Introduction: Move Past The Rat Race
According to research by Indeed, 67% of employees believe their experience with job-related exhaustion has worsened since the pandemic. This is why it has become paramount for employers to provide meaningful and effective workplace wellbeing strategies.
Creating a workplace focused on promoting health, wellness and resilience is key to protecting team members from burnout. Employers should strive to create an environment where employees feel fully supported and safe to take risks that lead to personal and professional growth.
Here is an exploration of why and how enterprises can incorporate wellbeing strategies in the workplace:
Why Enterprises Must Prioritise Workplace Wellbeing to Succeed
Wellbeing in the workplace is becoming an integral part of successful businesses, as a healthy work environment boosts morale, increases productivity and improves job satisfaction. Firms prioritising employee wellbeing can attract top talent and retain quality staff for longer periods.
Furthermore, improving wellbeing within the workplace can lead to reduced staff turnover, fewer sick days and reduced work-related stress. To ensure workers feel valued and supported, employers should create an atmosphere that encourages openness and understanding among employees.
This is especially required for remote or hybrid organisations, as work-from-home policies have introduced a cauldron of emotions in workers. Interestingly, research conducted by Harvard Business Review found that remote work also impacted workers’ physical health. An incredible 40% of workers revealed they became more sedentary and gained weight while working from home. This suggests that businesses must approach their wellbeing programs more holistically. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has yet to come to a consensus.
Achieve Better Workplace Health: Identify the Need for a Comprehensive Wellbeing Strategy
Although it is not always easy to identify the signs that an organisation needs a plan to promote workplace satisfaction, certain indicators may lead a business to this conclusion. Here are some of the most common signs:
Unhappy Workers
Unhappiness and discontentment among employees can indicate that organisational changes need to be made, including implementing a wellbeing plan. Discontentment reveals itself in various forms, ranging from physical malaise to increased absenteeism, lower productivity levels and poor morale.
Poor Retention
If the staff leaves at higher-than-usual rates, this could indicate that employees don’t feel valued or supported in their roles. This issue can be solved by introducing a comprehensive wellness plan to help employees feel more connected to their work and colleagues.
Stress and Burnout
According to the 2019-22 report from Wellbeing Lab by the Michelle McQuaid Group, 68.5% of Australian workers feel work-induced burnout. When employees are overworked, overwhelmed and exhausted, it’s time to change the workplace environment. Firms should introduce wellbeing strategies, such as flexible working arrangements or health incentives, to provide a healthier balance of work and home life.
Increased Health Issues
A sudden surge in illness in the workplace could indicate a lack of wellness strategy within a company. Implementing regular breaks from screen time or providing healthy snacks throughout the day can greatly improve employee health and wellbeing.
Absenteeism
If staff takes prolonged leaves due to mental exhaustion or physical illness, this could be a sign that they are not getting the support they need. Providing the team access to mental health services, stress management resources and other wellness initiatives can reduce absenteeism and promote a healthier work environment.
It is no secret that many workers experience stress. Workplace stress can have serious consequences for businesses due to reduced productivity and morale, which should be addressed head-on.
Unlocking Employee Potential: Designing a Corporate Wellness Plan
Creating a workplace that nurtures mental health is essential for any company, as it can foster productivity, reduce absenteeism and create an atmosphere of trust and respect. Here are some strategies businesses can use:
Encourage Self-Care
Creating a self-care culture in the workplace is essential for fostering mental and physical wellbeing among employees. Employers can provide resources like counselling, exercise classes, healthy food options and flexible work hours to promote healthier lifestyles. Furthermore, managers can encourage their staff to take breaks throughout the day, allowing minds and bodies to recharge.
Here are some ways employees can practice workplace self-care:
– Taking a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness or relaxation techniques.
– Make sure the team sits comfortably during the workday and gets up to stretch regularly.
– Eating healthy snacks and drinking plenty of water during the day.
– Taking breaks for fresh air, getting exercise or simply taking a few minutes to relax either in the office or away from it.
– Prioritising at least 7 hours of sleep at night
– Practicing positive self-talk throughout the day
Leverage Technology
Enterprises can also use technology to promote wellbeing in the workplace. For example, you can implement wellness apps that provide health tips, access to health professionals or even stress-monitoring tools. Managers can also bring wellbeing experts to give work-life balance, mindfulness, nutrition and exercise seminars.
Here are the top 3 apps which can help promote wellbeing in the workplace:
1. Welltok
This comprehensive app helps employers provide wellness programs and track their employees’ progress. It also has features that allow users to set health goals and receive personalised tips, rewards and discounts from partnered organisations.
