Workplaces can be gloomy places for many people, especially when work gets boring and unfulfilling. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Organisations need to prioritise employee wellbeing to impact their overall health and wellness.
As an employer, it is critical to offer workplace wellbeing initiatives that show your team you are invested in their health, both physically and mentally. Creating a culture of wellness within your office is a commitment, but it doesn’t mean you need to break the bank.
Simply implementing these 20 workplace wellbeing initiatives can make a massive difference in the work-life balance of your employees.
1. Mindfulness
Mindfulness, which is being attentive to the present moment, can improve productivity in the workplace. This allows employees to focus on their work instead of letting their minds wander.
Mindfulness means paying attention to your thoughts and feelings, living in the moment, and awakening to experience.
Since mindfulness helps people stay focused and accomplish tasks with greater efficiency, it makes sense for companies to offer mindfulness meditation experiences for their team. This can be part of an employee assistance program or another workplace initiative.
At Mynd, we provide corporate meditation experiences to help your team learn how to live more mindfully.
2. Encourage Healthy Eating
Employees are often at their workplace for more than eight hours a day. Unfortunately, this can encourage unhealthy snacks and food, skipping meals, and consuming too much sugar and caffeine.
Encourage healthy eating at the workplace by providing healthy snacks such as fruits or yogurt. You can also organise healthy cooking workshops in the office or use a nutritionist to educate employees about eating during their breaks. Healthier workers are better able to cope with stressful situations, such as those that may arise during downturns in business performance.
We recently contributed to the Eating in London blog on how mindful eating can encourage healthy eating.
3. Encourage Meditation Breaks
Any employee who usually participates in a group meditation program experiences greater relaxation and lower stress levels. Research shows that mindfulness meditation has numerous benefits, and it is something many of us could benefit from.
Meditation is also one of the most accessible activities, as it can be done anywhere and at any time. This makes it one of the best workplace wellbeing initiatives.
Furthermore, simple breathing exercises can be taught to the whole team to benefit from them.
4. Inspirational Quote of the Day
How you think and feel can directly impact your outlook on life. Employees that have a positive outlook in life and their work are more likely to be productive than their counterparts. Therefore, displaying a motivational quote each goes a long way in promoting emotional wellness in organisations.
Whether you write it on a whiteboard or display it on a computer screen, having something inspirational to look at will help keep you focused and motivated throughout the day. Sometimes, a simple gesture like sharing an inspirational quote for the day can instil a sense of positivity in employees and encourage them to give their best at work.
Besides, inspirational quotes help them realise their own self-worth, push through tough times, improve focus, and be more creative.
5. Encourage One-Day Remote Working a Week
If you’ve ever worked from home, you’ll probably know the feeling and the benefits tagged along. This includes not getting up early to dress or commute to work. By working from home, you break the monotony of sitting behind a desk for hours on end.
Giving employees the option to work from home on a Friday can help them switch off and relax at the end of the week. Also, you provide flexibility and reduce costs associated with commuting and time spent away from family. Remote working should also be embedded in the employee wellbeing initiative because it encourages effective communication and collaboration by removing the pressure to stay at the desk.
Check out these various benefits on why flexible working can working well for you and your employees.
6. Offer Free Health Screenings as a Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
One of the more successful methods for improving employee health is to offer free health screenings as a workplace wellness initiative. It’s a cost-effective way to increase your employees’ engagement and participation in a corporate wellness program while also helping them improve their health.
Free health screenings can be done for different types of medical testing, such as blood pressure tests, cholesterol tests, diabetes tests, or stress management counselling. It can be an easy way to raise awareness of health risks.
7. Discount Gym Memberships
It’s not unusual for companies to offer gym discounts or subsidise gym memberships as part of their wellbeing initiatives. Gyms can be expensive, and many people don’t have time after work or on weekends. So, offering discounts is a way to help staff become more active during the day.
A subsidised or free gym membership can help reduce the cost of gym membership for staff and encourage them to keep fit and healthy. Employers may negotiate lower rates with gyms in return for bringing a group of members, often referred to as a corporate gym membership.
Healthier workers are generally more productive. Consequently, this means less absenteeism and higher staff retention rates.
8. Offer Yoga Classes as a Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
Tell your employees to take some time to do yoga stretches at the desk. Even if they only have 10 minutes, doing some simple yoga stretches, mountain pose, triangle, or a cat/cow pose can help them refocus and relax at work.
Yoga can reduce tension, anxiety, and fatigue while improving mood and energy levels. It can also increase strength and flexibility while lowering blood pressure. Incorporating yoga into your workplace wellness program benefits both the employee and employer. It increases productivity and reduces health care costs.
9. Introduce Standing Desks
Constant sitting can pose health risks such as back problems, diabetes, obesity, or heart disease. It is thought to increase the risk of different types of cancer. It also affects our posture. If you don’t get up from your chair regularly, your body will adapt to this position over time. That can cause severe back problems and neck and shoulder pain.
Standing desks are a great way to improve your health and provide better focus while at work. These desks allow you to work while standing up instead of sitting down all day. Working while you stand also allows your body to burn calories, increasing wellbeing and reducing the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
10. Install a Nap Pod as a Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
It is believed that taking a nap will give your body the rest that it needs to recharge and start working better again. It is also thought that napping will help improve your mood and make you feel less stressed.
If you want to install a nap pod in your office, you will need to get one designed specifically for this purpose. You should try to find companies that can help you create an area of your office where the nap pod will be installed.
11. Offer Self-Defence Classes
Self-defence classes offer more than learning how to take down an attacker. When you learn self-defence, you also gain confidence and empowerment. Self-defence can effectively help employees feel safe and secure, regardless of whether they work in a warehouse or a cubicle.
Self-defence lessons empower all genders and ages, so you can offer them to anyone who wants to participate. These classes can be taught by a professional who has experience in self-defence.
12. Organise an Office Sports Team
Sports are an excellent way to get employees out of their cubes, off their phones, and interact with one another. Ideally, this will improve employee wellbeing and increase productivity.
Find out what sports your employees would be interested in playing.
Are they more into traditional sports like soccer or basketball? Or maybe they want to try something new like kickball? Whatever it is, you can form different teams depending on how many people sign up.
13. Make Lunch Breaks Mandatory
The lunchtime walk is a physical activity initiative that enables employees to get out of the office, enjoy some relaxation time, and, most importantly, get some exercise. Encourage employees to for a walk during your lunch break. Depending on your office location, you might have access to parks or trails nearby.
If not, let them take a stroll around the block or even walk around the office a few times during your break. A little bit of daily exercise can go a long way in boosting energy levels and improving moods.
14. Encourage Employees to Take their Annual Leave
Encourage employees to take their annual leave as a wellbeing initiative. Link up with HR and consider running an employee engagement campaign that encourages people to take their leave, or at least part of it, as soon as possible.
A day off can help employees recharge their batteries and return refreshed and re-energised, which is good for them and your business. As a manager, you need to lead by example and make sure that you take your annual leave as well. You’ll come back feeling refreshed and re-energised. Also, it helps to remind employees that they need to book their annual leave in advance.
15. Install Bike Racks, Showers, and Lockers for Cycling Commuters
Cycling to work has many benefits for individuals and the environment. But more people will take up cycling commuting if companies provide facilities that make it easier to cycle. Although not necessary, bike racks are an excellent way to encourage employees to commute to work. A bike can also be chained to a railing or other structure.
Showers and lockers help cyclists change their clothes, so they don’t arrive at work sweaty. This initiative encourages staff to get into the habit of showering after doing sport or physical activity.
16. Provide On-Site Physiotherapy as a Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
If you want to take your staff welfare above and beyond the minimum, on-site physiotherapy is a fantastic way to do it. It’s an excellent tool for management to encourage employees to care for their physical health, which can have a significant impact on their mental well-being.
The two main benefits of on-site physiotherapy programs are the reduction of downtime lost due to injury and improving employee productivity. Some companies also use physiotherapy as an incentive for prospective employees, mainly if they offer a physical job role.
17. Offer Financial Management Support and Advice
Many employees are reluctant to talk about their financial difficulties or seek help. Employees struggling with money worries are less engaged at work and are more likely to be absent and less productive.
Employers can help employees become more financially resilient by providing them with information and tools to help them better understand and manage their money. Many people don’t know where to turn to when faced with debt problems or what they’re entitled to if they lose their job or change circumstances. Offering financial guidance and advice helps your staff deal with these issues before they become a problem.
18. Pet-Friendly Offices as a Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
Having a dog around can be incredibly calming, even if you’re not the owner. Dogs, in particular, are known to help relieve stress and anxiety, which is why they’re often used in therapy with people who have mental health issues.
In recent years, pet-friendly offices have become a more viable option for employers. The presence of pets in the workplace can reduce stress and increase productivity, making it a win-win for both employees and employers.
19. Launch a Mental Health Awareness Campaign
A mental health awareness campaign can be part of a bigger wellness initiative and is a great way to educate employees about mental wellbeing. Generally, a mental health awareness campaign can take many different forms, from a series of lunchtime talks to signposting employees to resources on your intranet.
You might also want to provide opportunities for employees to look after their own wellbeing by offering classes like yoga or meditation. The key is to ensure you have the right level of support for your business.
20. Celebrate Achievements with Rewards
A reward, such as a gift card, is an excellent way of showing appreciation to people in your office. Rewards can be very motivational in helping people achieve their goals. Reward systems encourage positive behaviours, so why not apply this principle to staff wellbeing?
Your employees enjoy being recognized for a job well done. But if you wish to make them feel special, offer them something more than just a pat on the back. Give them gifts that will encourage them to continue working hard for the good of your company or business.
Check out these various gift ideas to reward your team
Final Thoughts
While some of these ideas may seem like common sense, they go a long way in promoting employee wellness in the workplace. Wellbeing at work should be a priority to ensure that employees are healthy, motivated and productive. Wellbeing initiatives need to be outlined in an employment contract and must be actually enforced to impact the workplace.
