How to Prioritize Health at Work
Various studies have shown that more than 50% of all employees experience mental health issues and episodes. Unfortunately, this number is only increasing, driven by a highly demanding corporate environment and rising stress over finances, healthcare, and geopolitical issues. Poor mental health not only impacts a worker’s ability to perform their job but also reduces the overall productivity of a company as a whole.
Thankfully, there are valuable, proactive solutions that an organization can implement within operations to prioritize the health and wellness of its workforce. From stress-management initiatives and financial wellness programs to employee upskilling and smoking cessation programs using vape prescription strategies, there are multiple ways forward-thinking employers can cultivate positive corporate behaviors and foster a healthy, happy, and supportive work environment.
Regular Check-Ins
One of the first and most crucial wellness strategies to introduce into the workplace is regular check-in opportunities. Managerial employees with the necessary education can use these meetings to assess and find practical solutions to enhance employees’ well-being. During these check-ins, employee engagement surveys should be used to ensure ongoing communication and feedback opportunities.
This feedback tool can be used to identify potential issues within the work environment and to reinforce an avenue of support, trust, and open communication between management and employees, improving job satisfaction and allowing concerns to be addressed promptly and proactively. These check-in sessions can be held in a variety of setups, based on the size of the workforce and the dynamics of the office environment.
A Burnout Strategy
In today’s fast-paced corporate world, burnout in the workforce is a severe and common issue. It is a driving force in undermining a company's work quality and productivity, and the WHO (World Health Organization) has officially recognized that it is a company's responsibility to develop the necessary strategies to mitigate employee stress.
Staff in leadership and other managerial positions need to develop a burnout strategy that identifies triggers and implements comprehensive solutions to reduce employee burnout and foster a healthy, thriving workplace.
These solutions, which should promote occupational wellness, can help managers build a culture of listening and open communication and focus on improving mental health through professional channels.
Financial Wellness Programs
For the majority of individuals, financial stress is one of the most significant contributing factors to their poor mental health. Companies should support their employees with robust financial wellness programs that offer workshops, planning tools, and resources for retirement planning and general financial management.
These comprehensive plans will empower employees to make confident, well-informed decisions about their finances, providing them with the knowledge to navigate various challenges, reduce financial-stress-related absences, and align their financial goals with overall job satisfaction and performance.
Smoking Cessation Programs
To address poor workplace health habits, companies should consider introducing smoking cessation programs for all employees. By offering extensive support and attractive incentives to those participating in their programs, they will not only encourage participation and build a healthier, happier workforce but also mitigate health-related costs.
By implementing a smoke-free environment and providing resources and support to help employees break the habit, such as psychological counseling, vape prescriptions, and access to healthcare practitioners, company leadership can demonstrate a strong commitment to the well-being of all employees and support overall physical and mental health.
Employee Development & Upskilling
There is no denying that investing in and upskilling your employees will lead to improved business and employee growth. High turnover has forced companies to invest more resources in employee development to ensure their organizations remain functional and profitable.
While it is considered a long-term journey and investment, this will allow your workforce to grow significantly and improve their competencies, skills, and professional knowledge. Employee development is a fantastic way to strengthen relationships with employees and promote essential occupational wellness.
Flexible Schedules
Studies show that remote workers, on average, work more days per month than in-office employees. By offering flexible working hours as a key component of a company’s wellness strategy, a company will cater to the diverse needs of its workforce. Management can conduct periodic surveys to evaluate and reassess the effectiveness of flexible scheduling, focusing on employee satisfaction and productivity.
Prioritizing a healthy work-life balance empowers workers to better manage their professional responsibilities, fostering effective and comprehensive communication and engagement, and creating a more productive and harmonious environment.
Furthermore, a flexible work environment forces leadership and other managers to contact their workers only about important and urgent matters, rather than simply because they are in the same location. This limited access will facilitate a result-oriented culture, helping an organization thrive.
Health Screenings
A crucial component for assessing and managing employee health and wellness is conducting regular biometric assessments and health screenings. This valuable information, which highlights various health risks, enables a company to develop personalized wellness plans for its employees.
This proactive strategy will not only help organizations correctly identify potential health issues among their workforce but also enable them to create and implement targeted intervention plans before these risks develop into more serious problems. This will help to reduce healthcare costs and support a culture of preventive health measures throughout the workplace.