Maintaining employee well-being is crucial in the workplace. Organizations often get creative with their wellness programs, ranging from mindfulness activities to fitness competitions, to promote a healthy workplace culture.
Prioritizing the mental well-being of your employees is crucial, regardless of the format. Neglecting to do so can have negative consequences for both your organization and employee engagement.
Here are four strategies for promoting wellness in the workplace.
The Importance of Well-Being at Work
Employers have a significant role in employee well-being at work. The Workforce Institute at UKG recently found that a manager’s impact on employee mental health is equal to that of a spouse, and more significant than doctors and therapists.
Yet managers also struggle with mental health. According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), approximately 54% of managers are dealing with stress and burnout. This is largely because they encounter pressure from their reports and superiors.
Regardless of their seniority, employees devote significant hours of their lives to their work, and finding ways to support them benefits their well-being.
Research has demonstrated that boosting employee mental health results in the following benefits:
- Increased retention
- Higher productivity
- Better overall organizational performance
Improving well-being has benefits to employee morale and the company’s bottom line.
Below are four ways to improve employee wellness in the workplace.
4 Ways to Promote Wellness at Work
1. Stay Connected
Companies have adopted various return-to-office (RTO) approaches, but one thing remains consistent–the need to maintain connection wherever your team is located.
Whether team members are working remotely, in-office, or on a hybrid model, be sure to include everyone in conversations and decisions. If you’re conducting a meeting that includes people in-person and remote, take care to eliminate “chatter” and ensure your remote workers have a chance to participate.
If you’re leading an entirely remote team, build in time to encourage “small talk” in meetings. Being proactive about maintaining connection regardless of location will prevent isolation and increase a sense of belonging and purpose.
Teamraderie’s experiences are excellent ways to facilitate this connection. These live, virtual workshops are perfect for upskilling and fostering an increased sense of inclusion and belonging.
2. Get Moving
Research from the University of Southern California suggests that physical well-being correlates with important organizational factors such as productivity. Offering a wellness benefit is a great way to not only capitalize on these benefits but increase retention as well.
Companies should evaluate their benefits offerings to ensure there are incentives to promote movement. Some examples include:
- A gym subsidy
- A fitness membership
- Access to onsite classes
- Walking meetings
- Group exercise sessions
Even if your team is remote, coordinate a phone call and encourage your team to step outside for some fresh air and movement while you have a conversation.
Check out Teamraderie’s team experience, Wired for Wellness, in which a fitness expert will lead your team through a variety of exercises to promote energy while at work.
3. Encourage Rest
Especially since the spike in work-from-home arrangements following the pandemic, “workaholism” has increased substantially. This makes sense—when employees work from home, lines between work-life balance become blurred.
When overwork is rewarded, it leads to increased burnout and pressure to perform well. Instead of rewarding employees who put in extra hours and are “always on,” consider emphasizing the importance of taking time off.
According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), when employees are encouraged to take time off, they’re much happier than employees in environments where vacation is discouraged or not discussed.
Happier employees are more engaged employees and this will lead to increased productivity and output.
4. Check-In on Your Team
Leaders should ensure that they reach out to their teams, facilitate discussion on well-being, and perhaps most importantly, model the behavior themselves.
Keep an eye on employee bandwidth, proactively offer support, and ensure employees know how their work is impacting the mission.
According to research published in HBR, to maximize the effectiveness of check-ins, leaders should do the following:
- Focus on the employee and their needs
- Keep them short and intentional
- Provide honest, candid feedback
- Track the quality of these conversations through anonymous feedback channels
By regularly conducting these check-ins, managers can ensure their employees feel connected and engaged.
Improve Team Wellness With Teamraderie
Wellness isn’t a one-time corporate event; it’s an ongoing practice involving mental, physical, and emotional support.
Teamraderie offers an abundance of wellness-related experiences, including:
- Terrarium Time Out: Craft a terrarium with your team and participate in a guided discussion led by a wellness expert.
- Sleep Better Tonight: Learn tips for sleeping better from a certified sleep coach.
- Emotional Intelligence: Discuss the science of triggers and how to overcome them in an experience led by a Stanford instructor.
- Finding Balance: Discuss your energy sources with your team in an experience led by an author and global expert in working smarter rather than harder.
Get creative and engage partners like Teamraderie to offer unique wellness experiences that benefit your employees and your company’s bottom line.
