Even if employers do not think of it this way, they rely on the health and well-being of their employees to keep their businesses running. Employee absences disrupt any business's workflow.
Businesses can support their employees' good health by offering health-related benefits. One such benefit might be a wellness program to promote and improve health and fitness. Wellness programs
are usually offered through an employer, although some insurance plans offer them directly to their enrollees. In general, there are two main components to these programs: physical health and
mental health.
Physical health
Exercise is important to overall health. Multiple studies show that regular exercise can improve quality of life. According to a recent McKinsey report, cardio training, strength/resistance training and high-intensity exercise all appear to be valuable. Similarly, walking reduces chronic pain; strengthens the immune system; and decreases anxiety, sadness and fatigue.
Employers can promote employees' physical health in these ways:
- Set a stipend for health-related costs like gym memberships, yoga or Pilates classes, and massages.
- Provide remote and hybrid employees with a stipend they can use for items like standing desks.
- Offer access to a dietician and/or allow weight-loss groups to meet on company premises.
- Organize groups to walk together at a set time each day.
- Promote companywide sports leagues.
- Arrange for wellness checks on company premises. These might include bringing in mobile units for mammograms and blood pressure screenings.
- Sponsor no-smoking policies and programs.
Mental health
According to a recent Harris Poll, 58% of employees are uncomfortable discussing their mental health at work. This rises to 67% among employees who aren't satisfied with their current employer or who are actively searching for a new job. Perhaps more telling, 54% of employees who are dissatisfied in their current job and 64% of those who are actively seeking a new job report that their mental health negatively affects their job performance.
Employers need to recognize just how important mental health is to their workers and take steps to address the issue. Suggestions include:
- Offering an employee assistance program. EAPs can help employees with a range of health, financial, legal and social issues (e.g., mental and/or substance-use disorders).
- Offering training that teaches employees how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues.
- Providing training about workplace issues (e.g., sexual harassment, or a lack of diversity and inclusion) that can impact mental health and creating a path to addressing such issues.
- Add mental health days to the company's time-off benefits.
- Turn unused space into a meditation room, and perhaps even hire someone to lead guided meditation.
Wellness plans are limited only by budget and creativity. It is easy to take the steps to include wellness in your benefits.