As important and useful as contingency plans are, how great would it be if we didn’t need them at all?
Obviously, the chance of employees being healthy 100% of the time is pretty slim but preventing illness and injury as much as possible is the easiest, cheapest way to keep employees happy and healthy.
So, here are some ways you can improve employee wellbeing, which may also save your business money in the long run.
Mental Health
Wellbeing refers to health in general, meaning it includes both physical and mental health, and the two really do go hand in hand. Stress is a major contributor to many long-term illnesses, as well as workplace accidents, so nurturing the mind-body connection will keep employees healthy and productive.
Telephone counselling
Having an accessible, professional and detached-from-work counsellor will increase the chance of employees seeking professional help. The majority of employees might not need this service, but for those that do it can mean the difference between dealing with their mental health or not.
Mindfulness education and practice
Encouraging employees to be present and focus undistractedly on work (while working) or home (while not) is a simple, cost-free way to keep their work-life balance in check. A great work-life balance has been proven time and time again to improve wellbeing and boost productivity.
Long-term physical illness
Long-term illnesses are detrimental to employees lives and the business’ overall productivity. By keeping employees healthy, you can reduce the risk of major health problems, stress or absence.
Healthy non-monetary benefits
Encouraging a healthy lifestyle with group exercise classes, healthy snacks and a shift away from activities with an emphasis purely on alcohol are great ways to reduce employees’ chance of getting sick. A healthy lifestyle also boosts dopamine levels to improve mental health – we meant it when we said they go hand in hand!
Office setups
The potential improvements for offices are pretty much as unlimited as the tech industry is. Many offices now offer ergonomic workspaces and standing desks, but the improvements can go further than that. Some of our less obvious favourites are medicine balls for chairs, regular group standing/exercise intervals and walking or standing meetings. If your workplace requires long periods of standing, alternatively, sitting breaks and anti-fatigue mats are the best way to reduce the negative physical effects of prolonged standing.
Injury
Injuries are a major cause of workplace absences, which can affect insurance premiums and diminish morale. By keeping employees’ minds and bodies healthy, you can reduce the chance of your employees becoming seriously injured at work.
Employee Benefits
Benefits like Group Private Medical encourage employees to go to the doctor, take some of the strain off the NHS and reduce the chance of injuries going undiagnosed. Employees who usually wouldn’t bother seeing a doctor about a niggle is encouraged to get the necessary help and skip the queues while doing so.
Here at Hooray, we really believe that prevention is greater than cure, and we are committed to keeping employees protected – not just once they need it, but all the time.