In today’s corporate landscape, the significance of employee wellness and well-being is widely acknowledged. Incorporating amenities and programs within the work environment to support this has become a focal point for progressive organizations. In this article, we will explore a handful of initiatives to choose from to elevate your employee wellness and well-being programs.
As Workplace Professionals, it is our responsibility to champion and demonstrate the importance of employee well-being. Moreover, we must diligently ensure the success of these programs, starting from their inception and extending through the launch phase, while maintaining seamless program management.
Why is well-being and wellness important?
Prioritizing employee well-being is of utmost significance, especially in today’s dynamic work environment, as it plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining the top talent. In a McKinsey article, burnout has reached at an all-time high, exacerbated by the lingering impact of the pandemic and ongoing economic changes. In the face of these challenges, companies must wholeheartedly address employee mental health and their overall well-being. After all, employees stand as the most valuable asset to any organization.
Ideas to consider for your workplace
Below is a list of idea starters for you to consider. Spanning from the initial design of creating or renovating a physical work environment to embracing hybrid and distributed setups, these suggestions encompass a wide array of opportunities to deploy or improve your employee well-being program.
- Incorporating dedicated Mothers Room into the design of your physical space (this should be a no brainer)
- Employee health benefits and coverage (this should be a no brainer)
- Family-friendly policies with paid parental leave, bereavement, PTO, vacation, FMLA (this should be a no brainer)
- Incorporating wellness, quiet, and prayer rooms into the design of your physical space
- Flexible work (flexible work hours, WFH days, 4-day work week)
- Paid meditation and mental health apps
- Paid wellness workshops or classes
- Company off-site retreat events
- No meeting days
- Scheduling company ‘creative breaks’
- Continued learning and development
- Ergonomic furniture for both the office and home office
- Healthy snacks
- Recognition and rewards
- Work environment design with biophilia, gardens, natural day light, heating & air comfort, user personalization, access to outdoors
How to deploy
To successfully deploy these programs in your workplace, it is essential to plan strategically, focusing on improving the overall employee experience. Keep in mind that the most effective initiatives are those that are directly align with your employees’ needs and values. To implement these ideas into a sustainable well-being program, consider the following steps:
- Needs assessment – what is the current state of your employee well-being and wellness? Performing surveys, focus groups, or interviews can help grasp the pulse of your employee base.
- Strategy alignment – ensure that the ideas you want to implement are aligned with your company strategy and goals regarding your employee experience.
- Committee and support – establish a cross functional team to support your endeavor, along with the appropriate leadership resources for alignment.
- Program framework alignment – host a meeting to review your program plan and receive your committee’s contributions, alignment, and agreement.
- Communicate, market, and train – establish a communication, marketing campaign, and training plan prior to launch.
- Execute 🙂
- Celebrate and encourage 🙂 🙂
- Review and adjust if needed – obtain regular feedback.
Remember that once these programs are deployed, they require continuous attention and may have adaptation…and that’s OK! Tailor the strategies to suite the specific needs and preferences of your employees to maximize their impact and seek regular feedback to see how these programs are performing.
Incorporating well-being and wellness programs into your overall employee experience will boost productivity, engagement, and employee happiness into your workplace. Kudos to those Workplace Professionals who persistently work on deploying and maintaining well-being programs for their employees.
If you’re looking to converse with likeminded professionals and discover solutions to help deploy your initiatives and programs, you can head to the Collective Connect Community to collaborate further.
Learn more about our Author: Kayla is an advocator and leader within the world of workplace and is the Co-Founder of Collective. She has studied and practiced within workplace for over fifteen years leading space transformations, creating inspiring spaces, driving business innovation, and leading teams with some of the best in class companies such as Haworth, Steelcase, Designtex, Newell Brands, FullStory, and Cobuilt. She is IFMA’s Americas Young Professional Chair and is passionate about getting students and other professionals interested in the Workplace career. To learn more, check out her feature in Collective’s Bookmarks.
*Disclaimer: This post was not generated by A.I. It is indeed written by a real life human. A pretty cool human in fact.