Introduction
Improving Workplace Wellness – Now, more than ever, focusing on holistic mental health and wellness is the new normal in the workplace. It is mainly due to the wave of future employees currently entering the job market; millennials and Gen Z. These employees seek work environments that accommodate their flexible yet wellness-focused lifestyles. Of course, the concept of welfare at work remains aimed at everyone. However, everyone can benefit from a better work environment, from senior management to C-level employees.
In the following guide, we’ll explain workplace wellness, the many benefits you can expect from cultivating workplace wellness, and how to tailor a new wellness program to benefit employees. And the bottom line of your company.
What is Wellness at Work? – Improving Workplace Wellness
In different contexts, the term welfare at work can mean different things. First, it refers to a work environment conducive to all employees’ and others’ health and welfare. More formally, workplace wellness programs are defined as follows according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
A coordinated and comprehensive set of workplace health promotion and protection strategies that include programs, policies, benefits, environmental supports, and connections to the surrounding community remain designed to promote all employees’ health and safety.
Of course, there is also the idea that employees can create and cultivate welfare work themselves. It can facilitate by focusing on better eating habits, promoting more movement throughout the workday, and developing crucial wellness habits like mindfulness, yoga, and meditation.
Why is Welfare Important at Work?
An average employee spends around 50 hours of their week at work. That’s about a third of its life each year. Additionally, workers will eat about a third of all their meals at work.
In other words, the workplace is almost like a second home for most of us.
It makes sense for the work environment to be where employees can feel comfortable and valued. After all, if the work is only stressful and demanding without rest, it can lead to mental and physical problems. In turn, the resulting issues will harm employees and their livelihoods. But they are also bad for the organizations they work for it.
Fortunately, workplace wellness has transformed the way companies think about their business. As a result, workspaces are even beings built to reflect the new awareness of welfare at work.
Offices are more open and bright. Break rooms remain filled with healthier snacks. There are comfortable spaces to relax and find some quiet time. The lighting is less harsh. These details are vital in a work culture focused on health and welfare.
Physical Health and Absenteeism, Stress and Productivity – Improving Workplace Wellness
It is a vicious cycle when employees’ physical and mental health in the workplace is not valued. Overworked, stressed, and undervalued employees are more likely to get sick. They are also more likely to take time off work even if they are not physically ill.
From an employer’s perspective, this means high absenteeism and unmotivated staff. As a result, not only is productivity within your organization more likely to decline, but your workforce will likely decline as employees begin to look elsewhere for a more wellness-focused work environment.
A recent Gallup poll confirms this, revealing that excessive job stress makes workers almost three times more likely to quit.
Unfortunately, excessive work-related stress is relatively standard. Often, this happens when there is no time to rest and reflect at work when healthy habits are not encouraged, and when workers do not feel appreciated and listened to by their employers.
Workers and employers should consider reducing stress in the workplace to improve their welfare and the organization’s success as a whole.
A Changing Workforce
As baby boomers retire, millennials and Gen Z workers flood the workforce. These young employees have different expectations regarding their work environment. Not only are they looking for a more flexible and familiar environment in their workplace, but they are also looking for demanding employers who focus on welfare and physical health.
It means that as an employer, if you want to retain the best workers of these generations, you must address these issues by providing a solid health plan and creating stimulating, healthy and satisfying work environments. Unfortunately, when that’s not the case, millennials and Generation Z are too willing to give up and seek employment elsewhere.
Conclusion
Improving Workplace Wellness achieving Well-Being At Work Is A Task In Itself And Requires Effort From Both Employee And Employer. Below, We’ll Break Down Some Of The Different Elements Of How You Can Achieve Workplace Wellbeing And Embed Corporate Welfare While Improving Workplace Stress Management.