How Can Employee Wellness Increase Productivity?

Last week I attended a talk about employee wellness, and one of the talks was conducted by health guru and experienced wellness coach, Barbara Cox.  Here is what I learned about wellness in the workplace, and here is how you can implement small changes which could make a big difference.

Fitness and physical health

As an employer, you can encourage physical health by providing employee benefits such as gym memberships, in-house exercise classes or physical group activities, such as walks or runs.  By encouraging physical activity within your team, you can boost productivity.  Research shows that physical activity can improve concentration, memory, learning, mental stamina, creativity and lower stress...  If you want the best from your employees, encourage physical activity to benefit both your employees and you. Just a few hours a week can drastically change the dynamic and productivity of the office.

Time outside of work

Family & friends, fun & recreation, romance & significant others

As an employer, your understanding of your employees having a life outside of work is crucial.  People need to have enough time to spend doing things they want to do without having to think about work and other to-do lists. Do all you can to make sure your employees have enough spare time by introducing options like flexible working hours, enough holiday time or even early finishes to reward great work. Thinking that the weekend is enough time for people to have a life outside of work is naïve and can result in low tenure in your staff, not to mention adding stress, pressure and low performance in your employees.

Personal growth, development and academic studies

As an employer, educating your employees through training and courses can enhance their well-being as well as yours.  Having employees who are continuously learning means you have a more knowledgeable workforce as well as a having a happy, progressing team.  Invest in training your team by providing training sessions, courses and talks so your employees are less likely to feel as though the grass is greener in another company.

Community and environment

Being part of a team is great for individual wellness as it brings on feelings of belonging and value.  It’s important to have a close-knit team who can trust and lean on one another for individual sanity as well as company culture. Feelings of animosity or resentment in the office can destroy your culture and the people within it.

Being around the same people in the same environment can often be stressful on employee’s so it is your responsibility as an employer to create an environment where people want to be – that could include making the office a welcoming fun place to work or it could mean mixing people’s workplaces up.  Let people work from home, from a coffee shop or even from another office if you have more than one.

In terms of team building, try doing activities outside of work together, like celebrating birthdays, meals or physical activities.

Wealth

Financial difficulties and struggles can put major stress on people, and as an employer, it is your responsibility to pay your employees a fair rate. Not only should the position and workload be taken into account, but you should also consider things like location, working hours and commute as part of your packages.  Not only will paying a fair amount provide your employees with less financial stress, but it will also contribute to employee tenure and deter people from looking elsewhere for new positions.