial to ensure everyone feels encouraged. Here are some effective strategies:
Job Security
We can all agree that job security is a top priority for employees. However, employers often overlook this aspect. Regularly engaging with your employees and being transparent about their roles and future plans fosters a sense of security.
Financial Security
Everyone understands the need for financial security, yet it's a topic often avoided in the workplace. Employers can take care of employees' financial wellbeing by providing insurance and educational resources on money management and financial security. Additionally, offering career support options can help employees who want to upskill.
Introduce Fitness Challenges
Physical wellness is a key component of employee wellness programs. This can include corporate meditation sessions, step challenges, or other corporate fitness programs. Exercise, in any form, increases endorphins and reduces stress. Fitness challenges can also boost team bonding and strengthen the employee-employer relationship. Consider organising running, biking, or yoga sessions to promote workplace wellness.
Health Initiatives
A 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey found that 68% of large firms and 50% of small firms offered health assessments to employees. Based on this information, companies could create more effective, personalised wellness plans. This is something you can surely implement in your workplace to promote physical wellbeing.
Recognition and Rewards
Recognising and rewarding employees triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, creating a sense of pleasure that benefits mental health. Make sure to acknowledge employee achievements regularly. Consider offering rewards, bonuses, or raises for their hard work.
Work-Life Balance
The importance of work-life balance is more critical than ever. Many Organisations misunderstand the true meaning of work-life balance. It's not just about reducing work hours; it's about giving employees the flexibility to manage their personal lives without compromising work quality. This can involve flexible working options, allowing employees time for personal errands, or transitioning to a remote/hybrid work culture.
Benefits of Promoting Wellness in the Workplace
You might wonder why investing in employee wellness is beneficial for the company. The answer is simple: companies that invest in employee wellness reap the rewards through improved employee productivity and consistency. Here's a closer look at the additional benefits:
- Employee Retention: According to the American Psychological Association, 81% of employees consider support for mental health an important factor when looking for a job. By prioritising wellbeing, your company is more likely to retain top talent.
- Increased Employee Satisfaction:Workplace wellness programs can increase employee satisfaction, leading to better teamwork, performance, and communication.
- Reduced Healthcare Costs: When employees are healthy, both physically and mentally, their healthcare costs tend to decrease. This allows companies to reduce their annual healthcare expenses.
- Increased Productivity: Employees who feel secure and valued are more likely to give their best effort. Productivity naturally increases when employees are happy with their work environment and feel good physically and mentally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can I promote health and wellness in the workplace?
A: There are various ways to take care of employee wellbeing. For example, you can introduce health initiatives in the workplace, conduct meditation sessions, come up with steps and challenges, etc. Make sure the wellness plan you choose satisfies the needs of all of your employees.
Q: How to improve wellness among remote employees?
A: There are various ways to promote remote employee wellness. For starters, check with them through email or Slack to see how they are doing. Come up with virtual fitness challenges, or meditation programs. Conduct a fun weekly meeting to play games, and increase team bonding.
Q:How do you promote physical wellbeing in the workplace?
A:To promote the physical wellbeing of employees, you can come up with fitness programs, offer rewards to encourage physical activity, and set challenges to motivate employees.
Q:How to motivate employees to focus on their wellbeing?
A:Introducing a rewards system for achievements is one of the best ways to encourage your employees. Apart from that, conduct informative sessions by experts showcasing the importance of wellbeing.
How CHOYS can Help Promoting Wellbeing at Your Workplace?
If you are not sure how to get started with the employee wellness journey then CHOYS is here to guide you. CHOYS is a digital Wellbeing platform that empowers you with weapons to take care of employee wellbeing.
With CHOYS, you can:
- Protect your organisation with insurance, and also take care of the financial wellbeing of employees.
- Boost team resilience through engaging gamification that fosters a culture of wellbeing.
- Earn coins for healthy habits & support causes you to care about.
Want to learn more? Get a demo today! Or Contact us!