How to Create a Wellness-Focused Workplace
By Patrick Young
When you run a business, your employees are your greatest allies in your journey toward success. Treat them well, and they will always be there when you need them most. This doesn’t just mean writing a paycheck each week. The happiest and most dedicated employees are those that belong to wellness-focused workplaces. To round out your leadership role, New Jersey Job Market knows that you make your staff’s health a priority, and here are some great tips to help you help them invest in their health.
What is a Wellness-Focused Workplace?
A wellness-focused workplace is simply one that prioritizes the health and well-being of its employees. It’s free of toxic influences and encourages a sense of community. A few ways that you can inject some positive energy into your environment while encouraging self-care for your employees include:
- Allowing flexible working hours. Flexible working hours are a welcome perk for many reasons. D’Marge notes that one benefit that specifically applies to those late risers on your crew is that having the ability to start their workday later than 8 a.m., which means they can take advantage of their energy when it is at its peak. This will give your employees a chance to sleep in when they need to, which may help them combat the effects of sleep deprivation. A flexible schedule, which may or may not include remote work, can also give your employees the work/life balance they desire.
- Having a little fun. Everybody needs to have fun now and then and, as a good boss, allowing your employees to step away from their mundane duties will give them a boost that will propel them through the day. Fun in the workplace can keep your employees productive and engaged, and it will make each day a little less dreary. One idea is to set a few hours aside once a month for a food truck and lawn darts or washer toss in the company parking lot. You might also schedule a yearly company picnic or turn the entire office into an escape room to see how well employees from different departments work together under pressure.
- Providing wellness benefits. If you’re already providing health, dental, and vision insurance, great. But there are plenty of other wellness benefits that you can offer to your employees that will encourage them to care for themselves. Access to a fitness facility, for instance, can be a great amenity. Depending on where you live, you may be able to work out a deal with local gyms to help give your employees a free or discounted membership.
- Offer healthy snacks. It’s not uncommon for people to skip breakfast in the morning because they simply are not hungry when it’s time to leave for work. But, according to Northwestern Medicine, breaking the nightly fast gives the body energy. While you can’t dictate what your workers do at home, you can keep a variety of healthy snacks in the break room. Cheese sticks, nuts, fruit, beef jerky, and oatmeal are all easy to eat at a desk and will fill your workers up so that they aren’t distracted by hunger throughout the long morning hours.
- Encourage time in the outdoors. Even if your office is in a downtown location, chances are good that there are some outdoor spaces for your employees to enjoy. Set picnic tables or covered shelters up on your property so that workers can eat their lunch in the open air. If you’re farther out of town and have the freedom to landscape however you wish, you might also consider building a walking trail, which can be surfaced with gravel to keep shoes from getting muddy.
- Embrace eco-friendly initiatives. Not only will going green at work make a financial difference, it will increase morale, too. Employees like to know that their employer is ethical, and being eco-conscious is one way to do that. You can offer several disposal options for trash, compost, and recyclables. Assigning specific work-from-home days can also decrease the amount of power used on those days. You can also adopt solar power for your office by installing solar panels on your building. You can check prices for contractors in your area using a search engine that allows you to input some specific information about your needs. Then, read through reviews to find a few good contractors from whom you can get quotes before moving forward.
Taking care of your employees doesn’t just mean signing their checks every week. It’s essential for businesses to create a wellness-focused workforce so they can be healthy and happy outside of the eight hours or more they spend with you. By encouraging self-care, you show your employees that you are dedicated to them and they will, in turn, repay that dedication back to you.
If you’re looking for new quality employees, use New Jersey Job Market to post your opening. And be sure to include all of the great wellness incentives that are included with the position!
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