3 Wellbeing Tips To Elevate Your Workplace
Explore 3 key areas your business should address to boost your people’s wellbeing.
Are you ready to take your workplace wellbeing to the next level?
Currently, in the UK, 1 in 5 people need to take time off for poor mental health caused by pressure or stress and 40% of turnover costs are now linked to mental health problems. Making small changes or speaking with your team about their wellbeing can be an ideal way to begin addressing this in your company (10).
If you need help figuring out where to start, we can help! Explore our 3 key areas your business should address to boost your people’s morale, considering their physical, mental and financial well-being.
Wellbeing Tip 1: Create a Supportive Environment
Building a safe space where everyone in the business feels comfortable and valued is a great place to start. Not only can this help to improve morale, but it can give people the confidence to express any potential mental health problems or personal concerns. Addressing any potential problems can reduce absences, improve engagement and retain your talent. Recent studies conducted by Deloitte show that at least one-third of people expect or would like more support for their mental health and wellbeing from their employers (1).
Utilising our Employee Assistance Programme can help your people access the support they need in a way that best works for them. This is a confidential counselling service, open all year round, which offers flexible sessions and comprehensive advice on all areas of wellbeing. Studies have shown that ‘UK employers will get back an average ROI of £8 for every pound they invest in an EAP due to reduced absenteeism and increased productivity’ (2), proving this can be a great benefit for you and your people!
Training managers to exemplify positive wellbeing behaviours and challenge the stigma around mental health is essential. A survey conducted by MHFA England found that 33% of managers and 45% of managers under 25 sadly feel out of their depth when supporting their team with mental health concerns (3). These skills can help managers identify anyone who could be struggling, enable them to offer the right kind of support, and be able to communicate effectively regarding these issues.
A final way you can foster a supportive environment in your workplace is by providing resources to support open conversations about mental health and wellbeing. Simply talking and providing content about these concerns in the office can reduce any prejudices or worries from members of your team who would like support. Our Wellbeing Hub is a great place to find tips for supporting wellbeing. With regular updates, it's an easy and effective way to educate your organisation about all aspects of wellbeing.
Wellbeing Tip 2: Advocate Work/Life Balance
Whilst there are always deadlines to meet, promoting a better work/life balance can help reduce burnout and give your people the time to recharge or prioritise their wellbeing. Since COVID, many professionals have found flexible working a useful way to better their work/life balance; this can enable your people to work in a way which best suits their needs, helping to improve retention and accommodate people who may be struggling with mental health. In a study conducted on 115 companies, 39% stated that flexible working has improved their mental health and 69% felt it helped them maintain their work-life balance (4).
Regularly reviewing workloads for your people can help ensure they aren’t under too much pressure at work, reducing the risk of burnout or high-stress levels while keeping them engaged. Implementing these sessions can have a profound positive impact on your employees’ wellbeing, The Workplace Health Report showed that workload is sadly the leading cause of work-related stress (73% (5). Addressing this issue is a simple but effective way to support your people’s mental health.
For new parents, a leading cause of stress can be childcare. Many will reconsider their hours or even their roles due to the price of daily childcare. In 2023, 76% of mothers who pay for childcare say it no longer makes financial sense to work (6). Our Childcare salary sacrifice scheme can help new parents save on childcare while supporting the nurseries they use at no extra cost to you as the employer, enabling them to get back to work with peace of mind.
To help alleviate the stress of work life balance, you can offer a range of support including flexible working, providing a 24/7 GP On Demand helpline and offering any financial help. Balancing work and accessing healthcare can cause unnecessary stress, with long waiting times and limited availability. Our 24/7 GP services eliminate these barriers, offering instant healthcare access to enhance employees' physical wellbeing and for them and their entire households.
Encouraging your employees to take their annual leave can significantly support their wellbeing. According to a study, 88% of employees have experienced some level of burnout in the last two years, with one-third frequently suffering from physical and mental exhaustion due to workplace pressures (7). Regular breaks can reduce burnout, prioritise their mental and physical health, and boost productivity.
Wellbeing Tip 3: Build a Great Place to Work
Everyone is entitled to a safe and practical working environment without any distractions. Take the time to review your office, speak to your team and identify any areas of your space which could be improved or optimised.
Recognition and rewards are essential in developing a great place to work for your people. In fact, one of the single biggest contributors to poor mental health at work is emotional or social isolation (8). Integrating rewards and recognition into your daily work practices can help your people feel more connected to their colleagues or managers and feel valued for their ongoing efforts. Utilising our Ecards and employee vouchers enables you to share instant fun thank you’s to your people, whilst offering unique personalised rewards that your people will love. Implementing regular recognition schemes such as ‘employee of the month’ is another ideal way to boost engagement and benefit their mental wellbeing.
Offering personal development for every individual helps your business’s potential and can improve mental and financial wellbeing. Showing you truly care about their professional development makes them feel supported, valued and engaged in their work. A study conducted by the Open University on 564 organisations regarding the link between training and wellbeing found that ‘more than a third (39%) saw better stress and mental health management as a result of short-term skills development, with one in four (28%) seeing an immediate improvement in workforce wellbeing as a result of longer learning and development programmes’ (9).
Conclusion:
Make the most of National Wellness Month, your people deserve it! There are so many ways you can get started, ranging from simple and cost-effective methods to reviewing your workplace practices which could need a little update. Taking the time to implement new methods to support all aspects of your team's wellbeing can have profound impacts on your business and how your professionals feel even beyond the workplace.
At Each Person, we empower businesses like yours to make wellbeing a priority! For a bespoke introduction to how we can take your recognition, rewards and benefits to the next level, contact our experts today:
https://www.eachperson.com/contact
