Employee health and wellbeing was often overlooked by organizations of the past. This is no longer the case, and many businesses are now taking active measures to ensure their staff members are healthy both inside and outside the workplace.
In fact, the health and wellbeing of your employees has a direct impact on their productivity in the office and the bottom line of your company.
According to statistics released by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, stress-related absences cost Canadian employers about $3.5 billion each year. Meanwhile, a Buffet National Wellness Survey found that six in ten Canadians believe “their employer has some responsibility in ensuring their good health.”
It’s clear that companies must implement health and wellness initiatives if they are to realize the benefits that come with healthy workers, but it’s not always easy.
Employers face a number of challenges when it comes to fostering a workplace culture that supports employee wellbeing. That’s because health and wellbeing encompasses a range of different physical, mental and emotional needs which can all differ from person to person.
These can be caused by a number of different factors, from mental health and stress, physical factors such as sleep, illness, financial wellbeing, job satisfaction, exercise and many others.
Offering a variety of health and wellbeing options that support the different needs and interests of your employees is the only way to truly support your employees. Teambonders has listed five methods you can use to improve the health and wellbeing of your employees:
1 - Encourage staff to focus on their physical health
Physical health is one of the main factors in one’s overall wellbeing. Encouraging better physical health among your team will help ensure your employee’s lead healthier and happier lives. The result? They’ll be more productive at work.
You can do this through a number of methods, including promoting exercise within work groups such as creating a running club or implementing a cycle to work scheme, inviting a nutritionist to talk to staff members about diet or even something as simple as offering free fruit or healthy snacks to workers throughout their work day.
2 - Ensure your employees take lunch breaks
When we have a particularly large amount of work on our hands, we all have a tendency to stay at our desks during our lunch break and blitz through our work. Before long, this becomes a habit and we’re no longer talking to colleagues or getting out of the office.
This may sound like a small one on this list, but not taking lunch breaks can have a significant impact on your employees' health and wellbeing. That’s why it’s important to ensure your employees take a break, whether it’s outside the office, in a breakout space or simply talking to their colleagues.
3 - Create a flexible working environment
No matter how passionate employees are about their jobs, nobody wants to feel like their personal life is coming second. Staff members want to work for a company which suits the individual needs of their life.
Creating a flexible work environment - whether that means work-from-home days or flexible start and finish times - will allow employees to do their job but also focus on their own lives outside of the office.
4 - Offer benefits that support wellbeing
Benefits are a fantastic way to give something back to your employees and set you business up as an employer of choice. They are also an amazing way to foster health and wellbeing initiatives among your team.
Benefits you offer to your employees could include anything from health insurance, dentistry insurance, gym memberships, money off exercise equipment, free massages, physiotherapy insurance and much more.
5 - Organize regular team building events
If you’re looking for a way to raise morale, improve commaradie, build relationships and improve collaboration among your employees, then look no further than a corporate team building event.
A corporate team building program will ensure your team builds strong working relationships. Not only will this improve the overall health and wellbeing of employees, it will also benefit your company with improved employee productivity, better communication, loyal staff members and many other benefits.
Interested in how your company can improve its health and wellbeing efforts with Teambonders’ list of unique and innovative corporate team building events? Contact our team of experts today. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
