As an employer, you could be forgiven for thinking that your staff are supposed to take responsibility for their own health. However, do you actually know how much of an impact you have on their fitness and their overall well being? Well, the only way you wouldn’t know is if you’ve never been an employee yourself. Everyone knows that the workplace is stressful. It’s not just the workload, but the office politics and dealing with deadlines and clients and drumming up new business – there are way too many ‘and’s’ in that sentence, which should tell you everything you need to know about what your staff are currently managing. Many employers forget that their workforce is made up of people. Real people, who have real feelings and real lives outside of your employ. And yet they do.
Your staff will always work hard for their own pride and their own desire to further their career. However, it’s up to you to ensure that you are creating an environment in which they want to work. They should come to work feeling good about the day ahead and leave knowing that they have completed their tasks to the right level. If you look at your people as more than just staff, you can start seeing them for the individuals that they are. You can look beyond the resume and their skills and see that your head of the IT department is having some health issues at home, which are only being exacerbated by her stress levels at work. You can see that there has been some pressure on the sales team, and they’re not managing it very well. If you step back and see people, not cogs, you can finally understand how you play a part in their health.
If you make the effort to create a culture that is going to value the wellness of your staff, you can reduce the number of staff absences that occur each year. You can show your staff that you have respect for them and their well being, and in turn you’ll gain their loyalty. You can slow down the turnover rates that you’re currently experiencing and end up with a staff that are going to stay with you for far longer, meaning you are going to deepen a professional relationship and help to grow their careers. There are so many benefits to creating that atmosphere in your company, and it all begins with an employee wellness program that will suit everyone. You can do this by working closely with each individual to find out what they need from you. Some members of staff can find their stress levels lowered simply by working from home a couple of days a week. Others can find a better pace in the office if they are able to bring on interns to handle paperwork for their team. It’s all about making people feel comfortable and there is no request that’s too much, as long as you can afford it.
Did you know that employees work better when you bring nature into the office? It’s called working by biophilic design; having access to sunshine, fresh air and nature can make a huge difference to the overall health and well being of the people who are working alongside you. When your company is based in a big city high rise building, it’s difficult to source an atmosphere of greenery and calm, but you can instead bring in elements that can contribute to that tranquil feeling. A roof garden is one of the most popular options for staff, because they can be free to take their laptops and work outside in the sunshine. It can help the circadian rhythm of the staff and make them feel energised enough to keep going, especially when harsh deadlines are looming. Think about all the other ways that you can bring nature into the office, from slate wall fountains to leafy indoor plants.
Desk work is a slog, and you’ll know that from being behind yours. One thing that you can really encourage is movement during the working day. People may have their tasks, but if they are armed with laptops and tablets instead of large computer stations, you can have a culture where people can move from a set desk space to giant beanbags. How about installing cuddle chairs and even standing desks for those who can’t spend all day long seated? Movement throughout the day gets the blood flowing properly and makes people feel less depressed from staring at a screen for hours on end. Make it a policy that there will be no staff at desks during lunch breaks, so that your people have no choice but to get up and get outside.
If you’re that boss who offers free food and drink on site, try and choose some healthier options. There are plenty of companies that do sandwich and soup deliveries during lunch hours, but when it comes to snacks in the day, people will always go to cakes and pastries when they are stressed out. Instead, lay out fruit and vegetable platters in the staff refrigerators, add water tanks every few feet down the office with ice as an option and stock up the kitchen with free granola bars and healthy snacks. You want your staff strong and healthy so that they don’t spend days off work sick and offering them healthier options can stop them from sugar crashing through the day.
As an employer, you are responsible for offering good health insurance and coverage in your package, so make sure that you are offering the best possible programme for your staff. Include gym membership and once a month, have a therapist come in and talk to anyone who needs a chat. Mental health is just as important as physical health and if you can provide this to people, you’re going to cut down the number of mental health days that people may need to take. Be a good person as well as a good manager and think of how you can better the lives of those who are growing your business.