Thriving in the Workplace: Holistic Well-being for Employees’ Success

In an era where the modern workplace uncertainties, demanding deadlines, and increasing demands are the norm, the emphasis on employee health has never been more critical. As businesses strive to evolve and defend themselves against these challenges, it is evident that simply responding to burnout challenges isn’t going to pay back enough. Instead, a comprehensive framework that aims at burnout prevention and covers all facets of employee well-being is the need of the hour.

Refueling Employee Productivity Through Holistic Well-being

Gone are the days when Sodexo meal coupons or discount vouchers to a fitness center did enough to keep employees surviving in the organization. The focus has shifted to helping employees thrive in the new ‘normal’ – willing to show up and be counted. Organizations should work toward adopting new-age approaches that take care of the whole person, not just the employee.

1. Lean on to Tech Prowess for Better Engagement

Optimizing employee health and wellness initiatives through technology adoption can significantly boost productivity, engagement, and overall job satisfaction. For example, a global tech giant’s wellness team uses technology to gather employee feedback through periodic surveys. The team uses Slack, a cloud-based team communication platform, to create informal polls and gather quick feedback on wellness program success and preferences.

Some other elements the company focuses on under its wellness program are: “Ask Health and Safety,” a digital medical and safety tool assisting employees with related queries and conducting webinars and seminars for financial awareness.

2. Adopt a Comprehensive Approach to Optimal Wellness  

For over three years now, employees have been juggling between personal and professional responsibilities and online meeting fatigue due to remote work settings. The struggle has taken a toll on their mental health. A top search engine company tackled this mental frustration through its employee wellness program called gPause. The company offers zen-centric meditation practices to all its employees to help them cope with their mental and emotional stress. Additionally, with its creative video series called ‘Meet the Moment’, the American MNC focuses on essential topics like sleep, anxiety, breathing, parenting, and more.

3. Think Beyond Conventional Offerings

Companies should focus on curating employee benefits that address their employees’ needs rather than chasing shiny, trendy, quirky fads. A few companies truly follow this philosophy and have started offering menopause benefits.

Women form a significant segment of today's working population, and their ability to work may be affected by symptoms like sleep disturbances and hot flashes during menopause. Hence, benefits like office cooling stations and physical therapy for pelvic floor issues can be really helpful. Taking another step toward innovative benefits, a worldwide IT corporation has introduced fertility and family-building benefits to help its employees get on the path to parenthood.

The ROI of Corporate Wellness

Corporate­ wellness initiatives have­ the capacity to curb employees’ healthcare e­xpenditures and augment e­mployee productivity and engagement. Human relations theory posits that ele­vated employee well-be­ing translates to elevate­d morale, which subsequently yie­lds enhanced productivity. This signifie­s that engendering an e­nvironment conducive to contentme­nt can result in supe­rior employee e­ngagement, reduced absence, and increased performance.

Employee Wellness: Not Just Nice to Have, But a Strategic Imperative

Inve­sting in employees' social, e­motional, and physical well-being ultimately yie­lds benefits not solely for the­ employees the­mselves but for the company as a whole­ over the long term. However, the approach needs to be balanced and structured, considering in-house leadership at different levels, strategic alignment with the company aspirations and objectives, and effective communication. Take control of your business and invest in wellness programs to help your employees do the same.