There has been a notable shift in recent years toward personal wellbeing. The limelight has moved from burning the candle at both ends to promoting mental and physical health. Improving the well-being of your employees will benefit them and you, the employer. Increased employee well-being can improve motivation, productivity, absenteeism, and indeed job satisfaction on your employers. Suffice to say, that as an employer you will reap the rewards of a highly motivated, content, and productive workforce.
Importantly, you want to harbor a culture within the workforce that cares about its staff and encourages well-being, in every sense of the word. Emphasis should be placed on multiple aspects of well-being.
Looking first at employee physical well-being. As a company, you may be able to provide certain health benefits to your staff. Perhaps an in-house physiotherapist will assist employees returning to work following injury or assist them in managing any pain they may have. This may be particularly beneficial for labor-intensive job roles. Alternatively, you may want to offer up incentives or encouragements to improve their physical health. Encouraging employees who smoke and take regular cigarette breaks to finally kick the habit by offering cheaper and healthier alternatives, such as vaping, for example. As a company, you can take advantage of wholesale vapes and wholesale vape cartridge prices, which can in turn be passed on to your employees as an incentive.
This will not only pay dividends in terms of their physical health but their productivity also. Another option is to offer subsidized fitness classes or improve break rooms or chill-out rooms to encourage R&R in the workplace.
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Another aspect of well-being is your employees’ mental well-being and the first port of call for this should be training. Employers should offer staff the appropriate training around mental health issues and how they may affect the workplace. This will help reduce any stigma that may be attached to raising mental health concerns. Emphasis should be given to the role stress can play on your health and how debilitating it can be. Employers can then help improve their employees’ mental well-being by organizing mindfulness courses or by offering assistance with counseling and support services whether in-house or externally.
Well-being extends beyond physical and mental health. Another aspect that is worth looking at to improve the overall health of your employees is to address their financial health. While cash flow is important and offering certain discounts, say in the lunchroom or supermarket vouchers will undoubtedly help employees day-to-day it goes much further than this. Educating staff and providing them with knowledge on how to protect their future finances, how to budget or plan for retirement can provide countless benefits to your employees and in particular to their mental wellness.
Finally, a really important way to improve staff well-being and all-round performance is to recognize your staff. Say thank you for work they have completed, reward or praise a job well done. Make them feel a valued member of the team whose contribution is not only noted but appreciated. This recognition doesn’t just start and end with managers. It should be encouraged from the top down. Recognition can be given by CEOs, supervisors, managers, co-workers, and support staff. Create a working environment that encourages praise and recognition from every member of staff. This doesn’t have to be by way of a huge presentation or award night – although that helps, a simple thank you email, post it, or passing comment can often be enough to distill positivity and contentment within the workforce. Don’t forget, financial incentives such as bonuses are always well received.
