The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the question of employee wellness to the front and center. We are all living through extremely stressful times. On top of that, employees who are primarily working from home have experienced their work-life balance getting impacted with work seeping into their time with family too. At such a time, companies are wondering how wellness at the workplace can impact employee productivity and the organization.
Employees are typically believed to have only 3 productive hours in a day. However, employees’ well-being can impact these productive hours even more. Even during normal circumstances, employees are experiencing increased instances of burnout and fatigue. This is due to employees being always connected. Back to back meetings, long commutes, emails on the weekend, employees aren’t really getting the opportunity to disconnect from work.
As the workplace becomes demanding, it is increasingly important for organizations to establish programs to promote workplace wellness. Such programs help to boost employee satisfaction and engagement and helps boost productivity.
An efficient wellness program focuses on the physical and mental wellbeing of employees. It should provide easily accessible tools for employees to address any issues they might have, inculcate more healthy habits in their day, release negativity and anxiety that impact focus and manage their time better.
A great wellness program will also be open to customization since it can’t be a one size fits all policy. Some employees might need more hands-on help while others might need lesser to flourish. The wellness program should also take into account the unique needs of your organization.
However, not all businesses might be in a position to offer a comprehensive wellness program. Don’t let a lack of funds hold you back from taking care of your employees. You can schedule talks, workshops that can provide your employees with more information around self-care and time management. You could also institute a no email policy after work hours or during weekends. This can help your employees focus on their friends and family when away from work and come back to work rejuvenated and refreshed.
In the end, whatever program an organization chooses to implement, just the conversation around wellness can have a positive impact on employee morale and engagement. This can further help to boost employee productivity and help create a wonderful organizational culture.
