According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety cost the global economy as much as $1 trillion in lost productivity. And that’s just an estimate; it’s difficult to calculate the exact devastation poor workplace health can have. But the corporate world is taking notice and, as a result, employee wellness programs are on the rise.
Stress management seems to be the current “trendy” wellness program style of the hour, but is it enough? Learning to manage stress is a great skill to have, of course, but can also act as a mere finger in the dike if the root cause of that stress isn’t addressed. Luckily, we’re also noticing an uptick in more holistic approaches to employee wellness, particularly in the way of financial wellness. And, with 73 percent of Americans citing finances as their greatest stressor, relief can’t come soon enough.
But these are just the tip of the iceberg. Truthfully, employee wellness programs can manifest in all sorts of ways. Every company is unique and, as such, their employees have unique needs. Workplace wellness programs ought to reflect that. Below are a few other examples of how to bring wellness to your employees.
1: Challenge Employees To Build Healthy Habits (And Reward Their Successes!)
Healthy habit challenges are great because they’re equally accessible to remote and on-site workers. Whether it’s drinking more water or spending more time outside, building those good habits can go a long way in creating peace of mind for anyone. If you really want to incentivize people, however, consider adding rewards! They don’t have to be ornate; a high-quality water bottle would be a great reward for a water-drinking challenge!
Make It Fabulous: Host a live challenge right in the Fabulous for Work app so everyone can easily access it.
2: Nourish Your Employees With Healthy Food
Whether it’s keeping healthy snacks on deck or ordering lunch for everyone at the office, good food does more than make people feel good. Loading up on those vital nutrients will keep employees energized and make it easier to concentrate. No one works at their best on an empty stomach!
Make It Fabulous: Send employees on the Celebrate Healthier Eating Journey so they can learn exactly what their bodies need to function at their best.
3: Create Spaces for Work-Free Socializing
Weekly game nights, Zoom happy hours, and even wellness retreats (both in-person and virtual) are all great ways for employees to gather and talk about things other than work. Remote workers in particular are more susceptible to loneliness and isolation. Closer connections lead to better collaboration.
Make It Fabulous: Fabulous Circles can be a great place to chat casually with colleagues without being tied to the workplace the way the company Slack is. Work-life balance matters!
4: Start a Coaching Club
Meet-ups can be kind of awkward if you’re not sure what to talk about. Clubs give everyone a united purpose and topic while also leaving room for casual chat. And the topics can be whatever best suits the group. Maybe one month will center on discussing a personal development book everyone reads while another month might involve pairing up senior and junior staff for mentoring discussions.
Make It Fabulous: Fabulous offers daily Coaching audios (with text accompaniment) on a variety of topics that can make for great jumping-off points for discussion.
Employee Wellness Is About the Employee
Whatever wellness programs you choose to implement, you can’t go wrong if you keep one thing in mind: Employee wellness is about the employee. Investing in the health and wellness of your workers is an investment in the health and wellness of the company as a whole. Your employees are your most potent and powerful resource.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest mindfully! If everyone at work is already staying hydrated, programs to make them drink water won’t do any good. In fact, tone-deaf gestures can have a negative effect on an employee’s perception of their workplace.
If you’re not sure where to start, or what might be best, Fabulous for Work can help! Request a demo and see all the ways Fabulous can boost your employees’ wellness. Alternatively, your employees know what they need better than anyone. Ask them!
What wellness programs have your workplace implemented? Do you have any predictions for what workplace wellness will look like in 2022? Tell us in the comments or on social media!