2. Happify
This app is designed to help reduce stress, manage emotions better and increase happiness. It offers users an array of activities, tips and support networks to help them cope with stress and make healthier choices in life.
3. Headspace
Used by millions around the world, this app provides tools for meditation and mindfulness. It also has a feature that allows users to set daily goals and track their progress.
By integrating these apps into their workplace, businesses can provide their employees with invaluable resources and create a healthier, happier workforce. Moreover, they can also use the data collected through these apps to make informed decisions about their wellbeing initiatives.
Promote Communication
A key factor in promoting employee wellbeing is creating an environment where open communication between staff members is encouraged. Implementing team-building activities, such as lunchtime discussions, brainstorming sessions or virtual meetings, allows employees to share their ideas and perspectives. This can help reduce workplace stress, build better colleague relationships and increase job satisfaction.
Some ways to promote communication include:
– Utilising office spaces designed for collaboration, such as open workspaces or designated meeting rooms.
– Encouraging employees to attend networking events and conferences, so they can connect with peers in the industry.
– Setting up team-building activities like virtual happy hours, board game nights or outdoor activities.
– Establish open communication channels, such as weekly check-ins or monthly wellness meetings, to ensure everyone is informed and has a platform to voice their opinions.
– Creating internal discussion forums where employees can share ideas and ask questions.
Offer Mentorship Opportunities
Providing mentorship opportunities for employees can be highly beneficial. It allows your team to develop new skills, receive guidance from more experienced staff members and gain valuable insights into potential career paths. Employers can consider organising mentorship programs or assigning more experienced colleagues as mentors to younger employees interested in learning new things.
Some examples of mentorship programs may include:
• Apprenticeships – Offer employees the opportunity to work alongside more experienced staff members and gain valuable insights into the industry.
• Group Mentorship – Organise a group of peers who can share experiences and ideas, thus allowing for mutual growth.
• One-on-one Mentoring – Assign a mentor to interested employees that can provide guidance and feedback in their area of expertise.
Prioritise Work-Life Balance
Ensuring employees have a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives is essential for wellbeing in the workplace. Employers should ensure staffing levels accommodate necessary breaks and vacation days while allowing employees to work remotely when needed. Additionally, firms can explore flexible working arrangements, such as job-sharing and telecommuting, to give employees more control over their hours.
A couple of ways employers can try to strike a work-life balance include:
• Setting employee expectations: Clearly explain the expectations for hours and workloads so that employees take responsibility for their work and deadlines while working at their schedule.
• Making sure workers take breaks: Ensure that employees take adequate breaks throughout their workday, such as lunch breaks and rest periods.
• Encouraging a healthy work environment: Create an atmosphere of support and acceptance that allows employees to take the time they need for themselves.
Provide Rewards and Recognition
Rewarding and recognising staff members for a job well done can be highly beneficial for wellbeing. This, particularly, can boost morale and motivation levels. Employers should recognise the team for their hard work on a regular basis, whether through bonuses or public recognition at team meetings or events. Additionally, employers should consider offering rewards like gift cards to reduce stress and encourage relaxation outside of the office.
A few ideas for employee rewards and recognition programs may include:
• Monetary bonuses
• Gift cards or certificates
• Public recognition at team meetings or events
• Acknowledgement on social media
• Annual awards ceremonies to recognise top performers
• Vacation days or extra time off as a reward.
• Special privileges, such as parking spots or access to exclusive resources.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
Encouraging employees to engage in healthy habits and activities can benefit their wellbeing. Employers should provide access to resources that promote physical activity and healthy eating, such as gym memberships or nutritional counselling.
Consider offering flexible scheduling and on-site activities, such as yoga, running clubs or meditation classes, to allow employees to reduce stress during their workday.
Some ideas for promoting a healthy lifestyle in the workplace include:
• Offering gym memberships or discounts for fitness classes
• Providing nutritional counselling
• Encouraging physical activity during the workday (e.g. meetings that take place while walking)
• Offering yoga, running clubs or meditation classes
• Encouraging team-building activities, such as outdoor sports or games
• Providing healthy snacks in the office or cafeteria.
• Provide ergonomic furniture
Wrapping Up
Employers should recognise the importance of wellbeing in the workplace and foster a culture of wellness amongst all employees. Creating an open and accepting environment with the right resources can ensure everyone feels comfortable expressing their health needs.
From providing support during stressful periods or developing strategies to develop healthy habits, businesses must move towards creating healthier workplaces.
Positive initiatives, such as flexible working hours, can be implemented to reduce stress and anxiety within a business setting. By recognising the importance of wellbeing, employers can better assist their team to achieve success both mentally and professionally. This can create a productive, harmonious and positive workspace for all.
