Health and Well-Being in the Workplace
Leadership
January 14, 2019
Riya Sander
Topics
employee development, health, healthcare, mindfulness, well-being, Workplace CultureEmployees are no longer just motivated by a paycheck. Those who are there just for the money will usually work inefficiently. To improve employee morale and health, you can consider implementing these tips.
1. Encourage Employees to Work Out
As a leader, you should encourage your employees to exercise during working hours. Physical activity will keep them mentally sharp, meaning they will be able to work more productively. It is common knowledge that working for five days a week can cause stress and even depression, especially because the staff may not be as invested in the company as you are. You can encourage your employees to work out more by setting up a gym in the workplace. You can also choose to organise corporate wellness programs. The bootcamps should always be structured to match the level of activity of your employees. For example, you shouldn’t organise a military boot camp if they are used to a sedentary lifestyle.
2. Organise for Preventive Care
A common reason for absenteeism is poor health. You can promote health and well-being in the workplace by getting preventive care for some of the common illnesses. For example, whenever there is a flu outbreak, you should contact a clinic to administer the flu shots in the office. Most of your employees will otherwise never get the shots because they have busy schedules.
3. Set Up Flexible Work Arrangements
Technology has made it possible for people to work remotely. Granted, not all employees can work from home. However, if an employee is comfortable working from home, you should give them a chance to show you how productive they will be. More often than not, employees will work more efficiently from home. This is because they don’t have to waste time on a commute and are also more pressured to prove that they can work productively outside the workplace.
4. Offer Healthy Food Choices
Your health and wellness programs for employees should always include healthy food choices. These foods should be available during work meetings and in the cafeteria. If you don’t provide free food to employees, you should at least consider offering fruits and some beverages. Of course, providing healthy foods will cost you more money. The investment will pay for itself, however, since you will eventually decrease cases of absenteeism, depression, or lack of motivation.
5. Mindful Exercises
Mindfulness and well-being at work are very important. These exercises will keep your employees more relaxed and less stressed, and this will help them work better on their tasks. You can consider inviting a yoga coach to the workplace every once in a while. Another simple mindfulness exercise is meditation. This will still require the help of a coach, but it is much simpler compared to yoga. These exercise help people focus on their emotions and mental state. Over time, you will notice a change in the behaviour, attitudes, and productivity of your employees.
6. Financial Education
Financial problems can stress employees to the point where they are unable to work properly. To make sure they use their paychecks wisely, you should organise financial education programs. The financial education of the employee should be suited to their age and salary. The programs can cover credit scores, retirement planning, investments, and mortgage application. As the employer, you should organise these sessions in the form of workshops.
7. In-House Career Coaching
Nowadays, many families have both parents working. Parents find it hard to balance careers and family lives, and this can be a major source of stress. Career coaching will help your employees integrate work into their family lives seamlessly. This will eventually lead to higher levels of concentration and productivity.
8. Show Gratitude
Corporate well-being is heavily dependent on how the company treats them. If you keep showing them how useful they are, they will grow to be more accountable for their work. Also, they will feel valued by the company and are more likely to work harder to grow the organisation.
Conclusion
Your employees are your most important assets, and this is why you need to help them maintain their health and wellness. Some ways of improving their wellness include organising boot camps, financial education workshops, and yoga sessions. You can also set up a gym on site and allow employees to exercise on work hours. If possible, you should also implement flexible work arrangements.
This article is very helpful for me , in sense of improving my activeness , focuses and moral as well. So much obliged for such sort of article.