Wellness is a word that can be used concerning various scenarios. But wellness within a workplace is vital to ensuring employees’ health, happiness, and safety. Plus, it can have a wider impact on businesses’ productivity, performance, and efficiency.
Three different types of employee wellness must be considered in the workplace. Social, physical, and psychological wellness. When companies consider these areas of an employee’s wellbeing, it gives the opportunity to spot stressors (at home and at work), provide effective structure to the individual, and open up communication to enable support that’s required.
Control Stressors
Controlling stressors is about understanding what affects employees in terms of wellness. This could be unclear expectations, excessive workload, conflict, or even balancing working and home life. Inputting actual measures to reduce these stressors as much as possible is vital, as they directly address the issues an employee may be facing. Speaking directly with individuals, and understanding their stressors is important, as not all employees find the same things stressful.
Praise and Gratitude
In any circumstance, whether a team has collectively achieved a goal or whether an employee has gone above and beyond, gratitude for good or hard work will always go a long way. This will show employees that you value what they do, but also value them as people. Some people may appreciate public praise, whereas others may prefer this on a one-to-one basis.
Structure, clarity, and direction
Knowing where they stand, what’s expected of them, and what the company’s goals are, will provide clarity for employees. Understanding the needs of the business will remove any guesswork, in terms of job demands, and potential gossip from the workplace. This in turn creates a clear structure for the team and removes feelings of anxiety and worry.
Providing flexibility
Work is a major part of people’s lives, however, everyone has a home and social life, which will ultimately impact a person. From juniors to managing directors, balancing work and home life can sometimes be easy, and sometimes it can be very difficult. Providing flexibility in terms of working hours and location can be an effective way of helping employees to cope with these difficult moments.
Collaboration and input
Employees feel valued when their ideas, concerns, and points of view are recognised and considered. Not every point or idea may be implemented, but the recognition that it has been thought about will be valued by employees. Collaborative work can also mean when some have a larger workload, others have the ability to step in and help where needed. This positive attitude towards teamwork, and willingness to work together can alleviate stressful situations in the workplace, and open up opportunities to talk to colleagues about any difficulties they may be juggling.
Training and resources
When employees are well equipped to do their jobs, not only does the job get done effectively, but efficiently too. No roadblocks mean a smoother route to completing allocated tasks. This helps employees to feel more prepared, less stressed, and less likely to encounter problems that could have happened without relevant training.
Communication
Communication is the most important part of any business. Giving instructions, encouraging questions, giving feedback, managing projects, and checking in with employees provide open communication. This type of communication will encourage employees to start conversations before they become issues, and allow you to ask employees frank questions and receive truthful feedback.
Access to help, if needed
When employees are struggling, whether physically or psychologically, they should have access to services where help or advice is available. Occupational health services can provide this. Whether this is mental health support, health screening, or a management referral.
Contact Us
To find out more about how we can support you and your employees in terms of wellness, whether this is physically or psychologically, get in touch. Call us on 01260 277797 or email us via website@acornoh.co.uk