Employee well-being is the overall physical, mental, financial and emotional well-being of people working in an organisation. Factors like company work culture, work-life balance, team atmosphere, compensation, perks and benefits determine the employee well-being of a company.
According to Deloitte’s Mental Health Survey, poor mental health costs companies in India USD 14 billion annually due to reasons like absenteeism, attrition and low productivity (The Economic Times). The blog talks about the eight most important health and well-being tips at work you must execute in your company right away.
1. Provide financial awareness training
According to a survey conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, only 37% of salaried employees in the private sector and 45% in the government sector achieved the minimum score of financial awareness.
Financial education is crucial for developing skills like finance management, budgeting, saving and investing. The advancement of technology, enhanced media coverage on finance-related topics, and increased social media popularity for awareness are already contributing to financial awareness.
2. Prevent managers from undermining the employees
Employees’ satisfaction with their tasks and the people they work with contributes to their well-being. Happy employees are more productive and collaborative and can bring creative ideas to the table. However, there could be unfortunate circumstances where employees in your organisation feel undermined by their managers and coworkers.
Managers may be undermining their employees if they:
- Often interrupt and contradict the employees’ ideas and opinions to allow others to question them
- Intentionally share their employees’ mistakes to put them in a bad light
- Makes fun of their employees intending to demean their value
- Challenge their employees’ work, reduce their authority or try to lessen the value of their accomplishments
3. Organise guided meditation to relieve stress
Follow the steps below to launch a guided meditation program at your workplace:
- Start with the motivation to participate in a guided meditation program
- Plan the program and allocate budget
- Book your session with the tutor
- Conduct the session effectively
- Track the measurables of the program and take feedback
4. Provide healthy snacks and lunch at work
Eating healthy food is one of the most important employee well-being at work. Companies worldwide are taking initiatives to provide free, healthy snacks and lunches. Some companies have also made it mandatory to take lunch breaks so employees can attend the most important meal of the day. It helps address productivity issues and health disorders.
5. Plan team outings
Team outings give employees a mental-health break from work. They develop bonding and are motivated to work towards a shared goal. Plan fun activities and games to foster competitiveness and team spirit. Leverage team outings to strengthen greater interaction and involvement of team members.
6. Provide enough personal and professional development opportunity
Personal and professional development opportunities at work contribute to employee well-being. Without L&D opportunities, employees start feeling that their career progression has stopped. Thus, it negatively affects their satisfaction with the work.
7. Normalise sick leaves and time-offs
In many companies, people don’t take sick leaves and time off, thinking their careers could be at risk.
Hence, normalising much-needed time-offs will be a great employee well-being initiative.
8. Ensure a pleasant working environment
According to a survey among 7,000 employees, a pleasant working environment improves employee wellbeing by 55% and productivity by 4% (Facilicom Group).
For many companies, facilities at the workplace are merely cost items. So, they overlook some essential and additional facilities that could contribute to making the workplace fun and productive.
Take the initiatives to improve your office work environment bit by bit. Add enough natural elements to your office space for improved mental health, reduced anxiety and stress, and improved concentration.
Now is the time you start taking employee wellbeing initiatives to ensure your employees are in good health, physically, mentally, financially and emotionally. Companies that proactively implement and execute employee wellbeing programs attract and retain talent. Follow the above employee health and well-being tips at work to improve employee productivity and retention.
