There has been extensive research conducted in the field of employee well-being, and studies have shown that good employee well-being has a positive impact on staff motivation, turnover, productivity rates of absence.
However, knowing how to provide the best environment for employee well-being can be a challenge. Take a look at some simple and effective ways to improve employee well-being in the workplace.
Offer well-being perks
It may sound gimmicky but offering perks to employees is a great way to incentivise them and make them feel great about coming to work each day. Perks can range from health and fitness memberships to insurance and cycle to work schemes to shopping and parking discounts. The main part of a perk is that it is given with the ethos that businesses want to support employees to be happy and healthy.
One thing is key – the majority of perks that are offered should centre around life outside of work and promoting a good work-life balance so that employees come to work feeling good about being there. Many employers have taken the time to create well-being portals where their teams can access all the perks on offer alongside other help and advice on well-being.
Encourage mental and physical health
With employees facing more pressure than ever before, good mental health and physical health need to be encouraged by employers. The good news is that there is a range of tools that can be used to do this. From running schemes to raise general health awareness to providing helplines and support sessions is a great place to start. Plus, offering team leaders and senior managers up-to-date training on how to spot concerns in their team will help change the business’s ethos.
Other well-used schemes include offering mindfulness breaks, meditation sessions and even support sessions during the working day. Other businesses have gone one step further and invited different health professionals to provide workshops to help people take control of their health. Finally, supporting work-life balance by offering flexible working or an additional day off will help employees feel valued and supported when they are physically or mentally unwell.
Assess your employee well-being regularly
Health and well-being is a fast-paced area. There are often new and exciting innovations that aim to support employees to look after themselves better to be more productive. To keep up with these changes and offer the best support, it is essential that employers re-assess their employee well-being policies regularly. To do this, the employee voice must be heard and used to make amendments when needed.
Organise a well-being forum where team members can bring ideas forward for consideration and encourage staff to take control of their well-being so that they feel more empowered. Getting feedback will help you push forward, so why not survey your employees regularly to get a temperature check on how well the initiatives are working.
Review workplace sound
With more than 50% of businesses operating from an open-plan space, you may be reducing employee well-being without even realising it! Excessive exposure to high noise levels can leave employees feeling stressed, tired and unable to function productively. This does not mean that businesses should revert to closed-off offices and a silent workplace, but some things can be done to reduce the impact of noise without changing the space too much. See this guide for advice on noise risk assessments.
Installing soundproofing panels or partitions means that your open plan area will remain intact, but that nose levels will reduce as they are absorbed into the products you install. With many great choices on the market, your soundproofing products can even work with your business’ style and colour scheme. When you arrange for these products to be installed, you should aim to reduce noise to around 45 decibels – the UK Department of the Environment’s recommended noise level.
Taking the time to plan for employee well-being and create an environment where people can thrive, knowing they are valued, will only ever improve business outcomes. With more companies offering clear well-being agendas, it is time that all businesses follow suit.
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