Does Your Company Really Need a Wellness Program?
Beyond providing great health insurance and popular perks such as free gym membership and a snack stocked kitchen, does your company really need a wellness program?
Great health insurance is a must for bringing and retaining top talent. Popular perks are nice add ons. But, what I’m here to discuss today is the real question to ask about employee wellness:
How can we make employees happy, present, and engaged, so that they will feel great and do their best work?
The Quick Stats on Employee Engagement
- Only 33% engaged at work
- 51% NOT engaged at work
- 18% actively DISENGAGED
→ Actively disengaged employees cost the US $450 to $550 billion per year
*Stats from the State of the American Workplace Gallup 2017 Report
Why Should Your Company Care About Employee Engagement?
EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ENGAGED:
….are employees who care.
….have ownership over their work.
….are invested in their work.
….find purpose in their work.
….are more creative.
….contribute to their team.
….are brand ambassadors.
….are employees who stay.
How Can You Improve Employee Engagement?
Autonomy & Flexibility
Consider allowing employees a more flexible schedule. That might mean flexible hours, time to work from home, longer lunch hours, or more vacation time. When employees feel trusted to design their own schedules, they can work a schedule that is congruent with their most creative and productive hours.
Learning & Development
Supporting your employees to develop and expand their skill set through continuing education gives them a sense of autonomy to level up and do more challenging and rewarding work. When an employee feels that there is upwards mobility and growth in their role, it creates a structure for them to stay and feel intrinsically valued.
Recognition
Feeling valued, recognized, and seen are essential desires as humans, both inside and outside the workplace. If an employee feels valued for the work they put in, they are much more likely to continue to go above and beyond.
Encourage Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Part of feeling engaged is feeling empowered and confident in oneself. Just like going to the gym consistently to lift weights, keeping in prime mental and emotional health requires consistent work and support. When employees feel confident, empowered, and healthy, they can show up fully.
Here a few ways to promote consistent wellbeing in the workplace:
- Support and participation from Upper Management
- Flexible schedules to allow for self-care
- In office services for Massage, Yoga, Pilates and Mindfulness (ie. Refresh)
- Mental Health Days
- On-site therapy
- Online/texting Therapy (ie. Talkspace)
Takeaway
Gather feedback from your employees and network. Which benefit would make the greatest impact on their work? Which benefit would make them join your company in a heart beat?
