Most employees spend the majority of their waking hours at work, contributing to business growth and success. Since employees are valuable assets for an organization, their mental and physical wellness is key to their optimal performance. This realization has led many organizations to seek the best ways to improve employee wellness at work.
Hence, developing an effective wellness program is of utmost importance for the organization.
As mentioned before, the health and wellness of employees directly impact the profitability and productivity of an organization. This should naturally make employee health and fitness a strategic focus area for business organizations. Sadly, a majority of organizations still follow the strategy of solving employee health issues as and when they arise. The good news is that such organizations are gradually changing their outlook and adapting more wellness-driven strategies.
Employee wellness programs can help promote a healthy work environment, ensuring happiness and engagement of employees. These programs are designed to improve the physical, mental and emotional state of members of the workforce.
Contrary to popular belief, employee wellness is a concept that organizations have been following for several decades. However, till recently, most organizations focused only on benefits such as health insurance, accident coverage and general health awareness.
Now, wellness programs go beyond these and provide comprehensive healthcare and wellbeing solutions for employees. Discussed below are five effective steps that organizations can take to improve employee wellness through such programs:
Most employees spend long hours in the office sitting at their workstations, which can have damaging health effects. According to research, 20% of deaths of people aged 35 years or more were attributed to lack of physical activity.
Organizations are trying to change this by conducting different fitness activities such as yoga, workout sessions, meditation classes, aerobics and Zumba. Several organizations have offer gym facilities at the workplace for their employees to ensure their fitness.
A qualified doctor or medical personnel at the workplace to attend to medical needs of employees can enhance employee wellness. It can also improve attendance, as employees would prefer to avail of these services rather than paying hefty consultation fees elsewhere.
In addition to treating employees for immediate medical issues, these medical professionals can offer employees reliable advice on leading health lives.
Most organizations have canteen services offering meals and snacks to the employees. Limiting the available options to healthy food items is yet another effective way to improve employee wellness.
Organizations can also look at increasing duration of the lunch break to prevent employees from just gulping down their meals. This is important as eating the food properly is essential for effective digestion and thus, overall health.
Organizations can even opt for counselling sessions with professional nutritionists to come up with the best healthy meal options.
An effective employee wellness program focuses on improving both their physical and mental health. Hence, organizations should invest in programs to help employees manage mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse, and stress.
Organizing health camps to generate awareness about various health issues is another effective strategy that organizations can adopt
The concept of nap rooms is becoming increasingly popular in modern organizations. Enabling employees to take rest if they feel too tired or stressed at work can help in improving their health.
It can dissuade employees from taking full or half-day sick leaves as they can take rest at the workplace itself. This option can prove especially beneficial in organizations where employees regularly need to work late into the night.
Taking the above steps to improve employee wellness can offer long-lasting benefits to organizations in the form of increased employee productivity and a deeper sense of loyalty. These initiatives assure the employees that they are much valued by their organizations.
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