What could your business do better to encourage health and wellness in the workplace? It is not nearly as expensive as it may sound to create a work environment that prioritises promoting health and wellness program , including good choices and healthy habits. Furthermore, it might end up costing less in the long run.
In fact, studies show that encouraging healthy living can result in long-term cost savings. not just in terms of health care expenses.
Saving money is the main motivation for 74% of businesses with wellness programmes, according to research by Buck Consultants. The enhancement of productivity, the decrease in sick days, and employee retention are examples of secondary advantages. The bottom line can be significantly impacted by the promotion of health and wellness in the workplace, making it more than just a nice-to-have benefit. Promoting a healthy lifestyle at work requires the implementation of an employee wellness programme.
There are several options available to businesses looking to change their culture in order to promote health and wellness. In this article, we’ll talk about how to implement this at your place of business.
1. Promote preventive health measures
The reasoning behind this is straightforward: productive employees are less likely to experience health problems that force them to miss work. Additionally, content workers are productive workers.
It is obvious that stress has a major effect on one’s health. However, you need to consider the big picture in order to maintain employee health.
Positive behaviour changes are taken into account as a component of an employee’s overall well-being by organisations that include more than just physical fitness in their health initiatives. These organisations frequently experience better results. Health promotion is effective.
There are a number of ways to encourage employees to change their negative behaviour, including:
- Farmer’s market outings for staff members
- Present possibilities for quitting smoking
- provide resources for counselling
Precautionary measures
Bring preventative care to your workplace through programmes like in-office flu shots as another way to start promoting health and wellbeing. While it is expensive to hire staff to administer flu shots to all of your coworkers, doing so can significantly lower the number of sick days that are taken annually.
According to Alan Kohll in a Forbes article, “An on-site flu shot clinic will not only save company money, it will also reduce absenteeism and loss of employee productivity due to the illness.”
Making preventative care accessible and simple for employees to use could be the answer to creating a healthier work environment.
2. Make accessible healthy options for staff
Employees are more likely to use community health and fitness centres if they have access to them. These facilities are offered as a part of the lease agreement in many excellent business parks. When searching for your next office space, you might want to look for these. Consider designating a space in your office building as your company’s fitness centre if you are unable to relocate.
If you have no room for a dedicated fitness centre, your last resort is to provide employee benefits such as memberships to nearby gyms. Employee interest in joining a gym or enrolling in an exercise class can even rise with a discount.
3. Select wholesome lunches.
Healthy food options can easily be substituted for unhealthy ones if your company offers a cafeteria for employees. Although the initial cost of the food may be higher, making the investment in a healthy diet is well worth it.
Businesses without cafeterias might think about rewarding dedicated team members with daytime meals. Instead of the typical fast food or chain restaurants, you can also give discounts and gift cards to health food stores.
It can be simple for workers to fall into the fast food eating trap when going out to lunch. If they don’t have a lot of time to leave the office, this is particularly true. Encourage them to pick a salad or a wrap that is both healthy and packed with protein. Set a good example for your staff by choosing a healthier lunch to encourage physical fitness.
Encourage your staff to pack a lunch to work in order to resist the temptation of ordering in. Greek yoghurt and fruit with cottage cheese, a salad with grilled chicken, and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread are all nutritious options.
There are many benefits to bringing a healthy lunch to work. By eating a nutritious meal, workers improve their health and save time and money.
4. Offer chances for health education
Sometimes your staff simply lacks the knowledge necessary to live the healthiest lives possible within the constraints of each day. Many people simply don’t think they can find the time to be active and look for healthier eating options between work, families, and extracurricular activities.
Your staff members can learn how to make the most of their free time in order to lead healthier lives by inviting knowledgeable speakers and chefs to special classes. To promote attendance, you can also permit workers to participate in fitness classes during the day, such as tai chi, yoga, or even aerobics.
5. Prioritize downtime
Employees cannot consistently give 110% without becoming worn out and in distress. By scheduling downtime throughout the day, you give your team members an opportunity to recharge, regain focus, and regain enthusiasm. During their downtime, workers can take a quick power nap, attend a fitness class, eat a nutritious snack, or socialise with their coworkers.
Employee well-being is greatly improved by downtime. It is crucial to the overall performance of the business. According to research by The McKinsey Company, organisations with connected employees experience a 20–25% boost in productivity.
What can we infer from this? Making rest and relaxation a priority in the workplace culture is preferable to working employees to exhaustion.
6. Stress the value of mental health
Without a doubt, physical health is important. Mental health is part of overall health. You might want to think about starting a programme if you don’t currently provide counselling services for your employees.
Remember that stress and mental exhaustion left unchecked can eventually result in much worse issues. Heart disease, insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, and depression are a few examples of these problems. Employees who are mentally unfit can’t perform at their best and can have an effect on the business as a whole.
7. Move around frequently throughout the day.
Many office workers don’t get the exercise and nutrition they require because the majority of corporate jobs involve a lot of sitting and unhealthy eating. Physical exercise is essential. Encourage employees to use these strategies to take charge of their health to foster a positive corporate culture.
There is room for some simple stretches or exercises at even the most sedentary jobs. Encourage workers to stretch at their desks throughout the day. They can keep a resistance band or hand weights at their desk if they want to go the extra mile. They can then maximise the benefits of those exercises.
Additionally, stress the value of moving around the office at various times during the day. Employees should use the stairs to get to the next floor rather than using the elevator. Alternatively, they could set a timer to alert them to get up and move around at least once every hour. In addition to reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, this will also encourage more healthful behaviours in general.
Advantages of encouraging health and wellbeing at work
The costs of many health initiatives outweigh their benefits by a wide margin, but this is also true of workplace wellness initiatives. The wellbeing of employees depends on the promotion of health and wellness. Consider the potential pitfalls before you dismiss any of the aforementioned suggestions. You might experience high turnover in addition to lower productivity as workers look for bigger, better, and healthier employment opportunities. Promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace may aid in employee retention and boost output.
The COVID-19 pandemic has unquestionably changed the way we view safety, even though the aforementioned advice can help you keep the workplace safe. Although the pandemic has brought health screenings and workplace safety to the forefront even more, safety should always come first. The fact remains, though, that happy workers produce the best work because they are healthy.
Are you interested in learning how Engagelife can assist you in fostering health and wellness in the workplace? Contact us right away, and our staff will assist you in identifying the workplace solution that is best for your business.
Article posted by realitypapers.co
