Workplace Wellness

 

Why Is Workplace Wellness Important?

Companies must be willing to commit to uncovering disparities and other concerns at the office and invest the time, resources, and policies to support meaningful employee health endeavors. Workplace wellness is even more important today, given the social, economic, and political climate of the world in which we live.

Here’s why companies must invest in their employees’ health:

• Healthy employees tend to absorb less-exorbitant healthcare costs.
• Well-cared-for employees meet with fewer road accidents as they don’t suffer from being stressed, sleep-deprived, or burnt out.
• When employees are healthier, they are less likely to take sick leaves.
• Talent acquisition and retention remain strong when employees are happy to work at a company.

How To Achieve Workplace Wellness

To achieve workplace wellness, companies must be willing to explore the different avenues of healthcare that can benefit employees. According to this study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 56% of workers are covered by company-provided healthcare plans as of 2021. This could be because of certain factors such as employee ineligibility under certain health benefits or small companies’ inability to shoulder healthcare costs.

The good news is that many companies accept why workplace wellness is a paramount subject to address. Here’s how companies can achieve this.

Promote Health and Wellness Programs

Identifying unhealthy behaviors and potential health risks is a great starting point for companies to foster a healthy workforce. Wellness programs that highlight the ill effects of smoking, weight management, depression, stress, and emotional distress caused by work-related factors can target pressing paint points of employees. To successfully incorporate these programs, companies must:

• Invest in the right healthcare policies that encompass wider aspects of physical and mental health.
• Get professionals on board to oversee and create nuanced wellness programs that require one-on-one sessions with employees.
• Highlight the importance of regular biometric screenings or assessments that give employees a chance to address underlying concerns or risks related to physical and mental health.

Explore Telemedicine

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have identified the importance of telemedicine for remote workers. Having access to healthcare services through a telecommunications platform is a major gamechanger to support workplace wellness.

Through telemedicine, employees have access to valuable resources and assistance to cope with physical, emotional, and mental challenges. Through the support of a company, the right help can be provided in a discreet, safe environment.

Furthermore, virtual healthcare programs are growing in popularity as organizations around the world recognize the need for easily accessible resources and help.

Wellness Tips for Employees

There’s nothing like feeling good, energetic, and at the top of your game in and out of the office. While not every day will be as perfect, you can strive to create a healthy lifestyle that benefits your body and your work and personal life.

Check out the following tips that can help you accomplish small yet significant wellness goals:

• Declutter your desk by placing things back where they belong and rearranging office essentials in storage trays, holders, or bins.
• Set an alarm on your watch or phone to go off every 60 minutes. When it does, get up and stretch, walk around, and drink water.
• Indulge in meditation by signing up on apps such as Calm or Elevate to create a routine that works for you. You can set a time to do this at the office with a few coworkers by booking a conference room when it’s convenient for everyone.

• Invite co-workers for a group fitness program as a fun way to blow off steam after working hours.
• Prepare nutritious home-cooked meals in advance for the week instead of relying on canteen food and takeout.
• Sit on a yoga ball while working instead of a chair to improve your posture, stability, and core strength.
• Get plants for your cubicle to create a space of zen and comfort while you work.
• Take a power nap in the second half of the day, preferably a little after lunch when energy levels tend to dip.

Workplace Wellness: Best Practices

It’s great to see that corporate wellness industries have grown by as much as grown by as much as 30% in the last 10 years. To be part of this movement, choosing strong and well-developed wellness initiatives that can kickstart and sustain workplace wellness should be a priority.

Here are the best practices of how to initiate solutions and practices that aim to keep a company’s employees’ interests in mind:

Craft An Annual Operating Plan

Crafting annual operating plans helps companies evaluate existing scenarios to gauge which wellness programs will benefit both the business and its employees. While crafting a successful wellness program, companies should primarily focus on these key factors as the end goal:

• How to increase productivity and performance
• How to lower healthcare costs
• How to curb injuries and accidents from happening (on-site or as a result of factors related to work)
• How to improve morale and retain employees
• How to reduce absenteeism and control presenteeism (coming to work despite feeling unwell, which can hamper productivity and performance)
• How to reduce disability-related and workers’ compensation costs
• How to encourage employees to switch to a healthier lifestyle and tackle challenges at the office
• How to get employees to open up on the kind of benefits they expect a company to cover

Once the managerial staff and HR come together to work on the above parameters, the next steps are to

1. Survey employees to understand what they expect to accomplish from a wellness program by considering their social, economic, and personal well-being.
2. Assess employment working conditions and how wellness programs should be aligned to cater to employees based on the nature and type of work.
3. Conduct regular health assessments, whether every quarter or annually, for valuable information on employees’ health