Whether you operate a small business or manage a large organization, employee wellness have become a necessary perk. Not only do wellness benefits aid employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance, they also maximize success for the business that provides them.
As a hiring manager or business owner, you may be scrambling to secure the best talent. At the same time, employees are looking for more than just a salary. With many people working remotely or doing more sedentary jobs, employees are looking for positions that cultivate the work-life balance they want.
Understanding the Core Relationship Between Wellness and Employee Performance
It is essential to understand the relationship between health and performance if your business is considering offering more options for employee wellness programs and benefits. According to reports, more than half of American workers experience burnout from their current jobs. Some demographics are more at risk than others, but overall, the statistics of workplace burnout are alarming.
Burnout comes from an individual’s job and takes many forms, such as physical, mental, and emotional stress. Your employees may experience workplace burnout for any of the following reasons:
- Inadequate support from management
- Unmanageable workload
- Sense of negativity about the job
- No work-life balance
- Feeling a lack of control at work
- Feeling undervalued
- Lack of clarity about a job role
- Feeling overwhelmed by the workload
- Inadequate communication from managers
- Conflicts with others
These are just some of the reasons an employee may burn out. However, no matter the reason, the consequences are detrimental to their wellbeing—and to your business.
If burnout goes undeterred, people may experience mental health issues like anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, stomach issues, irritability, and moodiness. These physical and mental health problems may lead to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism, which results in difficulties for your business. It pays for you to invest in measures that will support your employees. By providing workers with employee wellness benefits, you will increase productivity and maximize ROI.
Optimal Work-Life Balance: How Employee Wellness Programs Boost Productivity and Satisfaction
Employees who have a healthy work-life balance are more relaxed and happier. They can perform better because of better health, reduced stress, and lower rates of burnout. When workers operate at their peak performance levels, your customers feel the effects. Employee productivity and customer satisfaction work hand in hand. It’s vital for you as an employer to ensure that your employees have the tools and programs available to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Integrating Health and Wellness into Your Company Culture: The Positive Impacts
Integrating health and wellness initiatives into your company’s culture provides maximal results. Not only will employee wellness programs boost worker productivity and reduce absenteeism, but employees will also have a more positive mindset about their work. When you support employees with a robust compensation package that includes wellness benefits, the workplace culture improves, as does your business’s image.
If you integrate health and wellness benefits into your company’s culture, you can expect to receive positive feedback from employees, which, in turn, affects customer satisfaction. When employees feel supported, it transfers to their work efforts. Workers will be more apt to provide top-quality customer service when they are at their healthiest.
Customers receiving stellar service will become repeat consumers of your business’s product or service. In addition, they may tell others about your company or give positive reviews.
The result of providing employee wellness benefits is an enhanced brand image, increased employee productivity, greater consumer satisfaction, and a higher ROI.
Revolutionizing the Modern Workplace with Wellness-Focused Employee Benefits
You may not think that implementing employee wellness programs in your workplace will revolutionize your company environment. Yet, it has the potential to do just that. Transform the workplace and implement modern wellness benefits by doing the following.
Personalize Health Options
Every individual has their own unique health needs. One option for your business is to ask employees if they will provide personalized health assessments that identify their specific wellness needs. Additionally, you will deliver general fitness and nutrition plans that help your employees become their healthiest selves while also ensuring they have access to mental health resources and telehealth services.
When it comes to fitness and nutrition, a bit of healthy competition helps you increase employee participation. Consider looking into how to create a fitness challenge for your work team, being sure to align the challenge with your company’s culture and operating rhythms.
Implement Digital Tools
Since we live in a digital world, there are many opportunities to provide employee wellness benefits through online programs and offerings, including with fitness apps and online learning platforms. By implementing digital tools, you can provide your employees with a flexible way to access their benefits while also keeping costs down for your company. Rather than having to create your own programs, you subscribe to existing tools that your employees may already be familiar with outside of work.
Nurture Positivity and Motivation in the Workplace
Work to cultivate a positive workplace environment. You want employees to feel valued and heard. Create a culture that is open to feedback and fosters teamwork so that you give workers a way to voice their problems or complaints so that stress doesn’t build up over time.
Develop rewards programs that encourage current employees to do their best work. These methods can help with top talent retention and inspire leadership and motivation in the workplace.
Recognize Multigenerational Issues
If your workplace has individuals from different generations, you’re well on your way to creating a diverse team. With this diversity, you need to ensure you foster inclusion and belonging by recognizing that employees from different generations may have their own work styles, backgrounds, skill sets, and strengths.
It’s vital to bridge the gap between generations to create a harmonious environment. Instead of seeing the differences between individuals, you can capitalize on each generation’s strengths. Where one person may be weak or deficient, another person is strong.
Transforming the Traditional Approach to Employee Benefits: A Deep Dive Into Digital Initiatives
Traditional employee benefits should be intertwined with employee wellness programs. Employers like you typically offer some of the following traditional types of benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off (PTO)
- Retirement plans (401(k), pension plans, etc.)
- Life insurance
- Flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
- Health savings accounts (HSAs)
- Childcare assistance
- Disability insurance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Employee assistance programs (EAPs)
Here’s a closer look at how some of the digital wellness initiatives that were touched on above transforms a traditional approach to employee benefit packages.
Digital Health Apps and Platforms
When you provide access to mobile apps and online platforms, your employees can gain personalized options for health plans, mental health resources, fitness programs, and more. You could also use programs that integrate wearables for real-time health analytics.
There are plenty of online subscriptions that highlight employee health and wellness. Workers could access platforms that provide mental health, stress management, counseling, and meditation services.
AI-Inspired Wellness Programs
Take advantage of artificial intelligence with AI-inspired wellness programs. AI can deliver highly personalized programs that take a person’s data and create tailored plans for achieving optimal health outcomes. It also recommends meal plans, healthy snacks for work, caloric needs, and more.
Virtual Fitness Classes
Help your employees get in shape with an online fitness class. Some of these are free, while others have a subscription-based fee. Either way, you can provide a curated list of classes to help workers reach their health goals.
Digital Flexible Work Schedules
These days, employees often seek work that allows them some flexibility. Whether it’s flexibility to work remotely or to have different scheduling options, digital tools and collaboration enhance the process.
Continuous Learning Platforms
Provide employees access to online learning opportunities available through various platforms. They can move up the learning ladder by participating in webinars, courses, and skill development classes.
Digital Recognition and Rewards
Your employees will feel more motivated when they are recognized and rewarded for their hard work. You will inspire a positive culture by making workers feel valued through digital rewards.
Financial Well-Being Apps
Employees will appreciate getting help with budgeting and other financial planning activities. This perk enables workers to be less stressed and, therefore, healthier. Various financial apps may include investment information, too, allowing your team to feel a sense of control over their future.
Telehealth Services
When the pandemic occurred, people realized that telehealth was an essential part of healthcare. Even though things are back to normal, people still value being able to do non-essential medical appointments virtually.
Health Risk Assessments
To aid workers in seeking preventive care and wellness interventions, assess your employees’ physical and mental health risks,
Family Care Benefits
These may include virtual parenting resources, online support groups, and family wellness programs, along with subsidized childcare and other monetary benefits.
Quantifying the Return on Investment in Employee Wellness
To determine the return on investment you receive from employee wellness benefits, calculate the cost. Subtract these costs from the total financial benefits the company realized. Management will need to track key metrics to determine the cost benefits of implementing such a program. These metrics include the following:
- Utilization rate
- Absenteeism rates
- Presenteeism levels
- Workplace productivity metrics
- Healthcare cost trends
- Health risk evaluation
- Employee satisfaction surveys
- Biometric measurements
Many digital benefits programs have built-in tracking components, making it easier to evaluate how they’re helping you reach your business goals.
Cultivate Employee Wellness and Productivity
When you want cutting-edge information on how to maximize results for your insurance business, Confie is here to help. Our top-quality insurance business offers the best products and services, multiple franchise and acquisition opportunities, and growth-oriented career paths. You can contact us online today or call us at (714) 252-2500 to discuss our products and services or learn more about our leadership team.
