Employee Wellness: Why it Matters to Team Managers & 5 Ideas

Employee wellness is a topic that is gaining more traction as years go by. What does this mean for you? It means that more and more companies are taking Employee Wellness seriously and implementing measures to ensure that their employees receive the best possible care. So without wasting any more time, let’s start! In this blog, we will be discussing what Employee Wellness is, why managers need to provide it, and the consequences that can occur if they don’t. We’ll be further adding five simple steps for managers to ensure employee wellbeing at their workplace.

What do you mean by Employee Wellness, and why should Managers care about it?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the definition of employee wellness will vary depending on the company and the employees themselves. However, employee wellness can be described as a comprehensive approach to improving employee health and wellbeing. Essentially, a holistic approach to employee wellness means creating a work environment and culture that supports the physical, mental, and social wellness and the overall wellbeing of employees. Let’s elaborate on these three aspects:

Physical wellness

Companies need to provide a safe working environment that is free from workplace hazards and resourced with the necessary safety measures. It refers to providing a healthy and safe working environment for the employees. It is basically about managers ensuring that their employees are physically fit and continue to remain so.

Mental Wellness

Companies must create a culture that respects the time and talents of individual employees. It refers to creating a positive work culture that appreciates and respects employees. It is about managers promoting culture or interventions that can positively impact employees’ mental health.

Social Wellness

It is defined as creating an environment that promotes an overall sense of wellbeing and fulfillment in employees. Social wellness means that companies work towards promoting a healthy, constructive workplace environment where people can enjoy themselves while working together with their colleagues in a meaningful and productive way.

Employee wellness should be a top priority for all managers. After all, if your employees are healthy and happy, they’re more productive and less likely to take sick days. Other than that, ensuring employee wellness is one of the critical requirements for managers to be effective in their roles. Here are just a few reasons why employee wellness management should be a top concern for managers:

• Employee wellness has a direct impact on job performance
• Healthy employees are less likely to get sick or injured
• Employee wellness programs are cost-effective
• These programs also help in stress management within the workplace
• Employees who are healthy and happy are more likely to be productive and loyal to their company

What adverse outcomes can managers face if they do not ensure Employee Wellness?

Health and Safety Risks

A healthy workforce is a safe and productive workforce. Employees who are unhealthy or stressed are more likely to make mistakes on the job, leading to accidents. Especially during pandemics, sick employees are also more likely to catch the virus and can spread illness to their coworkers. Companies need to invest in workplace wellness to ensure employees’ excellent health and safety. By not ensuring employee wellbeing, managers can open their organizations to a range of health and safety risks.

Absenteeism or Low Levels of Productivity

If employees are sick or injured and need to take time off from work, they’re not productive. And if they stay at home because of stress-related illnesses, their productivity decreases further. It can negatively affect the bottom line as absenteeism will result in low production levels and higher costs. It can also negatively affect their managers because the absence of the worker is an addition to the workload. Further, it harms employee engagement and can even increase burnout levels among employees.

Loss in Morale

In a workplace with unhealthy or unwell employees, their general wellbeing will be lower than it should be, as sick or unhappy individuals are less likely to put in effort on the job. It will negatively affect their efficiency and morale and cause the overall team to suffer. Further, a lack of social wellness among employees, including good communication, healthy relationships, and workplace culture with team spirit, can negatively affect morale. This low morale among teams can further lead to decreased productivity levels.

The exit of talented employees

When managers ignore the wellbeing of their employees, it can make employees think that the organization does not value them. If you are not taking care of your employee’s wellbeing, you may be facing the exit of talented employees. It is because an unhealthy employee is not only a disruptor but also a costly one. From mental health to physical health issues, numerous issues can negatively affect an employee’s productivity and overall health.

Employees motivated to stay healthy and fit are much less likely to leave if their managers take an active interest in their health and safety. By providing your employees with access to mental and physical health resources, you can help them stay healthy and productive throughout their tenure with your company.

Increased Insurance Costs

Sickness and other health issues are expenses that tend to go hand in hand. Studies have shown that companies with sicker employees pay more for health insurance than companies with healthier employees. It is because unhealthy employees are more likely to be hospitalized and require more expensive medical treatment. They are also more likely to develop chronic conditions such as obesity and heart disease, leading to higher health care costs.

