People spend so much of their time working. Hours and hours dedicated to supporting their family and lifestyle. Work can be stressful; throw a pandemic in the mix and things get a whole lot worse. According to research, the second year of Covid was more stressful than the first and global unhappiness is on the rise. With people spending so many hours dedicated to work, keeping them healthy and happy is in our best interest. Workplace wellbeing makes and breaks a company and it is now more important than ever to ensure your employees’ health and wellbeing are up to spec.
Let’s dive into what many companies need to improve in order to succeed in this new era. The truth of it is you need to remain productive and innovative, all while maintaining financial strength and a good company reputation. The secret many corporate leaders have yet to be aware of is this all stems from employee wellness. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. A happy workforce is a productive one. While many business owners like to say they have a good company that treats their workers fairly, how many of them really know if that’s true?
Without an in-depth look into the mental wellness of your employees, you’ll never know if your workplace is toxic or what you can do to change it.
The following are tips to improve your employee health and wellbeing. You’ll be surprised how much following these steps will benefit your business.
Assess Your Workplace
If you’re still reading this, then you also agree that workplace wellness is important. That’s a great start, and the first thing to do is assess your workplace.
As mentioned above, it is really important to know exactly what can be changed for the better. What are your employees struggling with? There will likely be something you can improve, even if you already have a satisfied workforce. Are you willing to guarantee your current procedures aren’t missing something? Find the cause of your problem and implement steps to remove them.
Have Effective Communication
It seems like such an obvious answer, but it is one of the greatest obstacles most workplaces face. Either through a lack of efficient channels or an environment built on fear and gaslighting, communication is stifled.
Poor communication leads to ineffective deliverables and also a lack of motivation to do your best. How can a company run effectively if communication is not prioritised? This may be the number one thing all companies must assess because otherwise, they may run the risk of inefficiency and a bad reputation. With good communication comes clarity and the ability to be organised. Nothing slips through the cracks, and good ideas can be implemented because employees feel their voice is heard. This also increases workplace validation, which boosts morale and encourages productivity. You can use surveys as a tool to communicate better. Allow them to speak their mind. Listen to their side. Some of the questions you can ask are:
-Is the work environment comfortable?
-Is their work/life balance?
-How is the workload?
-How often do you feel stressed?
By asking these questions, you can not only open new channels of communication but also get to the bottom of any problems you need to fix.
Provide Flexibility
Through Covid, we have learned that most jobs can be done remotely. While some people thrive in an office space, others can work far more efficiently from home. Give them the option to work remotely, which will help them work when they think they are most productive. Give them more freedom with their work and let their creative juices flow, allowing them to shine. You can still make sure they complete their goals by using tracking software to see where they are with their work. Giving freedom will help them feel valued and motivate them to do good work for you.
Provide Employee Benefits Program
Giving employees financial wellness benefits is a surefire way of gaining their loyalty and trust. Not only is this a healthy reward system, but you may also see a dramatic decrease in turnover. No longer will your employees be tempted by a better job because you have given them security!
First, make sure you are providing your employees with a fair salary that they can thrive on. Then think about what extra bonuses and benefits you can give them for their good work. You could add health insurance or a generous pension so your workers know they are cared for. While providing Christmas bonuses to all employees, you can also give end-of-quarter bonuses to your best performers. This will encourage a healthy dose of competition in the workplace as employees strive to do better and will also attract top talent to your company.
This may seem like a lot of work for someone to pull off, which is why finding a corporate wellness program can have huge benefits to meeting your wellness goals. With the right help, you can implement all of these steps with ease and reap the rewards that much sooner.