The COVID 19 pandemic has taught everyone that health and well-being should always be at the forefront both in your personal and working life. According to researchers, well-being is a positive state where you feel well physically, mentally and socially. This doesn’t only involve the absence of disease but also being content within the work environment and outside it. As the researchers state, wellness is not a luxury but a necessity. Wellness is not only related to your personal life, even if it may seem so at first glance. In reality, well-being and work outcomes strongly relate to each other.
Poor well-being impacts employees, decreasing their productivity and leading to increased absenteeism. At worst, workers may quit their jobs because their mental health is affected. Now more than ever, it’s time for companies to recognize the importance of wellness at the workplace and start implementing programs and providing resources for employees. Workers are an invaluable asset for organisations, so employers are responsible for protecting them. Plus, this is the only way they can succeed within their company. Let’s explore how prioritising employee wellness benefits your organisation.
It improves employee retention and recruitment
Absenteeism has a lot of negative effects on companies. Firstly, supposing one of your workers is absent, you must find someone to replace them, which involves additional costs for your company. Secondly, absenteeism means decreased productivity and poor quality of work. Due to an employee’s absence, the workload will likely increase unexpectedly, making the other team members feel overwhelmed. This further leads to poor results and losing customers. Therefore, absenteeism impacts your company culture significantly. This is why prioritising employee wellness is so important. Creating wellness activities and health programs for workers provides resources for stress management, which, in turn, results in a harmonious working environment.
When the work culture is positive, employees are happy and more engaged, leading to reduced training and recruitment costs. This benefit may not seem tangible, as it’s difficult for companies to measure it financially in the short term. However, the long-term benefits are there; after all, your company can only thrive if your employees feel motivated to do their work. What’s more, individuals want to work for ethical organisations, so implementing these programs helps you attract and maintain talent.
It reduces employee compensation claims
Work-related stress manifests in physical symptoms like fatigue and headaches, as well as psychological ones like depression and anxiety. When employees’ health is affected, they can no longer be productive. Therefore, it’s paramount for organisations to prioritise their team members’ safety and well-being. According to No Win No Fee Solicitors Co. experts, employees can make a claim for an accident at work if:
- They lack personal protective equipment;
- The employer fails to conduct proper risk assessments;
- The company doesn’t provide adequate training.
Any company wants to avoid legal issues considering all the costs involved – not only financial but also the ones related to your reputation. Therefore, you should take all the required measures to keep employees safe. This involves eliminating the hazards in the workplace, training workers on safety, and providing all the required resources, both physical and psychological. Reducing workers’ compensation claims is a significant part of maintaining a good reputation and ensuring your company runs smoothly without experiencing disruptions.
It helps build high employee morale
Companies with solid positive morale have positive and productive employees. Put differently, your company culture reflects in employee morale. If you focus on well-being and health, team members will likely be more satisfied and confident at work. Positive work morale is crucial for employee retention and motivation, work performance, collaboration, and employee engagement and productivity.
Employees stay longer within companies that align with their values and provide healthy and supportive workplace cultures, as well as meaningful work. It’s essential to give employees brand-new, efficient tools that boost their productivity, as well as stress management tools that increase their mental fitness. This may mean offering company training, preventative care services, or off-site workshops. Moreover, you should also provide growth opportunities for your team members to keep them motivated. You can help them advance their careers by building a career development plan. This should include how they can get a promotion and meet the company’s goals. Your company’s growth plan should also outline how team members can improve their skills.
It maintains your organisational reputation
Building a solid reputation requires effort, which can take months and even years. However, it only takes an instant for a business’s reputation to be demolished. Your company’s reputation impacts both its growth and revenue. Therefore, you should maintain an excellent reputation if you want to attract and retain employees and customers. When customers’ perceptions of your business are good, they will likely patronise it for a long time. This means they will support your venture and tell others about your products or services and why your company is so reliable. This naturally results in significant profits and enhanced success.
Corporate culture is one factor that impacts your company’s reputation. It affects the hiring process, communication, management and employee retention. When you build a positive work environment, you ensure employees perceive you as a trustworthy company with strong ethics and values. This boosts your organisational reputation and helps you attract top talent. When trying to enhance your company’s reputation, you should always start internally. Consider the factors that can influence it, such as product quality, employee satisfaction and customer service. Source opinions from team members and figure out where you can improve. And then take action. Keep your employees happy, provide an excellent customer experience, and offer them more value by ensuring a superior quality of your services and products.
Last words
There’s no doubt that prioritising employees’ wellness results in better business outcomes. Health equals wealth, meaning that you should take good care of your team members in order to make a profit from your business. As mentioned previously in the article, employee wellness and productivity go hand in hand, and you can’t expect to hit company milestones unless you build a positive culture first.