Five Ways To Increase Wellbeing in the Workplace

If your business is going to succeed, you need to invest in your staff. Unhappy and disengaged staff are typically unproductive and likely to leave your company, so keeping them healthy and happy is key to making sure your business thrives.

If your team feel valued and looked after, they are more likely to come to work with a positive mindset and do a good job. If you fail to consider the wellbeing of your employees, you could be staring down the barrel of low staff retention, a demotivated workforce and sub-par output – all of which are the foundations of a business in trouble.

So, we’ve established that employee wellbeing is vital, but what exactly does it mean? Many companies mix up wellbeing with employee benefits, but they are not the same thing. Wellbeing refers specifically to keeping your staff healthy and happy by providing them with the means to maintain a good work/life balance. So, if you thought a pool table and vending machine in the office were going to cut it, that’s not the case at all.

Here are six tried and tested methods of improving employee wellbeing:

1. Plants

Top of the list of things you can easily change to enhance the wellbeing of your employees is by switching up the office. Plants and greenery are proven to increase concentration and result in a higher quality of work. Being in and around nature could increase your memory by up to 20%, so adding a few potted plants on filing cabinets and desks will relax your staff whilst making them more productive – and will make your office look more welcoming, too.

2. Seating

Physical health is just as important as mental health, so investing in good seating for your team is vital. If your employees have chairs that offer no support or comfort, they’re more likely to take frequent breaks due to being uncomfortable. Buying decent, long-lasting chairs that support good posture and reduce the strain on the body will not only keep your employees more comfortable and therefore happier – it will reduce the need taking days off as a result of back/neck/hip problems incurred by spending hours in a poor office chair.

3. Nutrition

Working in an office comes with one major issue – snacking. How many of your staff order take-out or have drawers stuffed with chocolate and other unhealthy foods? The answer is probably nearly all of them. We know that a poor diet leads to a whole host of health issues, so it’s important for the health of your team that you offer health alternatives. If you have a canteen, offer up healthy and nutritious lunches. If not, add a table to your office brimming with fruit, nuts and healthy snack options. This will keep your team healthy and happy, both physically and mentally.

4. Comprehensive Leave

Most companies offer their staff the bare minimum when it comes to holiday allowances. This can lead to many employees feeling let down and burnt out, especially those with families. Often, basic leave allowances aren’t enough to cover school holidays which can lead to many sleepless nights and a huge childcare bill. That being said, many workers don’t take their full leave entitlement for fear of having a negative impact on the company they work for. This inevitably leads to absenteeism and a string of physical and mental health ill effects. Offering your workers plenty of holiday and encouraging them to take it all will ease stress and all that comes with it, as well as increasing motivation and staff retention.

5. Fitness

Some of the biggest companies in the world have exceptional reputations when it comes to employee happiness and wellbeing, and lots of them implement fitness plans. Whether it’s in the form of an onsite gym or an allowance to spend on sporting equipment, keeping your staff fit is vital. Exercise does just as much for your mental health as it does for your physical health, so if you’re looking to improve wellbeing within your team, this is a great solution to consider.

Keeping your employees fit and healthy by looking after their wellbeing is essential if your business is going to succeed. It doesn’t take a lot – a few plants here and there and a gym membership for everyone could do wonders for staff loyalty, satisfaction and output. Investing in your employee’s wellbeing is an investment in your business.

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Looking after your employee’s wellbeing will do more for your business than just keeping your staff happy – it will greatly improve their productivity and output, too.