19 Sep How to Promote Wellness at your Workplace

National Wellness Week starts in the third week of September, and we want to share ways you can promote workplace wellness in your nonprofit. Creating an environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and supports those who need it most boosts productivity and employee retention. Here are five ways employers can take action:

As an employer, you want your employees to be happy and healthy!

Happy employees tend to be more productive, stay with one company for longer periods, attract partners or donors, and strengthen the brand image of their organization. Your office can be where people come together for good health and mind-body-spirit without realizing it!

Create a Culture of Wellness.

Creating a culture of well-being can be as simple as starting small with some general changes like adding fruit bowls, providing healthier snack options in break rooms, or even allowing pets into the office! You could also consider implementing initiatives such as telecommuting days or flexible work hours so employees get more opportunities for rest and relaxation outside their regular work hours.

A few other ways you can help promote wellness at your workplace include:

Promoting physical activity by offering discounts on gym memberships, supplying gym equipment like treadmills and weightlifting equipment, organizing group fitness classes such as yoga/Pilates sessions etc., which will encourage employees’ health & well-being (and maybe even improve productivity).

Create a Wellness Committee.

A wellness committee is a group of employees who are tasked with promoting employee health. This can take the form of educational workshops, food tastings, or even on-site exercise classes. It’s important to note that while your company may be able to provide some support in this capacity, any efforts to improve employee health must come from within your own ranks—you’ll have more luck convincing employees to participate if they feel like they have ownership over the initiative.

The main duty of your wellness committee will be researching and promoting healthy practices at your workplace. This could include setting up an in-house gym, hosting weekly yoga classes, organizing monthly nutrition seminars, planning catered lunch options for staff members who want them, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Host Wellness Events, Seminars, and Classes.

Hosting wellness events can be a great way to promote physical and mental health at your workplace. You can plan fun activities like Zumba classes or even art sessions. Host seminars on healthy eating habits and positive thinking techniques if you want to take it up a notch.

This will help encourage healthy living and create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about their personal issues.

Address Issues Outside of Work, Such as Housing, Childcare, and Transportation.

Depending on where you live, you may be facing unique challenges from urban/suburban development to more rural areas. However, if your employees are facing transportation, childcare or housing issues outside of work, they’re likely to be less productive at their job.

Transportation: If employees aren’t able to get to work easily or quickly due to traffic congestion or lack of public transportation options for them and their families, it can lead to a myriad of problems at work such as low morale and decreased productivity. To help alleviate this issue for your staff:

Offer flexible schedules for those who live far away from the office.

Have a vanpool program available for employees looking for carpooling options.

Offer incentives like gas mileage expense reimbursement.

Provide parking spaces close to the building, so employees don’t have too far to walk after getting off the bus/train.

Implement Paid Leave Policies and Flexible Scheduling.

As a workplace policy, paid leave is a great way to ensure that employees can care for themselves and their loved ones. In addition, flexible scheduling allows employees to work remotely during certain times, which can be beneficial in terms of productivity and employee happiness (especially if there’s a large commute).

If you want your employees to feel valued, implementing these policies will make them feel like they matter. It also helps with retention rates—people love knowing they’re valued at work!

We hope you found our tips helpful and can implement them in your workplace. We know how difficult it can be, but the benefits are worth it!