Five Benefits of Workplace Wellness During COVID-19

There is no doubt that one of the most important factors of a company’s success is its workforce. Without the efforts of its employees, no business endeavor would prosper. But how can businesses ensure that their employees will deliver – especially with so many working remotely and facing stressors and challenges like never before?

Today, it’s more important than ever to look out for your employees’ health and well-being. One way to do that is to make sure your workplace wellness program addresses their new needs. It’s also essential that wellness programs are easily accessible to those working virtually.

Workplace wellness has always provided numerous benefits. It increases employee satisfaction, reduces turnover, and of course, helps keep employees healthier. In the age of a pandemic, however, workplace wellness plays an even bigger role.

It Reduces Stress in Employees

Managing work-related stress has always been a challenge. Today, however, employees face a whole new set of stressors including

  • Uncertainty about the future, including their personal and financial health
  • Distractions associated with working at home
  • A change in work roles, routines, and procedures
  • A feeling of isolation from social distancing and remote communication

According to the American Institute of Stress, stress has a negative effect on nearly every part of your body. Long term exposure to stress also impacts your health. In terms of worker productivity, it may manifest as

  • difficulty in concentrating and making decisions
  • forgetfulness
  • reduced efficiency
  • problems in communicating and learning
  • anger and irritability

With employees working at home, it can be hard to identify stress, so it’s important for managers and coworkers to be aware of symptoms, both in themselves and others.

Although it may be impossible to completely eliminate stress in your workplace, effective wellness programs that have a mental health component allow you and your employees to learn to manage stress and use a healthy amount of it for creativity and productivity. If employees are encouraged to participate, there is a great chance they’ll maintain the healthy habits long after COVID-19.

 

It Improves Productivity at Work

Unhealthy and unhappy employees often miss work or find excuses to not get the job done. And the worst part is one person who is not physically and/or emotionally well enough to work can affect the entire team’s productivity and may cost your business A LOT of money. Catching up to complete tasks that have not been done causes backlogs; everyone spends more energy and time on old tasks that could have been spent on a new project, causing more stress.

When planning your worksite wellness program, make sure it includes a range of educational activities that provide easy access to virtual or face-to-face healthcare, nutrition, weight loss, and healthy eating programs, physical fitness, and mental wellness programs.

Wellness programs that focus on all of the pillars of health do a much better job of keeping your employees healthy, happy, and balanced. That, in turn, leads to better concentration, higher energy levels, and employees who are able to accomplish their tasks or even go above and beyond.

It Decreases Healthcare Costs

Effective wellness initiatives at work can reduce healthcare costs – especially if you include a disease management component along with lifestyle management. According to a study conducted by RAND Wellness Programs effective workplace wellness programs reduce employer healthcare costs by $30 per employee per month.

The study also cites big companies that swears by the positive impact of wellness programs on their ROI. For instance, companies that offer disease management are able to save $3.80 in employee medical expenses for every dollar they spent on wellness programs. Lifestyle management programs that focus on smoking cessation, nutrition, fitness, and mental health also significantly reduce Indeed absenteeism. Workplace wellness is not only good for the employees but also for your business’s budget.

It Increases Satisfaction and Builds Loyalty

Promoting wellness in the workplace makes employees feel they’re valued and appreciated. It is saying the organization wants its employees to be happy and healthy. In other words, giving them the opportunity to embrace a healthier lifestyle is showing that you care about them and that you want them to be their best and to have an exceptional performance at work. This alone proves to the employees that you want to keep them.

It Results in Happy Clients and Customers

Many business leaders, such as Virgin Group CEO Sir Richard Branson, believe that happy employees mean happy customers. Justworks VP of Customer and Employee Success Jason Whitman also said that to achieve customer happiness, focus on employee happiness first.

We all know, positive energy is contagious. Employee engagement affects customer relationships, which in turn increases sales. Customers who are treated right and are valued will do business with you again and again.

The Bottom Line

The world has changed dramatically in 2020. Your company’s priorities are likely focused on other areas right now. But don’t’ forget about your employees’ mental and physical health. Worksite wellness programs are more important today than ever –both for them, and also for your bottom line. If your teams are working remotely, make sure you have a well-rounded virtual worksite wellness program in place.

If you’d like to learn about our monthly corporate memberships and the full range of wellness services we provide, contact Bodyworks for Your Health today.