According to research by Indeed, 67% of employees believe their experience with job-related exhaustion has worsened since the pandemic. This is why it has become paramount for employers to provide meaningful and effective workplace wellbeing strategies.
Creating a workplace focused on promoting health, wellness and resilience is key to protecting team members from burnout. Employers should strive to create an environment where employees feel fully supported and safe to take risks that lead to personal and professional growth.
Here is an exploration of why and how enterprises can incorporate wellbeing strategies in the workplace:
Why Enterprises Must Prioritise Workplace Wellbeing to Succeed
Wellbeing in the workplace is becoming an integral part of successful businesses, as a healthy work environment boosts morale, increases productivity and improves job satisfaction. Firms prioritising employee wellbeing can attract top talent and retain quality staff for longer periods.
Furthermore, improving wellbeing within the workplace can lead to reduced staff turnover, fewer sick days and reduced work-related stress. To ensure workers feel valued and supported, employers should create an atmosphere that encourages openness and understanding among employees.
This is especially required for remote or hybrid organisations, as work-from-home policies have introduced a cauldron of emotions in workers. Interestingly, research conducted by Harvard Business Review found that remote work also impacted workers’ physical health. An incredible 40% of workers revealed they became more sedentary and gained weight while working from home. This suggests that businesses must approach their workplace wellbeing programs holistically.
Achieve Better Workplace Health: Identify the Need for a Comprehensive Wellbeing Strategy
Although it is not always easy to identify the signs that an organisation needs a plan to promote workplace satisfaction, certain indicators may lead a business to this conclusion. Here are some of the most common signs:
Unhappy Workers
Unhappiness and discontentment among employees can indicate that organisational changes need to be made, including implementing a wellbeing plan. Discontentment reveals itself in various forms, ranging from physical malaise to increased absenteeism, lower productivity levels and poor morale.
Poor Retention
If the staff leaves at higher-than-usual rates, this could indicate that employees don’t feel valued or supported in their roles. This issue can be solved by introducing a comprehensive wellness plan to help employees feel more connected to their work and colleagues.
Stress and Burnout
When employees are overworked, overwhelmed and exhausted, it’s time to change the workplace environment. Firms should introduce wellbeing strategies, such as flexible working arrangements or health incentives, to provide a healthier balance of work and home life.
Increased Health Issues
A sudden surge in illness in the workplace could indicate a lack of wellness strategy within a company. Implementing regular breaks from screen time or providing healthy snacks throughout the day can greatly improve employee health and wellbeing.
Absenteeism
If staff takes prolonged leaves due to mental exhaustion or physical illness, this could be a sign that they are not getting the support they need. Providing the team access to mental health services, stress management resources and other wellness initiatives can reduce absenteeism and promote a healthier work environment.
It is no secret that many workers experience stress in the workplace, but recent survey results demonstrate just how true this sentiment is. In the U.S., half of all workers report feeling a sense of stress daily, over 40% worry, almost a quarter feel sadness and nearly one-fifth experience anger due to their job.
Workplace stress can have serious consequences for businesses due to reduced productivity and morale, which should be addressed head-on.
Unlocking Employee Potential: Designing a Corporate Wellness Plan
Creating a workplace that nurtures mental health is essential for any company, as it can foster productivity, reduce absenteeism and create an atmosphere of trust and respect. Here are some strategies businesses can use:
Encourage Self-Care
Creating a self-care culture in the workplace is essential for fostering mental and physical wellbeing among employees. Employers can provide resources like counselling, exercise classes, healthy food options and flexible work hours to promote healthier lifestyles. Furthermore, managers can encourage their staff to take breaks throughout the day, allowing minds and bodies to recharge.
Here are some ways employees can practice workplace self-care:
– Taking a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness or relaxation techniques.
– Make sure the team sits comfortably during the workday and gets up to stretch regularly.
– Eating healthy snacks and drinking plenty of water during the day.
– Taking breaks for fresh air, getting exercise or simply taking a few minutes to relax either in the office or away from it.
– Prioritising at least 7 hours of sleep at night
– Practicing positive self-talk throughout the day
Leverage Technology
Enterprises can also use technology to promote wellbeing in the workplace. For example, you can implement wellness apps that provide health tips, access to health professionals or even stress-monitoring tools. Managers can also bring wellbeing experts to give work-life balance, mindfulness, nutrition and exercise seminars.
Here are the top 3 apps which can help promote wellbeing in the workplace:
1. Welltok
This comprehensive app helps employers provide wellness programs and track their employees’ progress. It also has features that allow users to set health goals and receive personalised tips, rewards and discounts from partnered organisations.
