Employee wellbeing is something that was often overlooked by businesses in the past. Yet, with endless research proving that wellbeing has a direct impact on efficiency and bottom line results, more companies are ramping-up efforts to promote it within their workplace.
In a nutshell, wellbeing is all about personal happiness – feeling good and leading a healthy lifestyle. As an employer, fostering wellbeing involves doing all you can to ensure employees are safe, happy, healthy and satisfied in their roles.
There are many studies which affirm the benefits companies can reap when they feature employee wellbeing high on their agenda. To start, Nuffield Health cites that FTSE 100 companies which focus on employee health and wellbeing outperform those that do not by 10%. Meanwhile, the University of Warwick found that happier employees are 12% more productive; and according to mental health charity Mind, 60% of employees feel more motivated to recommend their company if it took action to support mental wellbeing.
But that’s not all: reviewing employer wellness programmes for its Health at Work report, ERA Research & Consultancy found that reduced absenteeism was present in 82% of cases, and reduced staff turnover in 33% of them.
Needless to say, the benefits of focusing on employee wellbeing are clear. So what can you do to improve wellbeing within your workplace? Here are five ideas to get you started:
Encourage Lunch Breaks
We all have a tendency to power through lunch breaks when we we’re bogged-down with work, but this is actually counterintuitive as we’re more likely to suffer a ‘slump’ come mid-afternoon. So, make sure you stress the importance of taking breaks to employees, providing ample breakout spaces – both indoor and outdoor – for them to take time-out from their work and relax with their colleagues.
Promote Exercise
Many of us lead a sedentary working life, sat down at a desk from 9-5. So, think of ways you can help your team stay active – organise a running club before or after work, implement the cycle to work scheme, or offer employees reduced gym membership.
Organise Regular Team Building Days
Treat your team to days out of the office by organising regular team building days. They are a great way to raise morale and build bonds among your team, whether you’re taking part in an organised sports day, a cookery class or a problem solving activity.
Provide Free Food
Encourage healthy eating by keeping the fruit bowl in the staff room topped-up and ensuring that your canteens offer a good range of healthy meals. Even providing a space for your team to prepare healthy lunches can help.
Allow Flexible Working
Consider offering flexible working so that employees can fit their job around their needs. This could include flexible start and finish times for parents with school children, or allowing employees to work from home one day a week to have a break from the commute.
Making sure your employees are happy and healthy should be one of your top priorities – if you care for your team, they’ll care for you and your company.
