What is workplace wellness? According to the Global Wellness Institute, workplace wellness is any workplace health promotion activity or an organisational policy aimed at encouraging healthy behaviour among employees and improving health outcomes.
When we hear the word wellness, we usually think of spas or gyms. An employee’s wellness has much more to do with their lifestyle behaviours.
This article focuses on some tips organisations can use to boost workplace wellness for their employees.
How important is workplace wellness? According to a survey done by Deloitte, 91% of respondents say having an unmanageable amount of stress or frustration negatively affects the quality of their work. 83% of respondents say burnout from work can negatively affect their relationships.
Nearly 70% of professionals feel their employers are not doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout within their organisations. 21% of respondents say their company does not offer any programmes or initiatives to prevent or alleviate burnout.
From these statistics, it is clear to see that workplace wellness is something that organisations need to take seriously.
Everyone has had a difficult couple of years. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, employers face a new set of challenges and questions. It has once again emphasised the significance of employee health.
Employers are now taking a more active role in promoting workplace wellness, and an increasing number of companies are placing a high priority on the wellbeing of their employees, assuming that happier workers will lead to improved productivity. (Milton Jack. 2022)
Here is a list of tips for workplace wellness:
- Introduce Ergonomics in the Workplace
- Remove Clatter from the workspace
- Encourage Employees to Participate in Wellness Programs
- Provide Healthy Drinks and Snacks
- Introduce Recharge Rooms
- Introduce Onsite Fitness Centres
- Add plants into the Offices
- Introduce Ergonomics in the workplace
Workplace ergonomics is the science of designing the workplace, keeping in mind the capabilities and limitations of the worker (Ergo Plus). Employees spend 8.5 to 9 hours per day in the office. This may cause the employee to become a victim of an inactive lifestyle.
Obesity, joint pain, and various eyestrains result because of this. As a result, it is the employer’s responsibility to provide them with comfortable working environments.
Because ergonomic workstations are important for employee health, many organizations now provide in-house ergonomic assessments to set you up properly.
Set up desks, chairs (or yoga balls), monitors, and keyboards in ergonomically correct positions.
It will make your employees feel more at ease in their daily work environment. Making improvements to the work process removes barriers to achieving maximum safe work performance.
You are giving your employees workspaces that will not affect their health. As an organisation, you will notice that this will improve workplace wellness.
- Remove Clatter from the workspace
A chaotic workspace has an impact on your employees’ psychology. A cluttered workspace leads to a cluttered mind, which influences how we work. A clean and organised workspace will help brighten the office and give it an airy atmosphere.
According to Timestead, employers should actively encourage employees to create a culture of keeping their workspace clean and organised. A clear and clean work environment gives a good impression to visitors besides providing peace of mind to employees. Studies that support this show that a clean desk boosts productivity and determination by 84%.
- Encourage employees’ participation in Wellness Programs
Wellness programs are long-term events that an organisation can arrange to achieve a specific wellness goal. Employee wellness plans can help you attract and retain good employees because they see it as a benefit they would like to have at work.
However, wellness programs offer company benefits that can affect and improve your bottom line. 56% of employees had fewer sick days because of wellness programs, (United Healthcare, 2018).
Initiatives that are effective reduce unhealthy lifestyle choices and absenteeism.
These wellness programs may include Walkathons, Green Day, Happy hour, and Casual Friday. The programs will help your team close their eyes, relax, or get them active and energized at
the office. They are a good way to engage employees and help improve workplace wellness.
You may also consider providing a weekly lunchtime yoga class or a 15-minute meditation break to employees as an incentive to focus on physical fitness and the impact it has on overall health and wellbeing.
Consider the various activities that TeamBonding provide on their website. Click this link to view their website:
https://www.teambonding.com/program-type/wellness-programs/
- Provide Healthy Drinks and Snacks
Providing employees with a healthy and regular lunch will encourage employees to adopt healthy eating habits and diets. According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology1, healthy foods provide the fuel we require and can make people happier, more involved, and more innovative. It is convenient, saves employees money, and demonstrates your appreciation for your employees.
Regular lunch can also be a great way to promote wellness in your workplace.
It gives employees a place to get to know each other better in an informal way. Work relations and team spirit are reinforced during the lunch break. Healthy eating is of course important and a prerequisite for good health.
In addition, the joint lunch break has a lot of positive influence on the wellbeing; less stress, new energy and more (job) satisfaction. Providing good lunch will contribute to the better physical and mental health of employees and help reduce stress. (Nikki Maeve van Reems. 2021).
- Introduce Recharge Rooms
These are rooms where employees relax and take a break. These are more than just a café or chair grouping in a good location for colleague conversation or that morning jump that gets the juices flowing. They are areas where employees can zone out, relax, stretch, nap, or even meditate for a few minutes.
The idea is to relax, to get away from the stresses of the job for long enough that the brain resets, and when the batteries fully recharge, the employee returns ready to tackle even the most difficult projects with renewed vigour.
Smartly designed offices help with the health and wellbeing of employees, employee retention, lower absenteeism, boosted productivity, job satisfaction, and improved creativity.
Beautiful breakout spaces are designed with this in mind, and they are not entirely there for functionality (J. Pochepan).
The Hero Corporate offices share interesting information on their website on how to build a customized recharge room for employees, visit the link below to get this information:
https://biofilico.com/news/hero-switzerland-biophilic-consultants
- Introduce Onsite Fitness Centres
An on-site fitness centre will go a long way in helping to improve employee health and ultimately workplace wellness. Physical fitness has been gaining considerable attention in industries from both, employers and employees over the last few years. People spend most of their time at the workplace, which is utilized by many to share as well as receive messages
of health (Kelly, 2000).
The concept of a link between employee productivity and physical fitness is self-evident.
It follows that only a physically fit individual can perform more physically demanding tasks at work while also coping with workload pressures and working overtime. You may consider allowing employees to access dance classes, yoga sessions, or gym equipment at this centre.
According to a survey done by Treadmill Reviews, 76% of employees said that they would work out more if their office had gym equipment, and 66.1% said they would still work for an employer who required mandatory in-office workouts.
Hence introducing on-site fitness centres will help to improve workplace wellness.
- Add plants to the Offices
Several scientific studies have shown the benefits of having more greenery in your workplace.
Studies have shown that simply adding some greenery in the form of indoor plants can have major positive benefits for employees and their organisations. The same goes for remote or home workers, too, (B. Chignell).
Reducing sick days is an immediate effect that office plants can have on employee wellbeing. Plants naturally filter toxins from the environments they grow and help freshen the air.
Creative blocks are real. Office plants can inspire employees if they are out of ideas or have been stuck on the same one for too long. Vibrant colours and fresh air are the benefits that leafy companions can bring to the office.
According to a study done by NASA, the plants among the best air-purifying plants were the Florist’s Chrysanthemum and Peace Lily.
The good news is that many of these plants require little care and are pleasant to look after.
You can consider snake plants that require very little light and water, so they are a good place to start if you are looking for the best plants for your employees’ desks or for a select corner within offices.
Employers must do more than simply provide employees with the opportunity to participate in wellness activities. Employers must set a good example and foster a wellness culture within their organisation, to truly commit to employee health and wellbeing.
Natasha Chimphondah is an organisational development consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a business management and human resources consulting firm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-chikondi-chimphondah-9b62a9159/
Phone: (0242) 481946-9/481950
Mobile: (+263) 783836901
Email: natasha@ipcconsultant.com
Main website: www.ipcconsultants.com
