Improving employee wellbeing improves results

Most employers understand that the health and wellbeing of employees can have a positive or negative impact on their performance at work. Despite knowing this, many employers do very little to encourage healthy lifestyles or educate their teams on ways to improve their personal wellbeing.

Just how important is health and wellbeing in the workplace and could you be doing more?

Benefits of looking after your employee health and wellbeing

Better performance - We recently discussed promoting mental health in the workplace and how 62% of workers believe that their employment has contributed to poor mental health. This statistic just highlights the fact that employers need to do more to ensure that their employees are happy at work and have the right support. It’s not just mental health that needs to be addressed. Poor physical health can mean employees are more lethargic, suffer headaches and have poor concentration. All of these can affect how they perform at work. They may be slower at carrying out their role, become irritable with colleagues or clients or they may make mistakes that result in unnecessary expense to your business. Keeping employees happy and healthy is essential if you want them to perform to the best of their ability.

Better attendance - If your employees are leading healthy lifestyles and taking care of themselves then they are less likely to suffer sickness which means reduced absence from work. Absence incurs costs such as the expense of having to arrange cover. Not only that but the time involved in carrying out absence reviews and back to work interviews is time that could be used elsewhere in the business. Therefore, it is clearly in the best interests of the employer to keep absence to a minimum. You will never be able to stop sickness completely but, by promoting a healthier workplace, you can reduce the number of minor complaints that cause people to miss work.

Better retention - Employers who take care of their employees will always have higher retention than companies who don’t.  Employees want to feel valued and you can do this by creating a good environment for them to work in and implementing initiatives to improve their health and wellbeing. By introducing health benefits and investing in wellbeing you make yourself a more attractive employer. Not only will retention be better, you’ll also attract better candidates to new roles.

Ways you can improve health and wellbeing in the workplace

Education - We recently looked at cancer in the work place and how to educate employees on recognising symptoms so they can get earlier diagnosis. This proactive approach can be applied to other illnesses and is a good way to improve employee wellbeing. Educating employees helps them recognise symptoms in themselves and their colleagues. If symptoms are spotted early it can prevent an illness turning in to something more serious. It is also highly beneficial to educate employees on prevention of illness. Introduce training on health and wellbeing into your business. Not all employees understand nutrition or the benefits of exercise. Not all employees will realise the impact their lifestyle choices could be having on their health. Things like smoking, alcohol and drugs may be having a bigger impact than they realise and a little education can go a long way. There are many companies that can provide training workshops on subjects such as nutrition, exercise, physical and mental wellbeing and substance abuse. These workshops can take place either within your work place or externally.

Encouragement - As an employer you can have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of employees by making just a few minor changes to the workplace. Keeping hydrated is essential as it improves concentration and keeps you feeling more awake. Ensure that employees have good access to water and encourage them to drink plenty throughout the day. Simply adding extra watercoolers into the office can help. Encourage healthier food choices. Have a basket of fresh fruit in the office for employees to snack on rather than biscuits. If you have a vending machine, then you could swap some of the less healthy items for healthier options. If there is an onsite canteen then make sure that there are healthy options on the menu.

Environment - The environment that we work in has a huge impact on our wellbeing. Poor lighting can cause tiredness, headaches and other illness. Bad ventilation can cause respiratory problems and sickness. The temperature of an office can also affect our health. Cleanliness is another huge factor. Dirty toilet or kitchen facilities can spread bacteria. Dust and dust mites, mould and mildew and other such occurrences can severely impact the health of your employees. As an employer you have a responsibility to ensure that the environment which your employees are working in is adequate to support them in carrying out their role.

Exercise - Promote exercise within your workplace. Examples of things you could try are starting a lunchtime walking club or 5 a side football tournaments. You could get employees to sign up for fun runs, charity runs or team events. You can offer employees discounted gym memberships or subsidise the cost of them attending classes or taking part in events. UK Outdoor Fitness offers exercise boot camps for all fitness levels. They provide a fun and motivating environment to help people get fit. Their indoor and outdoor fitness classes are ideal for those who can’t find the motivation to exercise alone. Not only is exercise a great way to help your team get fitter and healthier; it can also provide team building opportunities.

Employees Assistance Programmes (EAP) - Employee Assistance Programmes have been proven to decrease absenteeism and improve productivity. They are designed to assist employees with work related problems that may be impacting their job performance, health and mental or emotional well-being. EAPs are confidential and provide assessment, counselling and support to employees. They are becoming more and more desirable in the workplace. Companies that offer these kinds of services are more attractive to employees as they show that the employer looks after the wellbeing of their workforce.

Employee Benefits - A great way of attracting and retaining high calibre employees is to offer a good benefits package. Life, medical and health insurance should all be considered. Providing benefits such as these shows your employees that you are invested in looking after them and their families which increases their loyalty to your company. ViiSana are a fantastic company that specialise in workplace wellbeing. They provide excellent health insurance with a difference. They incentivise employees to make improvements to their lifestyle, which in turn improves their health and wellbeing and their productivity in the workplace. So not only are you able to offer your employees good health cover, you also improve their health and wellbeing at the same time.

Get a healthier, happier workforce today

By improving the health and happiness of your workforce you can really improve their productivity. You’ll make your company a better place to work which not only increases retention but also helps you to attract a better calibre of candidate to grow your business.

Key Appointments works hard to find the best candidates. We believe that part of this is helping our clients ensure that they are attractive as an employer. That’s why we offer far more than just a recruitment service.

We have taken the time to build strong relationships with reliable, professional businesses whose services we feel could be beneficial to the clients we work with. If you would like to improve health and wellbeing in your workplace then we can introduce you to our network of specialist contacts.Whether you need help with recruitment or would like us to connect you with someone who can assist with health and wellbeing, get in touch.

You can contact us on 0844 5044666 or info@key-appointments.co.uk