How to improve all 5 areas of employee wellness in 2020. Improved employee wellness helps employees perform better and saves money in healthcare costs and turnover.
Improving employee wellness can pay off in a big way.
Employees who thrive in all five areas of wellness perform better, miss less days, adapt to change with less resistance and have lower healthcare costs and turnover, according to research by Gallup.
How to Improve All 5 Areas of Employee Wellness in 2020
These are the five elements of employee wellbeing and suggestions for how employers can support each of them:
Employee Wellness Area #1: Career Wellness
Employees want to gain personal satisfaction and enrichment from their work. They also want their work to be consistent with their values, goals and lifestyles.
How Can Employers Improve Career Wellness?
- Set individual goals and have regular performance reviews where employees can see their growth.
- Create paths for advancement so employees can see a future for themselves within the company.
- Make it clear how each employee’s work contributes to the overall company mission. This can be especially helpful for employees in monotonous jobs who might not see how their work fits into the bigger picture.
Employee Wellness Area #2: Social Wellness
Employees want to feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion at work. They want to feel supported by their colleagues and employers. Another report by Gallup observed that close work friendships boosted employee satisfaction by 50 percent.
How Can Employers Improve Social Wellness at Work?
- Hold staff lunches.
- Host friendly competitions, like NFL Fantasy Leagues and March Madness pools.
- Throw an annual company party or coordinate a company outing where different departments can get the chance to mingle.
Employee Wellness Area #3: Physical Wellness
Employees want physical wellbeing, the balance of physical activity, nutrition and mental well-being. They want to live long, healthy lives and avoid preventable diseases and conditions.
How Can Employers Improve Physical Wellness?
- Provide healthy snacks.
- Reimburse gym memberships.
- Expand healthcare benefits.
Employee Wellness Area #4: Community Wellness
Employees want to engage with the communities they live in. They want to address social, economic, environmental, cultural and political conditions and help the community flourish.
How Can Employers Improve Community Wellness?
- Schedule volunteer days where employees get paid to help at a local nonprofit.
- Reduce your company’s environmental impact and get employees involved.
- Hold a drive to donate canned food or gently used coats to a local organization that supports people experiencing extreme poverty or homelessness.
Employee Wellness Area #5: Financial Wellness
Employees want to effectively manage their finances. They want to pay off debts, manage their monthly expenses and save for retirement.
How Can Employers Improve Financial Wellness?
- Give employees access to a financial wellness program that’s personalized and easy to use, like Best Money Moves.
- Enroll employees in a 401(k) or a comparable retirement savings program.
- Offer a student loan repayment benefit.
The battle for talent in a labor market with the lowest unemployment rate (3.5 percent) in 50 years will be won with employee wellness benefits that retain current workers and attract new hires.
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