The concept of a good workplace has been a part of our office culture for decades, but many business owners still don’t know all that it entails or why it is so important. The term ‘well’ can refer to many different aspects of a person. It can involve emotional wellness, physical wellness, and an overall feeling of engagement and happiness that comes from working in a career that is fulfilling.
Putting a focus on the well-being of your team will pay dividends many times over. It’s important to have a plan in place to encourage and support your employees on many levels. It’s also vital to recognize them for their unique contributions to your success. Here are some more reasons why the well-being of your employees is so important and how you can improve your office morale.
Why Employee Well Being is Vital to Your Success
A recent survey showed that the more employees felt appreciated at work, the better they felt about other aspects of their lives such as health and relationships. Clearly, there is a connection between a supportive workplace and a happy employee. Here are a few reasons why happy employees are beneficial:
Well Employees Are Engaged Employees
Employees who have emotional and physical health are more likely to be committed to their jobs. Because they feel supported and appreciated by their employers, they are more willing to go that extra mile, knowing their efforts will be rewarded. Those who are healthy physically and emotionally are also better equipped to handle the stresses of client demands and deadlines. This allows them to be more productive and add to a positive overall work environment.
Healthy Employees Miss Less Time
When employees are struggling with emotional or physical issues, they call in sick more often. Even when they are in the office, they probably are not working at their most productive level. When you focus on keeping employees healthy, you can expect fewer missed days of work and harder working team members who put full effort into their projects. This saves you money in the long run, even if you do have to implement some tools for your wellness program that come with a cost.
Happy Employees Stay Longer
Providing a supportive environment that puts an emphasis on wellness creates a happier team of workers. When paired with other benefits such as retirement options and competitive pay, leadership that focuses on the whole person encourages workers to stay with your company. Employees who feel their bosses truly care about them as people and not just as workers are much more likely to stay with you for the long haul instead of jumping ship at the first pay raise offer.
Tips on Boosting Your Employee Well Being
Now that you see how important it is to have a team of good employees, you need to put a plan in place to encourage wellness. Here are some tips on how to boost the well-being of your employees and create a stronger workplace.
Provide Customized Feedback
Feedback is a crucial part of a supportive and engaged workplace. By providing both positive and constructive feedback, leaders can reward effort while making necessary adjustments that lead to greater success.
One of the keys to feedback is making sure it is customized to the employee. To help your managers keep employee details straight so they can use them in their feedback meetings, consider using an HR software solution that organizes employee files and helps your team access them when needed.
Give Them Flexible Options
Allowing your employees the flexibility to work from home, work from other job sites, or work custom hours is a great way to help them achieve the work-life balance that is essential to their wellness. Consider using employee self-service systems such as remote schedule management and biometric timekeeping to provide greater flexibility.
Recognize Milestones
When you recognize milestones like work anniversaries, exceeded sales goals, birthdays, and completion of training or certifications, you show that you care about your employees as people. Keeping track of these details, however, can be difficult, especially if you have hundreds of people on your team. This is another area where HR software can come in handy. Information can be entered into the system during onboarding and updated regularly. Your HR team will get alerts when certain milestones occur, giving leadership the chance recognize and celebrate them.
A good workplace is one that recognizes and embraces employees for their individuality and the unique skills they bring to their jobs. It is also one that provides an environment that addresses whole person wellness and allows employees to work in the way that best suits their needs. When you create a workplace that lets leadership easily manage team member details and provide tools that encourage flexibility, you reap the rewards of a more engaged and productive workforce.
