The working world has come a long way in the past few decades. In fact, you could argue that even the past five years alone have led to some profound changes that have been beneficial to both businesses and employees.
For instance, there’s been a growing shift towards overall wellness for employees. This has had an obvious impact on employee happiness, but it’s also helped businesses, too. Studies have consistently shown that happy and healthy workers are more productive, and ultimately, that’s good for the bottom line.
Happiness and well-being in the workplace won’t happen on their own. It has to come from management. In this post, we’ll run through a number of tried-and-tested strategies for maximizing employee wellness.
Provide a Wellness Stipend
You’ll likely be aware that workers are feeling the pinch these days. After all, everyone is. During those times, it’s usually the non-essential subscriptions that are the first to go. People are happy to pay for a gym membership when times are good, but when they’re tightening their belts, they’ll be completely OK with calling up to cancel. Businesses can push their employees towards living an active lifestyle by providing a wellness stipend — for example, $50 towards a fitness membership.
Invest in an Employee’s Overall Healthcare
Taking proactive steps to improve overall fitness will count for little — or at least not as much — if the employee’s underlying health and well-being have issues. Rather than simply sprinkling fairy dust on top of their health, businesses should invest in the employee’s overall healthcare. Providing hearing support at work, offering robust and extensive health insurance, and allowing for no-questions-asked sick days can all help to ensure that every facet of the employee’s health is taken care of. Ultimately, this will boost employee loyalty and reduce sick days, both of which offer obvious benefits to businesses.
Start a Bike to Work Scheme
Now, this won’t be a feasible option for businesses located in areas where driving to work is the only realistic option. But if you operate in a city, then a bike-to-work scheme may be possible. Businesses can encourage their employees to cycle to work by offering a stipend to buy a bike or offering other perks and bonuses. In the process, employees will naturally be fitter, and it’ll also go a long way towards boosting the businesses’ environmental credentials.
Social Evenings
Well-being is about more than just investing in health and fitness. As social creatures, feeling connected to others plays a big role in our overall well-being. Studies have shown that employees are much happier at work if they feel that they have friends in the office. Sometimes, employees will naturally become warm with one another. But in most cases, it has to be nurtured. You can help your staff get to know each other by hosting social evenings and other events that allow employees to speak personally rather than professionally. This may also have the added bonus of boosting collaboration and teamwork, both of which can drive a business forward.
