Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, health and wellbeing have been the top priorities for organizations worldwide. Employee health initiatives and practices have been paramount for employers in this ongoing battle against Covid-19 to protect their workplaces from the deadly virus. 

“More than half of employees with access to workplace wellness programs say the initiatives have a positive impact on their health”, stated the UnitedHealthcare Wellness Check up Survey.

The Rising Importance of Employee Health

Employee health has always been one of the most critical aspects of an organization’s success. However, in recent times, it has become indispensable for employers.

The importance of staying healthy and fit has been highlighted by the fact that employees with robust immunity have dealt with the pandemic relatively better than others with weak immune systems.

Besides these, we all know how beneficial employee health is for organizations. Healthy employees are prized assets of organizations. They equate to higher productivity, reduced healthcare costs, better company culture, increased profits, and so on. 

6 Fantastic Workplace Wellness Ideas For Employers

In today’s times of remote working and lockdowns, improving workplace wellness can seem quite challenging if you are an employer. Introducing wellness initiatives to employees working from home can be ineffective if not done correctly. 

Also, lack of access to physical fitness centers and training equipment can make things more difficult for you.

But with the right know-how, you can transform your employees’ health even with the challenges mentioned above. That is why I have listed down six workplace wellness ideas that your organization can implement with ease and benefit greatly. 

• Stress-Busting Sessions

Employee stress is at an all-time high due to the pandemic. Even though work from home and social isolation have allowed organizations to operate during these challenging times, they have taken quite a toll on employees’ mental health. 

According to research, 22-35% employees reported experiencing symptoms of depression during the pandemic. 

It is essential to ensure that you help them cope with stress to keep them healthy overall. 

A weekly stress-busting session can be all that you need to relieve your employees of stress and anxiety. Hold on-site or virtual sessions to engage your workforce through games and exercises, helping them connect and express with each other. 

• Meditation Classes

Mental wellness is as essential as physical wellness when it comes to improving your employees’ overall health. However, it is generally overlooked in most cases. 

One of the best ways to improve mental health is by introducing meditation among your workforce. It has been proven to be very effective in helping people cope with adversity and demanding situations. 

So why not incorporate meditation into the daily routines of your employees? Doing so can be a great way to boost workplace wellness and build resilience among your workforce. Even five minutes of regular meditation can benefit your employees greatly. 

• Wellness Challenges

There is no better way to encourage your employees to adopt healthy habits than by engaging them in wellness activities and challenges. Wellness challenges are fun, exciting, and highly popular among employees of all ages. They can also help you target different aspects of health one at a time. 

You can introduce simple wellness challenges such as a step challenge or sleep challenge among employees. Or, you can opt for more extended and more demanding activities like a weight loss challenge. Overall, whatever the activity may be, it will boost your workplace wellness significantly. 

The best part is that you can host such wellness activities physically or online through digital wellness platforms.

• Virtual Fitness Classes

Like every year, this year’s fitness day also gave us a reason to celebrate and cherish physical fitness in our lives. It also provides a perfect opportunity for us to incorporate physical activity into our daily routines. 

For improving your employees’ fitness levels during this social distancing era, virtual fitness classes can be a fantastic way to start. Encouraging your employees to take part in such classes can offer significant benefits to their health and wellbeing. 

You can find professional fitness instructors that specialize in online group classes for corporate employees. 

• Wellness Seminars

Educating your employees on the benefits of good health practices are essential if you want them to adopt the same. Providing information is vital if you plan to encourage your employees to live healthier lives. 

Wellness seminars can be a great way to promote awareness of the benefits and techniques of living healthy. They can be either on-site or virtual, depending on your organizational requirements. 

Taking part in such wellness seminars can also help your employees quit poor health habits such as smoking or drinking. 

• Wellness Apps

Technology has facilitated many advancements and innovations in wellness, and one of them is the development of wellness applications. 

In today’s world, wellness apps allow users to monitor many aspects of their health, including heart rate, calorie consumption, and so on. These highly advanced apps enable users to track their fitness and health using their mobile devices. 

According to a report, health and fitness app downloads rose by 46% between Q1 and Q2 of 2020. 

Due to the rising need for corporate wellness, many wellness apps are designed solely for organizations and their employees. Providing access to one such wellness app can be effective in improving workplace wellness in a fun and exciting way. 

Concluding

Ensuring optimal employee wellness is the need of the hour amid this global pandemic. By leveraging technology with proper education, organizations can take on this daunting task with ease. And by doing so, they can inspire others to follow suit and make this world a healthier place.