Wellbeing at work is a hot topic in businesses everywhere. Employers are recognising the responsibility they have to help care for the health and wellbeing of their employees, not just to improve productivity but because they have a moral duty to do so.

However, many employers are unsure about where to start when it comes to improving health and wellbeing in the workplace. Getting employees involved can help you to determine which measures are best to take and what your employees really want.

There are plenty of different methods you can implement for better wellbeing for all of your employees.

Encourage Relaxing Breaks

Making sure employees have adequate breaks is vital. But there’s no point in allocating break times if employees feel like they can’t really take their breaks properly. You don’t want people to use their breaks by eating lunch at their desks while they go through their emails. Encouraging them to take their breaks in a way that will actually allow them to step away from their work and relax is important. Make it clear that employees are expected to use their break to actually get a break from their work, so they can recharge and be ready to get back to work.

Change the Working Environment

The working environment is an essential factor to consider if you want to improve wellbeing for your employees. There are many different things you could change to make any working environment a better place to work. You might choose to put indoor plants in your office to help brighten up the place, improve air quality, and lift moods. Temperature and lighting are two important elements to consider for better wellbeing in the workplace. If it’s too hot or too cold or there isn’t adequate lighting, it can affect how people feel and how productive they are.

Wellness-Based Benefits

Many employers who want to improve health and wellness for employees want to use various benefits to do so. Not only can it help to boost wellness, but it can help to attract and keep talented employees. You can start with providing good medical, dental, and vision insurance for your employees. Beyond this, there are many excellent perks that employees can enjoy. These range from free or subsidised gym memberships to healthy office snacks and lunchtime yoga classes. If you’re not sure where to start, ask your employees what sort of perks they would prefer.

Set Up Fitness Challenges

Making wellness fun can be a great way to get your employees more interested in being healthy. One way you could do this is by setting fitness challenges to create some friendly competition. There are virtual challenges that you could set up to walk a certain distance (or to a specific “destination”). Creating teams and offering prizes can get people motivated and excited about joining in, and it’s something that employees can do as they’re working too.

You can improve wellbeing at work with a broad range of different methods. Asking employees is often the best way to determine which methods to use.

Header Image Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash