Health and wellbeing is an important part of an organisation. Having a good health and wellbeing program can offer many benefits for new and existing employees and is linked with improvements in their workplace performances.
Only around 8% of UK organisations have dedicated health and wellbeing programs in place, however more than half have at least one strategy in place, meaning wellbeing is becoming more of a common goal for HR departments. (According to CIPD)
In recent years, workplace stress has been on the rise as increasing workloads, low wages and rising living costs are affecting employees. As a result, many companies are looking at solutions to help improve employees work life balance and to ensure that stress endured is minimal. Flexible working hours and assistance programs can help reduce and help cope with stress.
The impact of technology has also had a major effect on employee’s health and wellbeing. The benefits of home and remote working can allow some employees more freedom in their roles. Having the option to complete work in your own time can be beneficial for some employees, particularly those with young children or busy work schedules.
Ways to improve your health and wellbeing
The most productive employees don’t work long days and often take short breaks throughout their day to maintain and keep their focus. Keeping focused throughout the day is beneficial to the quality of the work that is being completed.
Taking control of emails: Emails can often be a time consuming and distracting tool in the workplace. Having periods of the day to deal with them can remove the distraction throughout the day and allow you to concentrate on more important tasks.
Taking breaks from digital devices: Many people work in an environment where they may be attached and reliant upon digital devices both at work and away from work. The need to keep up to date with work is something that many people do, however can have negative consequences. Not having good boundaries between personal and professional lives can become counterproductive and leave employees creating less effective work and could lead to a potential burnout. Businesses should encourage employees to take digital breaks and take time away from their desks. Employers must also create a workplace environment that supports this and encourage breaks to be taken, making employees more inclined to take them.
Sit-stands desks: Most of employee’s times at the office are spent sitting at a desk. The lengthy level of sitting can have serious consequences to a person’s health and is associated with various physical and mental conditions. Sit stand desks can be effective in reducing the amount of time staff spend sitting down and can provide employees with a break in their day.
Companies which employ good health and wellbeing strategies can often create a more relaxed but efficient workplace and create a more positive environment for employees to work in. These simple but effective initiatives can provide a great benefit to employees at work with benefits such as increased productivity and reduced workplace stress arising from it.
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Written by Anay Patel. References taken from: