As a manager, it is essential to ensure that your employees are able to perform to the best of their ability, which means you have to take note of employee wellbeing in the workplace. Focusing on improving your employees’ physical and mental wellness means that you are going to have a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce.
Hence, it is evident that this is necessary for both employers and employees, as it does improve things from a business perspective. It is not only the right thing to do for your workers, but it contributes to the organization's performance. The focus should not only be on financial and mental wellness but also physical health.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Improving Employee Wellbeing in the Workplace
The Advantages of Promoting Employee Wellbeing
- Employees have increased focus and concentration.
- This directly impacts their work performance in the office.
- Workers are in a better mood, which leads to increased interaction and brainstorming of ideas.
- There is improved workplace culture.
- Employees are motivated to produce more high-quality work as they feel as if they are valued at the office.
The Disadvantages of Promoting Employee Wellbeing
- Investing in the various items may be expensive.
- Making time for all these activities and tasks does take away from actual work time – It is a time-consuming thing to embark on.
6 Ways to Improve Employee's Physical Wellbeing
1. Adjustable Furniture
Believe it or not, but the furniture you provide to your workers has an impact on their mental and physical health. An ordinary office chair with a traditional desk means that workers have to sit in an uncomfortable position for countless hours a day. Do you know that this can lead to back and neck problems?
Incorporate adjustable furniture such as ergonomic office chairs and standing desks into the offices to promote employee wellbeing. These pieces of office furniture ensure that your employees are getting enough movement in for the day while promoting healthy posture and reducing pain. These products also impact mental health, which means that you are going to get more productive, motivated, and energetic workers.
Apart from this, you can receive many other benefits from a standing desk and ergonomic chair, both physical and mental. The SmartDesk 2 and ErgoChair are ideal for any workspace setup.
2. Productive Workspace Setup
You do not want a setup that encourages workers to be lazy. A productive workspace setup is one that knows how to get employees moving. Small factors, such as walking to meetings, having a standing desk, having spaces with good airflow, and the ideal natural lighting are all going to make an improvement to your employees' physical and mental health, which benefits the business at the end of the day.
3. Perform Exercises at Your Desk or Chair
Providing the best ergonomic chairs and best office desk is not enough. One cannot stress how vital it is to keep your body moving. Moving your body has direct links to your work performance. Whenever you feel that you are getting tired or your energy is lacking, you need to get up and do a few seated stretching exercises so that you can increase your performance and improve your concentration.
4. Take Effective Breaks
It is essential to take breaks in between work sessions as your brain needs to re-energize itself. Additionally, it is not healthy or sustainable to always be working. Managers need to encourage a healthy balance between working and relaxation so that they can maximize employee efforts.
5. Serve Healthy Foods
Providing food makes working very convenient for employees when they need to snack on something to improve their energy levels; however, make sure that these snacks have nutritional value. Fresh fruit, fruit and nut mixes, and water are much better alternatives to fizzy drinks, chocolates, and chips. This is better for their bodies and produces natural energy instead of giving them a sugar rush for the time being.
These unhealthy foods are going to cause a drop in energy levels throughout the day, which is bad for their physical health and productivity levels. Another tip is to ensure that there is sufficient storage in the workplace so that employees can store or prepare their own fresh and super food for energy.
6. Have a Creative Space
Promoting creativity can do wonders for anyone. A creative space encourages people to get their minds and bodies working. This can be the motivation that your employees need to be more productive and look after their mental and physical health.
If you need some assistance in making the workspace more creative, you can try to incorporate smart office accessories into the office.
Why Do Managers Need to Increase Their Employees’ Mental Health?
Mental health is directly linked to physical health. The two work hand-in-hand, which is why managers need to pay attention to their employees’ overall wellbeing. How do you as a manager influence these factors in the workplace?
Managers can arrange for activities or tasks that boost team performance, such as:
- Having fitness days at work
- Encouraging employees to get to know one another and build relationships
- Promoting thinking for yourself and setting your own goal in the workplace
- Being flexible with work hours so that workers can find a healthy balance in their lives
- Placing emphasis on personal development
- Providing standing desks for employees to get sufficient steps in for the day
- Encouraging employees to look after themselves and not come to work when they are sick.
- Add elements to the workspace that promote a healthy lifestyle, both physical and mental.
The Final Verdict
Employee wellbeing programs are something crucial to focus on, not only for your workers' mental and physical health but also for the organization itself. Happy and healthy employees mean a positive workforce culture. There are various actions one can take to remain physically and mentally healthy at work. Are you ready to take that next step?
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