Nowadays, employees are taking the saying “health is wealth” to heart.
According to recent surveys, 93% of workers consider their overall workplace
well-being to be just as important as their salary. Interestingly, the same study
found that 87% would even consider resigning if they felt that an office didn’t
prioritize wellness. Job seekers shared a similar sentiment, with a whopping
96% saying they’re only interested in companies that emphasize worker well-
being.
All in all, this underscores the need for officer leaders to take wellness more
seriously. Outside of just talking about work-life balance, managers and
executives need to adopt more nuanced wellness initiatives that help
employees care for their holistic health even while at work.
How wellness impacts the workplace
The most obvious way that a lack of workplace wellness manifests is through
more sick leaves. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
over three million cases of workers taking days off for illness were recorded in
a single year. This translates to around 10 days off a year per employee.
Naturally, having employees out this often can negatively impact office
outcomes. If an employee plays an especially critical role in a project,
deadlines can be missed and key goals neglected.
Aside from this, even if an employee were to come to work, offices that don’t
make an effort to prioritize wellness are less likely to keep workers positively
engaged. Employee disengagement is one of the costliest issues in the
workplace today. Per Gallup reports, a single disengaged employee costs their
employer about 18% of their annual salary per year. This is because they’re
more likely to experience dips in productivity, participation, and commitment.
Over time, this can also lead to higher turnover rates and lower company
morale.
Simple ways to improve your workers’ well-being
Fortunately, enacting workplace wellness efforts that actually make a
difference doesn’t need to be complicated. For starters, given that BLS data
reveals that civilian workers spend almost half the workday seated, ensuring
office workspaces are safe, comfy, and supportive can go a long way. This
stands whether your work setup is in-person, remote, or hybrid. As such, try
offering ergonomic home and office equipment. With a wide variety of options,
like memory foam lumbar support cushions, anti-fatigue foot mats, and
adjustable keyboard trays, it’s relatively easy to find something for your office
budget, space, and employee needs. Since these are designed to support better
circulation and posture, workers are less prone to misalignment, fatigue, and
overexertion.
Another viable option that also serves as a great way to encourage inclusivity is
through assistive technologies designed with accessibility in mind. Since these
are specifically designed to ensure that workers with disabilities are able to be
fully active and confident within a space, they help foster feelings of belonging
and equality among all team members. In terms of physical wellness, these also
prevent any unnecessary straining. Moreover, these help prevent accidents that
can result in further presenteeism or absenteeism. Some examples of these
tools include screen magnifiers, alerting devices, and adaptive switches. That
said, the above measures should only be the beginning of workplace wellness
initiatives. To safeguard employee wellness and long-term company stability,
it’s important to craft and roll out a sustainable and considerate multi-pronged
plan that actually puts what employees need at the center.
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Article written by Reanne Josette
Exclusively for Project-Assistant.com
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