For any business to become successful, it’s essential to have competent employees who are also a great fit for your company’s culture. Beyond this, however, so many factors can contribute to employee productivity. Without a doubt, these factors include the health and wellness of your employees.
You cannot reasonably expect employees who are unhealthy to perform optimally to the best of their ability. However, unfortunately, many aspects of the workplace have become a constant source of stress for employees. For instance, in many industries, working super late hours has become the minimum requirement. A trend that often has significant physical and psychological costs to the health and wellness of employees.
Thankfully, there are ways proactive business owners and managers can considerably avert such consequences. A primary approach is to tailor working conditions such that employee health does not become a casualty. Similarly, businesses could adopt other strategies to incentivize and promote healthy lifestyle habits for employees.
Business owners and managers must understand that promoting employee health and wellness is, in many ways, a worthwhile investment. In fact, recent research has shown that changing workplace conditions to improve workers’ well-being improves their health and also benefits the business through outcomes such as improved job performance, better productivity, and lower levels of employee burnout.
In this article, we will discuss some of the effective strategies businesses can adopt to put in place working conditions that improve employees’ health and wellness.
Give your employees more autonomy
Allowing your employees to make independent decisions regarding how they do their work and where could be an effective way to improve their mental wellness. People can manage work stress better when they have more control over their work. In fact, current research shows that having little discretion over how their work is done results in not just poor mental health for employees but also higher rates of heart disease.
To further illustrate how vital work autonomy is for employee health and wellness, other studies indicate that high work demands combined with low job autonomy can significantly increase the risks of diabetes and fatal cardiovascular conditions.
As such, managers must look into ways they can give employees more control over their jobs. Where done effectively, the gains can be considerable. For instance, one study found that giving employees of a customer service call center more autonomy to take on new tasks and resolve customer complaints on their own led to an improvement in their well-being and job performance.
Notably, employee autonomy also extends to the choices of when and where work is done. It means employers should be more open to flexible work schedules and modes of work. It may result in significant mental health improvement and increased productivity. For instance, an extensive work design at a Fortune 500 company allowed IT employees to control when and where they wanted to work, resulting in better mental and physical health for employees and lower turnover.
Prevent burdensome workloads
It is essential for employers to adequately staff their businesses to ensure that the workload on each employee is not extreme. Excessive workloads that might require long hours of working hard and fast may result in a poor work-life balance and ultimately reduced performance. Furthermore, such working conditions could have detrimental effects on the physical health of employees. In essence, excessive work demands make for poorer employee health and wellness.
Studies have shown that such high work demands create health risks, particularly in the form of higher rates of high blood pressure, depression, and cardiovascular disease. To avoid this situation, employers must ensure there is adequate staff to effectively handle work demands without overburdening any individual.
Of course, a concern with this approach for business owners is the increased payroll cost. But employers should be aware that while hiring more employees may be costly, there is also a cost to a high employee turnover rate which is typically the case when employees have poor health and wellness.
Furthermore, employers can manage the cost of hiring more employees by adopting a strategic approach. For instance, it might not always be necessary to hire additional employees of equal competencies. In certain situations, hiring assistants may suffice to effectively relieve the workload.
Ensure managers are proactive about employee wellness
Managers have a critical role in determining employees’ working conditions. As such, they must be supportive of employees in ensuring their health and wellness in the workplace. It could be in the form of understanding the various personal needs of employers as well as the provision of support where necessary.
For instance, one study found that employees in nursing homes had reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and slept better when their managers were more accommodating of their family needs. Similarly, other studies suggest that employees’ work-life balance and overall health may be positively affected when managers are enrolled in programs to improve family-supportive behaviors.
When managers are thoughtful toward employees’ personal needs, it not only improves employee health but also positively impacts the business. For instance, employees whose managers underwent training to improve family-supportive behaviors reported higher job satisfaction and better job performance.
Improve the feeling of social belonging in the workplace
Employees might benefit greatly from having supportive social relationships with their colleagues. As such, businesses can take measures to foster such a sense of social belonging as an essential strategy to improve employee health and wellness. Current research indicates that such relationships at work are associated with lower psychological distress for employees. In essence, better social relationships among your employees could help reduce the risk of poor mental health.
