How To Make Your Employees Healthier At Work

Updated on May 15, 2019
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Cultivating a healthy workforce isn’t a simple task. The health and wellness of your employees is a complicated matter since various factors contribute to a person’s overall well-being. 

Providing fresh fruits instead of calorie-laden pancakes loaded with syrup can help you get started. However, this is only addressing the superficial layer of the matter. Your employees’ well-being doesn’t revolve around physical health alone. It involves taking a holistic approach into account, such as:

1. Providing Personalized Rewards

Each person is different from the other. Having some great employee recognition ideas in hand can help you tailor rewards for individuals or teams. Providing benefits can boost employees’ morale and productivity. This, in turn, leads to better organizational efficiency. 

2.  Focusing On Mental Health

Mental health is significant nowadays with mental disorders disrupting the efficiency of employees. According to research, poor mental health results in increased absenteeism and presenteeism (less productivity while still attending work). 

Not all employers can provide treatment to their employees. However, educating the organization and giving them mental health resources can be great support platforms to start with.  

Organizations should ensure that health insurance benefits comprise of mental health coverage. These might include mental health questionnaires during assessments. In addition, it is best to provide your employees with resources on local counselors and therapists. 

3. Addressing Stress, Especially In Work Settings

Stress within the workplace is common. However, it doesn’t mean it should be tolerated. Extremely high levels of stress can lead to diminished productivity and reduced collaborative efforts. In addition, it can harm both physical and mental health. Stress at work can even lead to insomnia, hypertension, heart disease, and substance abuse.

Organizations should determine the top stressors within the workplace. Signs of stress within your employees might include moodiness, negativity, and decline in morale. If you find these signs within your company, you can put out anonymous surveys to assess the stress levels within employees. You can even order for office coffee on HeyYou while sending out questionnaires asking for specific situations that induce the most stress. 

Employers should evaluate meetings, workloads, and deadlines that might be contributors to extreme levels of stress. Activities that help manage stress can be implemented at work, including yoga and meditation. Teaching your employees how to manage stress should be given importance as well. 

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4. Putting Emphasis On Financial Health

It’s important to note that one’s finances can affect not only life at home, but also productivity at work. Poor financial health can lead to high blood pressure, reduced concentration, and decreased efficiency. 

As an employer, it would be wise to teach your employees about financial well-being and how to take charge of their finances. Organizations can educate their employees through resources such as finance counselors, financial planning tools, and financial management classes. Remember that financial health, along with other aspects of a person’s well-being, is essential for productivity. 

5. Providing Ways For Healthy Interpersonal Engagements

Relationships with colleagues can have a significant impact on your employees’ mental, social, and emotional well-being. Harmony should exist within your organization as they tend to work with each other for at least 40 hours a week. 

Employers should allow their workforce to know each other on a personal level. Monthly get-togethers can be organized to enable employees to associate with others, including those from different departments. A team outing is also an effective way to encourage building collaborative work relationships among people.

6. Promoting Work-Life Balance

It’s not always possible to achieve a healthy work-life balance. However, having a reasonable degree of this idealistic situation can help you achieve enhanced productivity within the workplace. 

One of the best ways to help employees achieve work-life balance is by giving them the option to work remotely from home when necessary. Giving out more paid time-off is also a great way to foster happier and healthier employees. 

In Conclusion

Employers should understand that physical and mental health are not achieved through a one-off process alone. It is best to cultivate a holistic approach that takes multiple aspects of a person’s well-being into account. It is important to note that making your employees healthier and happier requires effort and investment on the company’s part. 

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.