Healthy workers tend to be happy workers with studies showing that those employees who take advantage of health programs offered in the workplace are far more likely to be satisfied and engaged with their jobs. If you want to improve the health of your team, you need not invest in a gymnasium in the basement of your building.
There are many low-cost options you can use to boost the health of your team and in doing so, boost the effectiveness of your enterprise.
Create a healthy environment
Ensure the office is stocked up with fresh fruit and healthy drinks, rather than the usual sugary snacks. You could also hire a fitness or yoga instructor to visit the office once or twice and week, offering lessons either during the lunch break or immediately after work. You don’t need to have a great deal of space available, and studies have shown that such practices can significantly reduce the level of stress among a workforce – a key factor behind poor health.
If there is no space within the office, see if there is anywhere nearby that you can make use of on a group basis. Such an activity can also help strengthen bonds between members of the team and improve communication by giving individual members a common leisure activity they can all discuss.
Utilize outside help
Allowing your staff to deal with any issues that may be affecting their ability to be fully engaged with their work through a fully independent company can help reduce some of the stigma associated with some of the issues they may be facing. The happier the members of your workforce are, the harder they will work for you.
The Employee Assistance Program of the ESI Group, for example, offers a range of services from which you can choose the most appropriate options. Wellness coaches can improve fitness levels, resulting in a reduction in health costs, while stress assessors can help employees better handle the pressures associated with their roles within your company.
There is also a personal development program, which can help teach your employees to strike the perfect balance between their work lives and their personal ones, boosting their effectiveness in both areas as a result.
If you work within the healthcare business itself, you can take advantage of the ESI EAP Healthcare Services which specifically address the unique issues faced by your workers such as violence, emotional support, financial counselling and health literacy training.
Make the workplace drink and drug-free
Establishing a drug-free workplace policy has benefits for your staff and customers of your business or enterprise alike. The goal is not only to ensure that employees are free from drugs or alcohol during working hours, but also that any employee that is suffering from issues related to use or addiction is able to come forward and seek help.
Having such a system in place is a good way to show your employees that you value their health and safety, both during and outside of office hours.
