Every year presents fresh prospects for workforce assistance. To promote a healthier workplace, businesses are investing in wellness initiatives. The recent economic downturn, widespread layoffs, and other cost-cutting measures have heightened the importance of worker health. Workplace well-being is the physical and mental health effects of one’s duties, stress, and work environment.
Well-being extends beyond nutrition and physical activity, which boosts physical health. It involves thoughts, emotions, and objectives, considering all aspects of one’s employees’ lives and demonstrating concern for their pleasure and well-being.
What Factors Contribute to Workplace Health And Safety Issues?
People Matters conducted interviews with a select group of professionals to investigate cutting-edge ways for building a healthy workplace in 2023. As per the interviews, most employees are underpaid, overworked, and undervalued. Overwork accounts for 46% of workplace stress.
Insecurity at work can lead to stress, illness, and low morale. These workplaces lack health protection processes and regulations. Depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, and musculoskeletal disorders may emerge if employers disregard the health of their employees.
It is estimated that workplace stress costs businesses 800 billion rupees yearly. Stress causes 60%–80% of workplace accidents. Absenteeism, illness (both mental and physical), accidents, and excessive turnover contribute to these expenses.
Why is The Health of Employees a Top Priority?
Wellness programs are advantageous to employees because they holistically address their health and growth. It enhances efficiency, morale, job satisfaction, time off for illness, stress, or absence, and employee retention. Employee wellness initiatives benefit employees, their families, and the organization. Healthy, satisfied employees are more invested in the organization’s future.
The average employee spends five days per week at work. That represents nearly one-third of their annual awake time! Remember that during this time of year, the average worker consumes at least one-third of their annual caloric consumption at work. Numerous people live at work. In such an environment, people should feel safe, nurtured, and at ease.
Seven Strategies to Improve Employees’ Health
1. A System of Rewards And Recognition
Staff recognition is one of the most popular and straightforward health measures. 70% of respondents to a recent survey indicated that public recognition from their employer improved their social connection with coworkers and their quality of life outside of work. Cultures centered on acknowledgement have far-reaching consequences. Publicly praising employees is effective with Millennials. The “self-esteem generation” prioritizes popularity over wealth.
2. Adjustable Work Schedules And Breaks
Several companies have come to appreciate the benefits of allowing employees more freedom over their schedules, including increased productivity, a more trusting atmosphere, and a greater willingness to adapt to employee requests. With various systems and tools in place, adaptability has become the norm, and it plays a key role in recruiting new employees and keeping the ones the company already has.
3. Quite a Collection of Books
A comfortable reading nook is a necessary amenity in any productive office. Bookworms can have their little nook where they can read whatever they want. Staff members can read, discuss, and share their daily experiences in the designated book corner, which will help leaders create a better work environment and serve as a great bonding exercise.
4. Health And Wellness Group Sessions
Due to the enormous pressure to perform and achieve, mental health is often ignored in today’s society. Keeping one’s employees healthy can have far-reaching repercussions. We recommend professional-led yoga, aerobics, or Zumba sessions if one wants a stress-relieving activity in the new year. Emotional resilience can also be reinforced through group talks on detoxifying, happiness creation, laughter therapy, etc.
5. Health And Happiness Assessment
When one considers how much time and work one can save by soliciting and acting on employee feedback, maximizing employee potential becomes evident. Wellness surveys can aid in the planning and management of an employee wellness program. These surveys can help ensure that the program fits the needs of the team, is enjoyable for employees, and maximizes the company’s long-term advantages.
6. Counteract Sedentary Work Habits
Due to their sedentary lifestyle, millions of office employees are at a high risk of developing major health issues. Alternating between sitting and standing periodically helps reduce the health hazards of extended sitting. Sitting is one of the least physically taxing activities available. Standing up while working burns more calories due to the increased muscle usage required to maintain equilibrium. The exorbitant cost of purchasing new-standing workstations has deterred many organizations from making the transition.
7. Individual Methods of Operation
Each position in most businesses includes a detailed job description and expectations. Employees will be motivated to do their best if they see how their efforts contribute to achieving the company’s mission. However, they may feel even more motivated and fulfilled on the job if they can set their own goals and devise methods for achieving the company’s mission.
Conclusion
These are seven straightforward actions that any business can take to positively impact the health and motivation of its workforce. When companies invest in their employees’ emotional and physical health, they notice improvements in employee morale and productivity and reductions in healthcare expenses and employee absences. This, in turn, has a positive impact on the company’s bottom line.