Wellbeing in the workplace is an increasingly important subject of modern times, and it's easy to see why. Now, more than ever before, the spotlight is being shone on workers' mental and physical health and how work can affect a person's wellbeing and productivity. Businesses have been making meaningful changes to boost employee health in recent years.
There are many advantages to this. Perhaps most importantly, it's a kind and correct thing to do for business owners to look after their employees and ensure they are happy and healthy at work. There are also genuine business benefits, as healthy workers will be more focused, more productive, and less likely to take time off.
Here are some ways you can improve employee health.
6 Strategies to Improve Employee Health
1. Promote and Foster Social Connections
It's important to remember that mental health is just as important as physical health for your employees. In today's world, many workers can feel stressed, nervous, lonely, or anxious, whether they are working remote or in person. You can help resolve this and lower stress levels for all by promoting and fostering social connections among your team members.
There are many ways in which you can do this. When you hire a new worker, for example, you can arrange a welcome meal or get-together after work to socialize and forge new bonds. You can also arrange more work outings or team-building exercises via video chat to encourage employees to communicate and collaborate.
2. Offer a Helping Hand
Another way you can help improve your employees' mental health is by reaching out and providing them with the helping hand they need. A big part of this is being more communicative and open with your employees, ready and willing to listen to their problems, share their concerns, and offer solutions.
Let's say, for example, that one of your employees has had a change in their home life and is struggling to keep up with their usual working schedule while also juggling personal responsibilities. You could offer them flexibility to adjust their hours or allow them to work certain shifts from home to help out.
3. Be a Leader, Not a Boss
One method that we're seeing being used in many successful start-ups and big companies across many different industries is a shift away from the traditional 'boss' concept towards something closer to 'teams and leaders.' You can also make this a part of your business by beginning to behave more like a leader than a boss.
What's the difference? Bosses are typically associated with strong bossy behavior, and they're seen as strict, overbearing, and even scary in some circumstances, which won't help employees feel comfortable or less stressed. Instead, being a leader is about guiding people in the right direction, motivating them to hit their targets, and helping them reach their potential.
4. Be Empathetic to Your Employees
A little empathy can go a long way in the world of work. Unfortunately, this particular emotion has been lacking from many organizations worldwide for too long. You can start to become more empathetic by genuinely listening to your workers' needs and understanding their situations. Then, you can become a dream boss and create a truly positive and healthy working environment for all.
Empathy is all about putting yourself in someone else's position and being able to look at things from a different point of view. For example, if an employee comes to you with a request, try not to purely look at it from your perspective or from the viewpoint of how it can benefit or harm the business. Instead, try to see it from their eyes to understand why this request is being made to reach the best possible conclusion.
5. Create a Healthy Atmosphere
Another excellent way to improve employee health is to look at your workplace's physical environment and find ways to make it better. Ensure that your office has good air quality without dusty and dirty air that can harm people's respiratory health, making them irritated, less motivated, and more stressed out.
You can improve air quality in various ways from getting professional air duct cleaning to installing air filtration systems. Additionally, adding more plants and windows to an office space can help improve the workplace environment. It would help if you also considered providing healthy snacks and other amenities like fitness equipment or relaxation areas where workers can chill out during their breaks.
6. Don't Neglect Employee Health
Perhaps the ultimate takeaway for any business owners and bosses wanting to improve employee health and create a healthy workplace is to stop treating employee health as a secondary or lesser factor for your business. Instead, it should always be seen as a vital priority because that's precisely what it is. It's a priority both for your company's future and for the lives of the people who work for you.
Employee health is immensely important and should be a significant part of your entire business plan. This means that big decisions, which can include anything from beginning a merger or acquisition to changing to a new location or adjusting working hours, should not be taken without first thinking of their implications on employee health.
About the Author: James Watson is a content marketing specialist at www.eliteheatingandac.com. Having several years of experience in the home improvement field, James is keen on sharing his knowledge and secrets with others. He likes sharing tips and tricks to make everyone’s life better. Currently, James resides in Las Vegas, with his wife Angelina, and has two kids Jack and Lisa.
