As an employer, you know all too well how the majority of your employees’ waking hours are dedicated to your company. Thus, prioritizing their wellbeing within the workplace is a necessity. While it’s true that you need to look after your company’s sales and revenue, you also need to remember that without your people, your company would be lifeless. Your workforce is your most valuable asset, and through their skills and talents, they’ll keep your company running and thriving for many years. Read this article to know how to make your workforce more efficient.
However, it may be challenging for them to stay productive when their health and wellbeing are compromised. Furthermore, employees with poor health and low morale are less likely to feel motivated or happy to work. Thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to promote the wellbeing of your employees, regardless of whether they’re working from home or back onsite, in your office.
To start, here are five clever ways you can boost your employees’ wellbeing this 2022.
1. Institute Flexible Working Arrangements
One of the main reasons some employees struggle with their health and wellbeing is the lack of work-life balance. This can happen, especially if you’re too uptight with your employees’ working hours. Even if you think letting them work from home has given them the luxury to spend time with their family or avoid long commutes, remember that not all of them are in the same circumstances.
Some of your workers probably have to be in the living room just to look after their kids and work at the same time. Or perhaps, visit an internet café for a more stable internet connection. One way to boost their wellbeing and overall quality of life is by instituting flexible working. For example, allow them to work during their most flexible time (especially if they have family and kids) as long as they still deliver quality output before the deadline.
You may also want to consider partnering with an IT company Capetown based or other managed IT service providers within your area to provide you with 24/7 tech support. This way, your employees can choose to work at their most convenient time and have a smoother and safer technological experience from possible security breaches despite working remotely.
Overall, implementing flexible working arrangements will help your employees achieve work-life balance and boost their overall being while maintaining their productivity.
2. Promote Healthy Eating Habits
You’re probably wondering how you can promote healthy eating habits to your employees when you have little control over their lifestyles. But since they’re spending most of their hours working for you, you can use this as an advantage to promote healthy eating within your organization. For example, enforce a mandatory one-hour break, which they should strictly use for eating and refueling themselves and not use the time to run errands.
You also need to discourage them from eating meals on the office desk so they can devote their lunch break for eating and not be distracted to do additional work. If you have a company cafeteria or lunchroom, replace those unhealthy junk foods with fresh fruits, nuts, and other healthy snacks to encourage them to choose healthy foods. You can do the same for beverages by providing water, tea, and coffee instead of soda.
3. Organize Daily Or Weekly Fitness Challenges
One of the best ways to jumpstart your employees’ physical health and wellbeing is by organizing daily or weekly fitness challenges. Besides encouraging them to be physically active, this is also an excellent opportunity to start friendly competitions, promote interaction, and have fun in the office. Some daily or weekly fitness challenges you can try may include:
- Thousand Steps Challenge: Encourage your team to walk and collect as many steps for a week via their fitness trackers. The person who has the highest number of steps gets a prize from the company.
- Bike To Work Challenge: The team member who gets to bike the most miles will be awarded.
You can also insert a few minutes for stretching wherein you invite everyone to get up from their seats for five to ten minutes and perform basic stretches together.
4. Provide Personal Or Virtual Mental Health Therapy Or Counseling
Mental health issues are prevalent among many employees, yet some employers and even co-workers often overlook them. This is true, especially since the pandemic has brought plenty of changes to everyone’s lives and mental health. One way to help your employees boost their mental wellness is by providing personal or virtual mental health counseling for those who need them the most.
You can also conduct monthly mental health awareness programs to discuss further the importance of reaching out and availing help when needed. Meanwhile, you can also organize some daily or weekly mental health exercises to boost their mental health, like:
- Providing time for meditation
- Exploring mental health apps
- Spreading positive and inspirational quotes every morning
- Practicing stress management
5. Encourage Socialization and Interaction
Your employees’ relationship with you and their co-workers also plays a vital role in boosting their wellbeing. When they don’t feel a sense of unity and belongingness within your company, they’ll less likely feel motivated in coming to work, eventually affecting their work performance and productivity. So, keep your team members engaged and develop healthy relationships with one another by hosting group activities other than corporate meetings.
Some fun and interactive activities you can try are:
- Monthly or quarterly office parties
- Virtual games
- Company social traditions (e.g., Friday happy hours, monthly team lunches)
If time and budget allow, you can also organize an annual company field trip to promote interaction and, at the same time, expose them to new experiences.
Takeaway
Meeting your employees’ health and wellness needs is crucial to your company’s success. Once you’ve applied one or more of these tips, conduct a survey within your workforce and see if it’s working or necessary adjustments should be made. Let their feedback guide you in customizing your employees’ wellbeing program.
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