Employee wellness recently became news when the U.S. Surgeon General released a report regarding this topic. He outlined a framework for companies to use in supporting their employees in their health journey.
As a business leader, you care about your employees and want all the best for them, but you may be wondering how you can help support their wellness. As it turns out, there are several ways for companies not just to support their employees’ health but also to help give it a boost.
What is a Culture of Health and Wellness?
A company that develops a culture of health and wellness encourages and supports mental, physical, emotional, and even financial health. That may sound like a heavy load, but it’s not about doing a ton of heavy lifting.
Instead, your organization can provide tools to your employees to help them achieve their goals in these areas, resulting in holistic wellbeing.
What Does a Healthy Culture Look Like?
People may conjure up many different images about what a “healthy culture” is – perhaps everybody walking around in workout gear, drinking kale smoothies, and eating carrot sticks. But that’s just surface-level healthy. A truly healthy way of life goes deeper.
It’s essential to aim for a well-rounded approach to health. This involves
- Open communication
- Embracing change
- Navigating difficult conversations with positive intent
- Supporting growth and development
- Encouraging all voices to contribute and valuing them
- Meaningful feedback
- Healthy boundaries between work and personal life
Benefits of a Wellness Culture
We all enjoy feeling good. However, it can take a lot of work and focus on ourselves to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, with that in mind, why would you, as a business leader, want to focus on the employees under your care?
For one thing, being surrounded by people brimming with wellbeing rubs off on you. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and outlook is much easier when those around you are immersed in wellness.
But there are other reasons to consider supporting your employee’s health, which benefit your organization from top to bottom. For example, a wellness program can wind up saving your company money.
Healthy employees incur 41% fewer costs!
Employee Satisfaction
Your company will earn brownie points if it offers employees a robust wellness program. Of course, health insurance is always valued, but going beyond the basics is something that workers appreciate and take advantage of.
When employees recognize that their employer is interested in supporting all aspects of their wellbeing, they’re more likely to feel valued and content within the organization.
Decreased Stress
When employers foster a culture of wellness, they create a more positive and supportive work environment, ultimately leading to less employee stress.
A healthy work setting means open communication, healthy work-life balance, and support for development. Without these elements, a work environment can become tense and difficult to navigate. But a focus on creating a healthy work culture helps employees feel more in control, which removes a great deal of stress.
Less Turnover
You could have the world’s most outstanding employee sitting right in your office. They may be productive, engaged, and fully satisfied with their work.
Unfortunately, though, they may need to seek employment elsewhere if their wellbeing is not met.
If they feel the environment around them is unhealthy, whether because of rampant toxic behavior from other employees or because their basic health needs aren’t being met, they may be compelled to leave the workplace. And high turnover is never healthy within a company. It’s expensive, slows productivity, and can have negative morale impacts on other employees.
Stronger Employment Brand
When employers prioritize the physical and mental health of their employees, it can lead to a more positive and supportive work environment, which can attract and retain top talent.
87% of prospective employees consider a company’s health and wellness program when considering working with them.
A culture of wellness demonstrates that the organization values its employees and invests in their well-being, which can enhance the organization's reputation and make it more attractive to job seekers.
By promoting healthy habits and work-life balance, employers can create a more engaged and productive workforce, leading to better business outcomes and a stronger brand overall. This can help employers differentiate themselves from competitors and establish themselves as a desirable employer.
Greater Productivity and Engagement
When employees feel their wellbeing is taken care of, they are more likely to be engaged and focused on their work. In addition, promoting a healthy work-life balance and allowing for flexibility can help employees manage competing priorities and reduce burnout.
Employees are more likely to be motivated to do their best work and feel a sense of ownership and pride in their accomplishments when they feel good about themselves and their setting.
In fact, when a company introduces a wellness initiative to their employees, they see a 14 - 19%
drop in absenteeism! That’s a lot of productivity saved right there!
How to Nurture Health and Wellness in Your Organization
Now that you know
what
employee wellness is and
why
your organization should focus on it, let’s discuss
how
you can promote it.
Be sure employees know about your wellness program
Your efforts of implementing a wellness program are fruitless if employees don’t know much about it. Be sure they are aware of everything it includes and how they can access all the benefits.
Offer wellness incentives
You can’t force your employees to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, you can do your darndest to encourage it. Incentives are optional but a good carrot.
Get input from your employees
The most effective wellness programs fulfill the needs of their participants. Ask your employees what that might be; what are their wellness goals?
Provide plenty of tools and support
With multiple employees comes a range of needs. Don’t only focus on a “one size fits all” approach. Offer several options for wellness, even little things, to remove some daily stress.
Offer time to engage with co-workers, engage in physical activity, and take breaks
Of course, this seems obvious, but an essential element of a healthy culture is being surrounded by healthy options.
Address stress points in the office
This can cover a wide range of issues, but it’s imperative not to let upsetting matters fester. You may quickly find yourself in a toxic environment, with employee numbers declining swiftly. Address issues immediately.
Encourage inclusivity
Any space that doesn’t welcome every person present isn’t inherently healthy. Excluding certain people or groups of people simply emits negativity; even people who aren’t being left out can feel it. Instead, an office that welcomes a diversity of thought and representation is well-rounded and thriving.
Train everyone how to have productive conversations
Communication is critical. It can exacerbate negative feelings when it isn’t open, honest, and constructive. Nothing can be solved with ineffective communication. So instead, focus on helping employees express themselves respectfully and to listen when there are different opinions on the table.
Train everyone on how to give feedback
Sharing your constructive criticism is usually unavoidable when you’re part of a team. However, being able to critique somebody’s work in a healthy manner is an essential component of healthy communication.
Train everyone on how to embrace and navigate change
We get it; change is really hard. Not everybody will get on board with every switch up in direction in the office. Yet change is usually inevitable. An all-inclusive training should incorporate proper ways to navigate change.
Offer flexibility in work schedules and create a culture with healthy boundaries.
If you’ve ever received an urgent message after hours from a boss demanding you take care of something immediately, you can understand how awful it feels to not have appropriate boundaries for your personal life. And when it comes to employees’ personal lives, it’s vital to understand that sometimes workers can’t put their private life on hold.
Don’t reward overworking - reward right-sizing the work.
It’s fantastic when you have an employee who’s an overachiever. At first. However, it’s unsustainable for them to keep up a fast pace. They’ll eventually burn out, and you’ll lose a good employee. And as tempting as it is to hold up those who overwork as an example to other employees, that’s not effective. The only result will be to create negative feelings.
Wrapping Things Up
There are boundless benefits to strengthening your employees’ wellbeing, for all parties involved. Happier workers with less stress go far in creating a positive and productive work environment. However, it doesn’t happen all on its on; positive workplace cultures need to be nurtured. It's up to the company to set the stage for a healthy setting that ultimately powers the entire organization.