2. Happify
This app is designed to help reduce stress, manage emotions better and increase happiness. It offers users an array of activities, tips and support networks to help them cope with stress and make healthier choices in life.
3. Headspace
Used by millions around the world, this app provides tools for meditation and mindfulness. It also has a feature that allows users to set daily goals and track their progress.
By integrating these apps into their workplace, businesses can provide their employees with invaluable resources and create a healthier, happier workforce. Moreover, they can also use the data collected through these apps to make informed decisions about their wellbeing initiatives.
Promote Communication
A key factor in promoting employee wellbeing is creating an environment where open communication between staff members is encouraged. Implementing team-building activities, such as lunchtime discussions, brainstorming sessions, or virtual meetings, allows employees to share their ideas and perspectives. This can help reduce workplace stress, build better colleague relationships and increase job satisfaction.
Some ways to promote communication include:
– Utilising office spaces designed for collaboration, such as open workspaces or designated meeting rooms.
– Encouraging employees to attend networking events and conferences, so they can connect with peers in the industry.
– Setting up team-building activities like virtual happy hours, board game nights or outdoor activities.
– Establish open communication channels, such as weekly check-ins or monthly wellness meetings, to ensure everyone is informed and has a platform to voice their opinions.
– Creating internal discussion forums where employees can share ideas and ask questions.
Offer Mentorship Opportunities
Providing mentorship opportunities for employees can be highly beneficial. It allows your team to develop new skills, receive guidance from more experienced staff members and gain valuable insights into potential career paths. Employers can consider organising mentorship programs or assigning more experienced colleagues as mentors to younger employees interested in learning new things.
Some examples of mentorship programs may include:
• Apprenticeships – Offer employees the opportunity to work alongside more experienced staff members and gain valuable insights into the industry.
• Group Mentorship – Organise a group of peers who can share experiences and ideas, thus allowing for mutual growth.
• One-on-one Mentoring – Assign a mentor to interested employees that can provide guidance and feedback in their area of expertise.
Prioritise Work-Life Balance
Ensuring employees have a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives is essential for wellbeing in the workplace. Employers should ensure staffing levels accommodate necessary breaks and vacation days while allowing employees to work remotely when needed. Additionally, firms can explore flexible working arrangements, such as job-sharing and telecommuting, to give employees more control over their hours.
A couple of ways employers can try to strike a work-life balance include:
• Setting employee expectations: Clearly explain the expectations for hours and workloads so that employees take responsibility for their work and deadlines while working at their schedule.
• Making sure workers take breaks: Ensure that employees take adequate breaks throughout their workday, such as lunch breaks and rest periods.
• Encouraging a healthy work environment: Create an atmosphere of support and acceptance that allows employees to take the time they need for themselves.
Provide Rewards and Recognition
Rewarding and recognising staff members for a job well done can be highly beneficial for wellbeing. This, particularly, can boost morale and motivation levels. Employers should recognise the team for their hard work on a regular basis, whether through bonuses or public recognition at team meetings or events. Additionally, employers should consider offering rewards like gift cards to reduce stress and encourage relaxation outside of the office.
A few ideas for employee rewards and recognition programs may include:
• Monetary bonuses
• Gift cards or certificates
• Public recognition at team meetings or events
• Acknowledgement on social media
• Annual awards ceremonies to recognise top performers
• Vacation days or extra time off as a reward.
• Special privileges, such as parking spots or access to exclusive resources.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
Encouraging employees to engage in healthy habits and activities can benefit their wellbeing. Employers should provide access to resources that promote physical activity and healthy eating, such as gym memberships or nutritional counselling.
Consider offering flexible scheduling and on-site activities, such as yoga, running clubs or meditation classes, to allow employees to reduce stress during their workday.
Some ideas for promoting a healthy lifestyle in the workplace include:
• Offering gym memberships or discounts for fitness classes
• Providing nutritional counselling
• Encouraging physical activity during the workday (e.g. meetings that take place while walking)
• Offering yoga, running clubs or meditation classes
• Encouraging team-building activities, such as outdoor sports or games
• Providing healthy snacks in the office or cafeteria.
• Provide ergonomic furniture
Wrapping Up
Employers should recognise the importance of wellbeing in the workplace and foster a culture of wellness amongst all employees. Creating an open and accepting environment with the right resources can ensure everyone feels comfortable expressing their health needs.
From providing support during stressful periods or developing strategies to develop healthy habits, businesses must move towards creating healthier workplaces.
Positive initiatives, such as flexible working hours, can be implemented to reduce stress and anxiety within a business setting. By recognising the importance of wellbeing, employers can better assist their team to achieve success both mentally and professionally. This can create a productive, harmonious and positive workspace for all.