Wellness in the workplace – more than a fad

Promoting wellness in the workplace can improve the morale, retention rates and productivity of your employees. It’s a topic we’re hearing a lot about but yet 56% of people still say their company does not have sufficient supports in place to help employees with mental health issues.

It’s important for employers to understand the need for creating a safe and supportive work environment for their team. It’s not a strategy that can be implemented in a short space of time but rather one that needs to be ingrained into every aspect of the organisation. Here’s how to promote wellness in the workplace.

Open culture

Building a culture that’s supportive and nurturing requires serious time and dedication. You can’t just organise ‘meditation hour’ and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. More than one third of us say our job affects our mental health. Make sure your company is a place where employees feel comfortable raising important issues. This means educating your management team so that they live and breathe the cultural values. After all, they are the ones that will really dictate the atmosphere of the organisation. Provide them with sensitivity training so they’re well-equipped to be the considerate and tactful communicators you need them to be.

Our research shows that 49% of people say their manager is the most influential support in helping them deal with workplace mental health issues.

A management structure that promotes wellbeing among employees will result in higher job satisfaction, less absenteeism, better employee retention and lower health care costs.

Team up

A workplace that facilitates team spirit is good for the physical and mental health. Employees are happier in an environment where they have good social interactions. Lay out the office in a way that allows staff to come together in shared working spaces and break out areas. Natural light, plants and pet-friendly policies help too! Who doesn’t love puppies?

Team sports can be a fantastic way to work through any tensions that may have surfaced during the day, as well as being good for fitness. So get the company involved in the next tag tournament or football league, team bonding is good for the collective souls and an amazing stress buster.

Healthy surroundings

Make a conscious effort to encourage healthy behaviours. Organise team outings that revolve around activity rather than alcohol. Offer reduced gym membership and fitness wearables as company perks or arrange a weekly fitness class such as yoga or aerobics. If that’s not within your budget, there’s plenty of other ways to be more health aware – from having nutritious food options available to insisting employees take their breaks in full to being flexible about holiday days. Our studies show that after money, flexibility around working hours/days is the biggest incentive to stay at a company. Being considerate and respectful of your employee’s work-life balance is crucial.


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Author Aoife Geary

Aoife Geary is the Content Editor at Jobbio specialising in the areas of Workplace Culture, Diversity, Startups and Digital Trends. She's partial to a burrito, a bad pun and living way beyond her means.

More posts by Aoife Geary

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