The challenge would be how to effectively implement measures that lead to an improved sense of belonging. This could be as simple as creating spaces in the workplace where employees can interact more and spur a feeling of camaraderie. Furthermore, employers can encourage workers to support one another in various ways.
For instance, according to one study, 911 dispatchers had their supervisors send an email each week prompting dispatchers to support one another by sharing affirming stories. Given that dispatchers have stressful jobs and high rates of burnout, this measure was a way to ensure wellness in the workplace. And it worked, as dispatchers who received these emails were 50% less likely to quit and reported a significant decrease in burnout.
Another strategy is to adopt online recognition and reward programs that allow colleagues to recognize the efforts of one another on various projects. It would further promote a “shout-out” culture in which employees appreciate one another and form healthy social relationships.
Consider providing health insurance benefits
In addition to the fact that health insurance benefits are an essential consideration for workers when choosing an employer, these benefits are also a good way of ensuring your employees’ health and wellness. Although larger employers are practically required to offer these benefits under the Affordable Care Act, small business owners should also consider offering these benefits.
Health insurance benefits can help your business attract top talent. However, beyond that, these benefits enable your employees to take the best care of their health. For instance, employer insurance, being a group insurance plan, typically provides access to more doctors and hospitals than what would be possible on an individual plan. It means employees are more likely to have access to whatever medical expertise they require to maintain top health.
Furthermore, having access to medical services through insurance, as opposed to expensive out-of-pocket treatment, makes for healthier employees. It, in many ways, benefits the business. For one, healthy employees would take fewer sick days and tend to be more productive.
Make the office safe from asbestos
While many business owners focus on ergonomic setups, air quality, or mental health initiatives, one area that’s often overlooked is the building itself. Older offices, and even recently refurbished spaces, can conceal hidden health hazards that have nothing to do with workload or stress levels.
An important step toward improving employee health in the office environment is eliminating asbestos hazards. Once widely used in building materials, asbestos poses serious health risks if disturbed, including conditions such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. Having regular asbestos medicals and workplace inspections carried out helps identify potential risks while ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
Eliminating asbestos hazards not only creates a safer workspace but also reduces the risk of long-term health complications, supporting both employee wellbeing and productivity.
Create a conducive office environment
Once the workplace itself is safe, the next step is ensuring it actively supports health and wellbeing. Employees spend a significant portion of their day in the office, so it’s easy to see how the physical environment can influence not only comfort and productivity but also long-term health.
When planning or updating your office layout, it’s important to consider how design choices affect both physical and mental wellbeing. For example, reducing prolonged sitting time can help mitigate common issues linked to sedentary work. Providing adjustable sit-stand desks allows employees to alternate between sitting and standing, promoting movement throughout the day.
You can also encourage gentle physical activity through thoughtful design, such as integrating visible, accessible staircases or positioning parking areas slightly farther from the main entrance. These subtle choices help employees move more naturally during their day, boosting energy, focus, and overall wellness.
There are numerous reasons for employers to prioritize the health and wellness of employees. The health of employees is tied, in many ways, to their productivity and job satisfaction. As such, employers must explore various strategies discussed in this article to ensure their staff’s mental and physical health is taken care of.
Don’t overlook your own health as a leader
While much of the focus is on supporting employees, leaders must also prioritise their own health and wellbeing. The demands of running a business can easily push personal well-being to the margins, yet sustained performance and clear decision-making depend on it.
For incorporated business owners, a health spending account is one option worth considering. Compared to traditional health insurance, it can offer a more flexible and efficient way to manage healthcare costs, making it easier to stay on top of your wellbeing without unnecessary complexity.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
5 Most Common Employee Complaints About Their Workplace
About the Author
Patty Torres is a young entrepreneur and a personal finance guru who likes to live large on a budget. As a result, she has developed an interest in finance, savings, budgeting, etc… Patty has built her career around creating high-quality, reader-focused digital brands and as a freelance writer, she enjoys sharing articles to help others manage debt.
