In the average workplace, there are countless factors that can contribute to an employee’s productivity, efficiency, and sense of overall satisfaction. One of the most important elements that a company can focus on, is delivering a healthy work environment for their staff.
A healthy work environment is more than just an office with plenty of fresh air and no damp in the vents. Giving your technology team the right setting means ensuring that they have the resources, space, and methodologies available to nourish creativity and productivity in their roles.
If you haven’t incorporated a workplace wellness strategy yet, the following tips can help to get you started.
1. Encourage More Time Away from the Desk
Research shows that it’s not healthy for us to spend too much time sitting down. Yet, most of technology professionals spend long days hunched in front of their computer for hours on end.
While there’s nothing wrong with being focused on the task at hand, hours sitting at a desk staring at the same four walls can drain anyone’s creativity. Encouraging your professionals to stand up and get moving once every couple of hours can help to relieve eyestrain, banish muscle fatigue, and revitalise concentration.
There are apps you can install onto your talent’s tech to remind them to take a break, get up, and stretch.
2. Build More Trust
Great employee wellness isn’t just about improving physical health, it’s also about giving your experts a place where they feel comfortable and supported. Trust and fairness are considered to be some of the most important elements of a good workplace. However, it can be difficult to give your staff the experience they’re looking for.
Consider using some of the following steps:
- Listen to the needs of your hires and adjust your environment accordingly.
- Make firm commitments to progress, don’t just say you’ll “do your best”.
- Keep your promises – never overpromise and underdeliver.
- Work as a team to overcome health obstacles and productivity issues.
3. Communication is Key
Another important aspect of encouraging good mental health is making sure that each person in your staff feels connected to the rest of their group. It’s not enough to simply push your people to work on projects together. Establishing a stronger working relationship with your teams will help them to be more innovative, provide better service, and accomplish more for your brand.
As the technology space becomes more dispersed, it might be a good idea to invest in video conferencing tools so that your remote and in-office professionals can still communicate on a face-to-face basis.
4. Make “Wellness” Part of your Company Culture
According to experts, programs for good workplace health are linked to better productivity, reductions in long-term healthcare costs, and less absenteeism. However, the best strategies require absolute buy-in from all your staff if they’re going to work. This means that you need to find a way to make wellness a part of your employee’s daily routine.
Some ways you can introduce health and fitness to the company culture include:
- Emphasizing education with regular lessons on good health.
- Promoting preventative care with on-site vaccinations and diet plans
- Provide healthier snacks in the staff room
- Deliver resources that help people make a positive change (like a gym, or company wellness centre)
- Be mindful of mental health and offer referrals to professionals facing difficulties with stress or depression.
5. Recognise and Reward
Alongside committing to employee development plans, providing regular recognition is one of the best ways to retain key staff members. Your recruits want to know that you appreciate them and respect their needs and linking your reward programs to wellness initiatives will help to motivate your people towards their goals.
Getting healthy isn’t always easy. Setting milestones for your professionals to reach can be a great way to keep them on track. Then, when a goal is accomplished, you can celebrate a person’s accomplishment with the team – helping them to feel more like part of the family. A celebration doesn’t have to be big or expensive to be meaningful. It might be something as simple as treating the group to a cup of coffee.
6. Have Some Fun
Finally, better health in the office doesn’t have to be all about vaccinations and serious discussions about fitness. Research shows that businesses with happier employees experience lower turnover rates, higher profitability, and better satisfaction. Find ways to remind your staff that it’s okay to have fun in the workplace from time to time. For instance:
- Book regular team-building exercises
- Encourage team outings to help groups “bond” at work
- Issue questionnaires to gauge happiness levels
- Find ways to shake up the status quo occasionally (perhaps with a “healthy snack” day or employee outing)
Remember to ask your talent what they’d like to do to improve their health and fitness too. You might be surprised by some of the fun and effective ideas that end up on your desk.