Achieving corporate wellness has become a key goal for many corporations today, as more businesses recognize the significance of having a healthier, happier and more productive workforce.
While it might seem like a daunting task, establishing beneficial wellness programmes in the workplace can actually be relatively straightforward.
Here are 7 easy & effective ways to improve employee health & well-being in the office.
#1 Recognition & Praise
Nowadays, more and more employees (especially the younger generation) need to feel valued at the workplace. They yearn for recognition and praise from their peers and superiors for performing their tasks well.
It seems like a small pat on the back, or a genuine word of encouragement can go a long way in improving employee well-being in the office.
#2 Urge Sick Employees To Stay Home
When you’re suffering from a headache or cold, taking one or two days off to rest at home might be enough for you to get well again.
However, many companies still require employees to produce an MC when taking sick leave. Such inflexible rules result in some employees turning up for work begrudgingly – as they are unwilling to visit a doctor just to obtain an MC.
Being hit by an illness already diminishes an employee’s productivity, and showing up for work only increases the chance of spreading the sickness to other colleagues.
Essentially, it’s a lose-lose situation.
Companies should urge sick employees to stay home to properly recuperate, rather than insist employees produce an MC. Such a rhetoric is shared by NMP Irene Quay, who suggested in Parliament that employers should allow employees to take up to 3 three days of non-consecutive sick leaves annually, without having to submit an MC. Such a trust-based honour leave system creates a positive workplace culture as it signifies a sense of trust employers have on their employees.
#3 Open Workplace Communication
A successful employer-employee relationship largely hinges on the level of communication between the two. Establishing strong workplace communication will help employees feel a greater sense of belonging to the company and improve general well-being.
Employees should have no qualms about approaching their superiors when facing difficulties at work or in life. They should feel free to air their opinions and concerns on anything work-related without the fear of being penalized. A workplace that promises honest, consistent and open communication will definitely be a more vibrant environment to work in.
#4 Modernizing Your Workplace
Since we’re on the topic of a vibrant work environment, how about sprucing up your office by adding colour and life to it?
Creative office workspaces are said to help lower stress levels and improve productivity.
Adding splashes of colour and greenery to an office space is a simple yet effective way to liven up the office environment. After all, employees send half of their waking hours at the office, and we’re sure most workers would prefer an avant garde-ish workspace compared to a lifeless and dull one.
As a general guide, yellow is said to trigger one’s creative juices, blue increases one’s focus and green helps one to remain calm and reduce stress.
In case you’re a little lost, here are some stunning office spaces to draw inspiration from:
#5 Routine Health Screenings
Health screenings can be conducted on an annual basis to inform and educate employees on their personal health. Empowering employees to make their own healthcare decisions, may even motivate them to start monitoring their own health situation and leading a healthier lifestyle.
And as we know, healthier employees are happier employees – and happier employees work better!
#6 Weekly Exercise Events
Weekly exercise events not only serves to promote an active lifestyle, it is also a great way to encourage all employees to destress together after a hectic day at work.
In Singapore, recreational sessions like yoga, kick-boxing or zumba are popular workout activities colleagues can join as a group. Alternatively, workers might relish the idea of going head-to-head against their colleagues in a friendly intra-organization sporting tournament. Who knows, you might just discover the next Michael Jordan amongst one of your employees.
#7 Mental Health Education & Counselling
Ensuring one’s mental health is just as important as caring for one’s physical health.
Burnout has been officially recognized as a psychological occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organization – with the condition said to have significant impacts on physical, psychological and work-life repercussions.
In light of this, companies can strive to educate their employees on the topic of mental health & wellness e.g. the causes and effects of burnout.
This allows employees to better mitigate against, and deal with mental health issues. For the more serious and urgent cases, counselling services should be provided by the company to ensure affected employees are well taken of as quickly as possible.
Employee Health & Well-being Is Key
A happy and healthy workforce is beneficial for any businesses, and companies should do their utmost to ensure their employees are well taken care of. Follow our tips and you might just see the mood in your office start to improve over time!
Written in collaboration with our financial advisory partners at Virtus Associates.
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