As a result, when managers ignore employee wellness, their team may require more medical insurance and healthcare costs because of the direct correlation between high levels of sickness among their employees. It is vital to make sure that you are doing everything you can to promote a healthy environment when it comes to employee wellness. It will reduce the risk of costly employee health problems.

Damage to Company Image or Reputation

Ignoring or not giving much attention to employee wellness as a manager can result in a tarnished company image. In addition to the financial burden this can place on a company, an unhealthy workforce can create a toxic work environment. Unhappy employees are more likely to leave your company. Moreover, they may also be more likely to tell their friends and family about their negative experiences at your company.

In addition, it may also result in customers seeing the company as an unhealthy one and might end up going elsewhere or even avoiding doing business with the organization altogether. If you neglect to take employee health seriously, you may deal with costly lawsuits, lost business, and a tarnished reputation.

5 simple steps for Managers to ensure Employee Wellness

When it comes to Employee Wellness, there are a few things that everyone should be aware of. First and foremost, ensuring your employees stay healthy is essential for their long-term productivity and overall wellbeing. Here are five simple steps for Managers to take to help ensure employee wellness:

1. Educate yourself and your team on the benefits of healthy lifestyles

It may seem like a fundamental idea that has been around for many years. However, it is not just a one-time process. It is essentially an ongoing process that you need to keep up with as part of employee wellness. There are several key areas where individuals can improve their mental and physical health, including sleep schedules, diet composition, and exercise routine. Managers should provide coaching to employees on the benefits of these activities. In addition, managers should also make it a point to talk about their time management routine, including sleep and diet, and other things such as exercise routines. This can motivate employees to do the same due to the common urge or following the manager.

2. Encourage regular physical activity

Managers should encourage their employees to be physically active regularly. Physically active employees are more productive and have lower rates of absenteeism and illness. There are many ways for managers to promote physical activity among their employees. Managers can develop an internal sports competition and fitness competition for their employees. It will also facilitate a sense of healthy competition within the workforce.

Another way is to provide incentives for those who participate in company-sponsored wellness programs. Managers can also create a culture of health and wellness within their organization by setting an example for their employees. Finally, managers can support employee physical activity by providing resources and information about being physically active.

3. Make sure the work environment is comfortable and Stress-Free

To ensure your employees are healthy, managers need to create a comfortable and stress-free work environment. You can do this by small and easy interventions like sufficient bright light without any obstructions, providing plenty of natural fresh air, having comfortable chairs to sit in, etc. This way, employees can focus on their jobs without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. It can also improve overall morale if the employees have a relaxing and stress-free time during office hours.

It would help if you also designed the office layout according to the needs of the employees. The workspace should have resting and recreational rooms with comfortable furniture like bean bags. Also, try not to use anything that can be harmful to employees, such as flashing computer screens. These can be extremely disturbing for their work performance.

4. Ensure that your team members are aware of all wellness policies available to them. Please encourage them to make full use of them

One of the essential parts of ensuring employee wellness is making sure that your employees are aware of the wellness policies that are available to them. Most businesses have various wellness policies that employees can choose from. These policies can include flexible work schedules, on-site health screenings, and wellness incentives. Therefore, all team members must be aware of all of the different policies available to them. After they are aware, managers should encourage these employees to use these policies to assure employee wellness.

5. Create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their health and wellness issues

Employee health and wellness issues can be challenging to talk about. This is because they can feel embarrassed or ashamed. However, this should not stop team members from discussing these issues with their managers. Managers should create an environment where it is safe for team members to discuss any health or wellness concerns. This will allow the team to work towards a common goal of improving the health and wellness levels among employees in your company.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that employee wellness is an increasingly important topic. It has become a focus for both businesses and individual workers alike, as it has been linked with increased productivity and reduced health care costs. This blog outlined the importance of employee wellness, the adverse outcomes that can happen if it isn’t taken care of, and five simple steps for managers to ensure that their employees are well-cared for. Once you have read this blog, we believe that you will better understand how, as a manager, you can assure the wellbeing of the people who work for you and your organization.

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