Workplace wellness is about keeping the workplace clean and healthy and about making sure that employees are happy, healthy, and productive. It can be challenging to balance with the needs of a business. Luckily there are some great strategies for finding balance at work.
Read on to find out more about workplace health and workplace wellness.
Encourage a Good Work and Life Balance
It is vital to encourage good work and life balance in the workplace. It can be done by offering flexible working arrangements, such as telecommuting or job sharing, and giving employees time off for vacation and personal days.
In addition, employers should create an environment that supports work-life balance. It includes providing healthy food options and opportunities for physical activity and implementing policies that support mental health and well-being.
Offer Ways To Keep Fit and Healthy
Keeping fit and healthy in the workplace is essential for your employees. The following are ways to keep your employees and fit:
Have employee health programs– many companies have health programs that offer their employees discounted rates for gym memberships, personal training, and other health-related activities.
Have a wellness program in place: A wellness program is a great way to encourage your staff to be more active and eat healthier. Some typical features of wellness programs include onsite fitness centers, healthy food options, and educational workshops on nutrition and physical activity.
Promote break time- Taking short breaks throughout the day can help improve productivity and employee health. Encourage your staff to take walks around the office or step away from their desks for a few minutes every hour to stretch or relax.
Offer healthy food options- Healthy snacks and lunches are a great way to keep your employees energized throughout the day. In addition, there is research that shows people who eat fruits and vegetables daily have lower stress levels than those who do not.
Provide transparent pricing for all services offered- Transparency in pricing can help protect you as an employer and your employees from being overcharged by providers. Providers may be incentivized to provide price cuts or other offerings when they know their rates will be published openly online. This should also include education so you can teach your employees how to take better care of themselves and each other. Business owners like to enroll their staff in online workplace safety training program that helps them learn about the procedures toine of training can help people be more aware of their environment and how to better protect themselves. Doing so ensures a safer and happier environment for everyone in the company.
Empower your employees: Encourage and empower your employees to be responsible for their health. You can do this by giving them access to resources such as an online fitness program, healthy recipes, and more. In addition, it allows them to track their physical activity with a wearable device or other apps available on mobile phones.
Offer mental wellness programs: Mental Health America reports approximately one in five American adults experience some form of mental illness in any particular year, but only about half receive treatment due to barriers like cost or lack of insurance coverage. Offering employee assistance programs (EAP) that provide free counseling services can help reduce these barriers, so they feel comfortable seeking out help if needed. Be sure to also have a mental health policy in place to guide employees through the process of getting help. Items to include within this policy could be how and when to access a behavioral health center, and who to go to for help when the employee feels as though their mental health is suffering.
Create a culture that is open and supportive- Employees who feel supported at work are more likely to maintain good mental wellness than those who do not. Acknowledge when your employees have done something positive or encourage them for their efforts by offering praise. Try holding regular team meetings where you talk about what everyone has been working on, share updates, and frequently check in with each other if anyone needs any support along the way.
Encourage collaboration and cooperation instead of competition between departments or teams so they can learn from one another’s strengths and weaknesses while encouraging continual learning from mistakes rather than dwelling on them or avoiding risk altogether out of fear it will make things worse down the road.
Think About Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being utterly in the present moment. It is a form of meditation that can be done anywhere, and it only takes a few minutes each day to acquire the benefits. Mindfulness can help you focus better at work, release stress and anxiety, and improve your overall well-being. There are various ways to inaugurate mindfulness into your workplace, such as educational workshops or yoga classes.
If you’re looking for a way to start practicing mindfulness on your own, consider downloading an app like Headspace or Calm. These apps offer guided meditations and exercises that can help you learn to be more mindful in your everyday life.
Update Your Mental Health Policy
Your mental health policy is the set of procedures and guidelines that employees should follow when taking time off work for mental health-related grounds.
Updating your mental health policy is essential for creating a clear and consistent support framework.
Examples: Make time to talk about your mental health concerns, enable flexible working arrangements or think about mindfulness at work.
Inspire Joy in the Workplace
Joy is essential in the workplace. When your staff members are happy, they are more fruitful. There are many things you can do to inspire joy in the workplace. Here are a few ideas to get started.
Offer incentives for employee of the month or quarter
Create a fun environment with games, music, and jokes
Start an email newsletter to share company updates at least once per week
Reward your staff when they go above and beyond expectations
Send positive emails thanking people who have done something great regarding customer service or another department’s work on their behalf – even small gestures like taking on additional responsibilities, and being more efficient than average.
Unplug, Recharge
Workplace wellness can also be for about mental health. Unplugging and recharging are essential to maintaining your mental health. Taking time out for yourself is good for you and shows others around you that it’s important and they can do the same too.
You can encourage your employees to recharge by implementing flexible working hours or allowing some time out of the office to do essential activities.
Create a Regular Meal Plan at Work
Creating a regular meal plan for your employees is a great way to help them stay healthy and focused. When you know what you’re going to be eating each day, it’s easier to make good choices about your food. Try to have a variety of foods available, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. You can also offer snacks throughout the day, like nuts or seeds, yogurt, fruit, or veggie sticks.
If possible, try to have at least one meal together as a group. It gives employees a chance to break away from their work and talk about something else for a change. Plus, it’s always nice to get some time away from the screen.
Conclusion
The above tips are just a few ways to help improve your health and workplace wellness. By creating a healthy work environment, you can encourage employees to balance their work and personal lives, stay fit and healthy and be more productive overall.
In addition, hopefully these tips will inspire you to make some positive changes in your own life by creating an environment for workplace wellness.