Sometimes in business, we focus so much on the health of our company that we overlook the health of our employee and perhaps even ourselves. With ever-increasing workloads that are taking a toll on employees’ health by exhausting them and interrupting their sleep cycles, your staff is at an increased risk for developing health challenges. Finding ways to bring more wellness into your workplace culture is essential to upleveling your engagement levels.
The wellness industry is a $4.2 trillion dollar market and growing. Not only are employees interested in healthy habits and lifestyle choices, but they are also looking for employers that understand their need for better physical and mental health. When you provide opportunities for better health, your company will benefit from increased employee wellness and a potential decrease in insurance premiums.
Here are three ways to incorporate more wellness into your workday.
Survey your employees. Before you create a program that you THINK will work for everyone, ask your employees for their ideas and suggestions. They are the ones that you want the buy-in from and asking them to share what they want will help increase participation rates. Surveys are a crucial first step in the process that helps ensure your wellness programs are tailored to your team, are fun and engaging, and are optimized to provide long term value, both for employees and your business.
Offer incentives. Motivate your employees by offering prizes such as a Fitbit, smartwatch, PTO, gift cards and more. Participation generally goes up when there are incentives or prizes. It’s interesting to note that companies that don’t use incentives report lower participation rates—a median of just 20 percent. Employers with comprehensive incentive programs reported the highest participation rate, at 59 percent.
Promote health. Provide healthy snacks in the breakroom. Encourage standup or walking meetings – preferably outdoors. Even the most sedentary jobs have room for some simple stretches or exercises. Encourage employees to do desk exercises like stretches throughout the day. If they want to go the extra mile, they can keep a resistance band or hand weights at their desk. Make it okay to talk about mental health and offer resources for employees who may want counseling but don’t know where to go to get it. Offer yoga and meditation classes. Keep a consistent message of wellness and you’ll encourage your employees to take part in the fun.
When you pay attention to the health and wellness of your employees, the health and prosperity of your business is bound to increase!
