Creating a Culture of Wellness

How to encourage employee wellness in the workplace

In today’s fast-paced business world, prioritizing employee wellness is more important than ever. Organizations that invest in employee well-being have higher employee engagement, productivity, and retention rates.

Emphasizing wellness in the workplace not only benefits the individual employee but also the organization. However, implementing a wellness program can be a daunting task for some employers.

Creating a culture of wellness is more than just offering one-off programs. It requires an entire organization to be on board with the idea that health should be part of everyone’s life – not just when people are at work or not working. Let’s look at some steps your organization can take to promote wellness in the workplace.

Start the Conversation

The first step in creating a culture of wellness is to open a conversation.

Ask your employees what they think about wellness and how they feel about their current health and wellness programs. If you’re offering benefits, such as gym memberships, yoga classes, or personal trainers – or if you’re considering adding them – ask employees what additional support would be helpful.

You can also ask what they would like changed about their current program. Is there anything that could be improved? What do they want more (or less) of? Are there things that aren’t working for them? By hearing directly from your employees about their experiences with healthcare services at work, you will ensure that your changes meet their needs.

Get Your Employees Involved

One way to get employees involved with the wellness program is to encourage them to track their own wellness progress through regular check-ins with an employee health professional. By having these check-ins take place over email or Slack messages rather than face-to-face meetings, you’ll ensure that all communication remains private while maintaining quality interaction between both parties.

Don’t Forget About Parents and Caregivers

You may think, “This is all well and good for the childless employees, but what about parents?” You’re right to ask. As it turns out, parents and caregivers are at higher risk than non-parents for depression or anxiety. And parents are more likely than non-parents to miss work due to illness.

Encourage employee’s wellness, but also create an environment where they can feel safe talking about their mental health issues without fear of judgment or retaliation from management or coworkers.

Empower People to Make Small Changes

It can be difficult to make large changes, but small ones are easier to stick with. If you encourage your employees to start small and build on those successes, they’ll be more likely to continue making positive life changes. Here are some examples of how you can empower people to make small changes:

• Encourage eating fruits and vegetables by having fresh produce available at work (or ask if there’s a local farmers market near by.)
• Ask everyone in the office if they’d like weekly meditation sessions during lunchtime or after work hours (and offer help finding an instructor).
• Offer on-site fitness classes, such as yoga or Pilates, so that people aren’t stuck at home alone doing exercises with no one else who shares their interests.
• Offer seminars related to wellness. Have a professional, like a nutritionist, come on-site and give a lecture.

Offer Mental Health Support

Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s essential to provide employees with the resources and support to manage their mental health. Offer confidential counseling services or mental health days. Also, promote stress-management techniques, such as meditation or yoga, and ensure employees access to mental health resources and support services.

Creating a culture of wellness requires an entire organization to be on board. It’s not just about the health of employees but also about being a good employer, creating a good environment for employees, and attracting talent in the first place.

Promote Work-Life Balance

Achieving work-life balance is challenging in today’s fast-paced work environment. Encourage employees to take time off when needed, promote flexible work arrangements, and set clear boundaries around work expectations and communication — all of these steps can help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance.

Conclusion

Wellness isn’t just about the physical health of employees, it’s also about their mental well-being and happiness at work. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable talking about their personal goals can make all the difference in helping them achieve them. This will benefit them as individuals and your organization as a whole.

References:

“How To Build A Culture Of Wellness At Your Company – Forbes.” 05 Oct. 2021. https://forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/10/05/how-to-build-a-culture-of-wellness-at-your-company/