What if we told you that by investing in health and wellness you could save your organization money? Cue the eye roll, we know what you are thinking; it’s just more money being thrown out the window that employees don’t need. Before jumping the gun on this one, you might want to consider some quick facts.
There is in fact a direct correlation between health and engagement. A Gallup Study found that 62% of engaged employees believe their work positively affects their physical health. That number drops to 39% among not-engaged employees and 22 percent among the actively disengaged. What’s more concerning is the fact that a majority of actively disengaged employees – 54 percent say they believe their work lives are having a negative impact on their physical health. Thirty percent of not-engaged employees and just 12 percent of engaged employees say the same.
Prioritizing employee health is more than showing your employees appreciation; there is something to be said about the positive impact of employee health and wellness when it comes to your business.
If you have ever noticed that your employees are out of the office because they are feeling under the weather, you might want to think about the ways you can help. By doing your part as an employer to reduce sick days, you will boost productivity levels and reduce the number of sick days employees take. The Harvard Business Review also found that employers who invested in health and wellness in the workplace saw a 3-to-1 return in money saved.
Build a successful wellness strategy
So, it turns out investing in health and wellness in the workplace might not be a bad idea after all. With that being said, there is no single step that you can take to create a work environment that promotes health and wellness. Therefore we have come up with, a few ways you can foster health and wellness in the workplace.
If you have ever worked in an office that has typical 9-5 hours, you probably have experienced the effects of sitting still all day. It’s no surprise that after lunchtime, most employees crash and are not as productive as they were first thing in the morning. The alarming part of this is that this is only the short-term effects. Sitting too long at work comes with a long list of negative
Keep employees moving
If you have ever worked in an office that has typical 9-5 hours, you probably have experienced the effects of sitting still all day. It’s no surprise that after lunch time, most employees crash and are not as productive as they were first thing in the morning. The alarming part of this is that this is only the short-term effects. Sitting too long at work comes with a long list of negative long-term health effects that include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and early death.
The solution is to determine ways to get your employees up and moving. It might sound silly but some companies have “outside meetings” where employees get together and walk. Some companies even hire a trainer or yoga instructor to visit the office once a week. Others may even have an on-site gym. Most businesses do not have it in their budget to have an on-site gym so at the very minimum you should encourage your team to engage in physical activity throughout the day.
Turn fitness into a company-wide competition
Sometimes people need a little push to get physically active. A way to do this is by turning physical activities into a friendly competition. Here are a few ideas to promote competition:
· Determine how many steps employees take a day (this can be measured on a smart phone, apple watch or Fitbit.)
· See how many times employees have checked into a gym or fitness class
· Challenge employees to run 5k races or marathons
Whatever challenge you choose to do, offer your employees a small price as an incentive. Employees will begin to feed off of other employees and more and more team members will get on board with the challenge.
Provide good snacks
In an eight-hour workday, employees will eat one or two meals plus some snacks. People need food to fuel our bodies. The trick is providing healthy food options to your employees. If you have ever eaten a quick meal and immediately felt sluggish afterwards, you have experienced the effects of unhealthy foods. Providing snacks that are healthy and high-quality will serve as a way to perk up your team members throughout the day.
Tip: Don’t forget to encourage employees to stay hydrated! Research shows there is a direct correlation between hydration and productivity levels.
Incorporate health and wellness into employee perks
Some employees might be interested in changing their lifestyle so that it revolves around health and wellness but they don’t have the means to. Once employees receive their paychecks, the money earned goes straight to financial obligations such as rent, insurance and car payments. After the essentials are paid, there is little money left over for “fun” money. In fact, a recent study shows 80 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. This means that there is a good chance most employees cannot afford gym memberships, nutritional coaching or anything else that can contribute to their health and wellness. The solution is to offer employee perks that are dedicated to health and wellness.
Work2Live: Providing you with perks that are dedicated to health and wellness
Determining what kind of perks your employees will find value in is a guessing game that can feel like it will never be won. Some employees might benefit from paid fitness classes while others might benefit from nutritional coaching. That’s where our Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) come in.
An LSA is an employer-funded account in which an employer enables employees to make specific types of purchases from the accrued funds in their LSA. LSAs can cover costs such as fitness classes, gym memberships, nutritional coaching or other costs that the employer believes will contribute to higher productivity levels.
At Work2Live, we are happy to provide you with a perk that your employees will love. This unique perk helps foster health and wellness in the workplace and it will show your employees that you are invested in their well-being!
If you are looking for new ways to promote health and wellness, look no further and get started with Work2Live today!