A business is only as strong as its employees. Investing in employee wellness programmes is the first step to ensuring your staff are happy, healthy and ready to work with a spring in their step.
Mental health in the workplace has heightened after the difficult times many experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, businesses are beginning to see the value in instating a wellness plan to help support employees as and when they need it most. In 2022, 58% of companies now guarantee time to ‘unplug’ or take stress-relief breaks versus 44% last year.
What is employee wellness?
The words wellness and wellbeing often relate to someone’s mental and physical health. Employee wellness focuses on the impact a person’s job role has on their overall health and satisfaction, including mental and physical aspects of wellbeing.
In fact, wellness in the workplace can contribute to social and environmental aspects. It’s an all-rounded strategy, and if you haven’t got an employee wellness programme in place, your staff might not be as happy as you think.
Put a plan in place
For a good wellness plan to work, you need to establish the main goals you want to achieve. A clear strategy with ongoing ideas and support will require you to outline the budget and the steps you need to take to make everything happen.
It is important not to confuse ‘employee wellness’ and ‘benefits and perks’. Many businesses have lavish offerings, such as unique workspaces or a ping pong table in the break room, but they might not contribute to employee wellbeing as much as you might expect.
An emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle comes with a good wellness programme. Establishing a welcoming and comfortable environment where employees feel valued and taken care of is where real results happen.
Companies to take note of
Google’s textbook, “How We Care for Googlers” is a prime example of a business investing in their employees for better health. The prestigious company has created schemes to help its employees enjoy their social life, spend more time with their loved ones and provide generous parental leave policies and retirement plans.
Healthcare is still seen as a bonus in the working world, especially after the pandemic left many struggling to seek support. Google’s canteen serves the healthiest and most nutritious meals to help staff feel motivated throughout the day. Empty spaces are filled with plant life, natural light and stunning sculptures, and they have onsite fitness centres, with some offering chiropractic and physical therapy services. This wellness strategy ticks all of the boxes.
Netflix
The multi-billion dollar company stands by its unlimited time off options and provides new parents with up to one year’s worth of paid time off. Netflix employees can take time off no matter the reason, the ultimate flexible working package that many of those with busy personal lives desire.
This wellness strategy says that Netflix has the utmost trust in their employees to get the work done however they see fit, encouraging them to work harder for a company where they are happy.
Employee wellness programmes – where to start
If you’re wondering how to get started, we have listed many suggestions below of some of the most popular employee wellness programmes businesses start with.
Mental health comes first
Mental health has become a huge consideration in all aspects in recent years, and businesses are discovering just how much of an effect it can have on work-life balance. Nurturing your team is the best place to start.
Poor mental health is the biggest cause of long-term sickness. A wellness programme that supports mental health, such as therapy, team building exercises and regular discussions on how your company can improve employee experience, will cater to better mental health support.
Physical health matters too
Employees who feel healthy are more likely to get up early, work harder and be more social around their colleagues. When you decide on which factors to include in your employee wellness programme, offers that help employees make better choices are something to consider.
Discounted gym memberships, healthy recipe kits, or free access to online GPs and healthcare make all the difference and cater to the wide variety of people at the company. Healthy employees are happy employees.
At Morgan Latif, we provide free locally and responsibly sourced healthy snacks for our employees as we gain our BCorp certification. As well as this, we work with personal trainers and a masseuse to guarantee not only greater physical health but also give our employees the time to relax.
Remote or flexible working opportunities
Since the pandemic, remote and flexible working opportunities have become the norm for most modern businesses – an offering that works for those who have children, juggling other commitments, responsibilities or simply need time alone.
The opportunity to work from home provides more flexibility, especially for those who find it difficult to travel to and from work every day. If covid taught us one thing, it would be that employees are more than capable of working remotely.
Finding the work-life balance
Those without a healthy work-life balance may feel unhappy and struggle to remain engaged during work hours. Dedicated employees who work hard are a fantastic asset to the business, but try not to make a habit of encouraging overtime or missed lunch breaks. Overworked employees need time to breathe.
Making sure your employees take time off work and find time to take a break is essential for a better work-life balance.
Give employees the power
Autonomy is crucial for better employee morale. Trust is everything. Harvard professor Paul Zak discovered that, in comparison to companies with low trust, staff at high trust companies report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, and 40% less burnout.
Employees are more likely to be invested in the company if they have more decision-making opportunities and room to grow independently. Within your employee wellness programme, work with staff to finesse their critical thinking skills and put them into practice by offering some decision-making power. Team members will soon feel more confident to take the reins.
The solution that opens the door to more
While we have established that employee wellness programmes are a solution to better workplace productivity, they are not the only solution but more of an enhancement. Providing training, defining targets and transforming employees into their best selves all go hand in hand.
At Morgan Latif, our training enables leaders and their teams to develop essential skills to improve their transformational success. We firmly believe that organisational change starts with people, and for those people to embed authentic, lasting transformation in an organisation, they need the right skills in place. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
