Is Your Workplace Conducive to Employee Wellness?

“The greatest wealth is health,” once quoted by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, is no vast discovery, just a tried-and-true fact. Recognizing the direct correlation between health and wealth should not be overlooked. Yes, money is crucial, but taking health for granted can impact our wealth and our ability to live a rich life.

As we are facing many challenges due to Covid-19 and its variants, we urge you to keep your health a top priority.

HEALTHY WORKERS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE

Research shows that healthy employees tend to be more engaged, leading to a lower turnover rate, better company culture, and higher productivity.

Workplace stress is one of the leading causes of lack of engagement and absenteeism. Addressing mental health through wellness programs can decrease the employee stress. When you manage stress, employees have lower absenteeism rates and higher morale. High employee morale leads to better relationships with teammates and more successful projects.

Employees are likely to stay at companies where they feel appreciated and valued. Wellness programs are a great way to show your commitment to your employees. While well-being programs also help to retain top talent.

Wellness programs often reflect the organization’s values. Executive support for employee well-being is a strong indicator that a company is a great place to work. A clear commitment to employee wellness shows that you value happy, healthy employees. Over time, this supportive approach becomes reflective of your company’s culture.

Employees see a connection between their well-being and productivity. It makes sense that when employees don’t prioritize their wellness, work can begin to suffer.

HEALTHY PEOPLE CAN STAY PRODUCTIVE FOR LONGER

Supporting employees with physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellness services takes the focus off their struggles and allows them to focus on work. Here are four ways you can help support your employees’ well-being.

1. Update your sick day policy. Modify your sick leave to be more accommodating. Offer a plan where employees have five sick days in a row they can take per illness event before pulling days from their allocated time off.
   
   
2. Adjust healthcare offerings. Make sure the health care plans you offer meet your employee’s needs. You are providing them a service that is critical in their choice to work for you, so take the time to make sure everyone is getting the most out of this costly investment.
   
   
3. Provide on-site wellness. Offer programs or training that provide employees with tools to help regulate their emotions. A study found that 22% of organizations now offer on-site mindfulness training. More mindful employees mean less stressed-out employees, and less stressed-out employees mean fewer sick employees.
   
   
4. Stock up break rooms with healthy options. If you want to have a staff of sharp minds and alert employees, provide proper fuel. In order to help employees perform critically and think creatively, having brain fueled food is key.

Simply put, take the health of your employee’s health seriously, the health of your business relies on the health of your staff.