The new era of wellness incentives: what top talent wants from a company

What does employee wellness entail?

Investing in employee wellness programmes can help companies differentiate themselves from the rest. Top talent will stay where interesting benefits are. Companies that attract top talent thrive. The problem is that most organizations struggle to create a culture of wellness by focusing on one or two initiatives at a time, such as health and fitness facilities or healthy eating programmes. This is because they fail to understand that wellness goes beyond physical health, it encompasses mental wellbeing too. So what should employers do? They need to start with an honest assessment of their own workplace environment. They need to ask themselves if they are providing an environment that promotes good mental health in their employees (and if not, why not?). They need to look at how they can help their people deal with stress and pressure more effectively so they can perform better at work
, be more productive and happier in the process. They need to examine how they can make their interactions with each other more supportive and inclusive so people feel valued and respected. And lastly but most importantly employers must look at what role they play in creating this kind of environment for their people so that everyone feels safe enough to talk about mental health issues openly without fear of judgement or recrimination from others.

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How to build an effective wellness programme

To build a solid wellness programme, that helps improve employee well-being holistically, companies look at developing programs based on the following key pillars:

• Address all elements of employee well-being: Wellness programs need to address all the elements of wellness, including physical health and fitness, mental health and stress management, financial health and work-life balance.
• Personalize: Programs should be personalized to each employee so that they can be most effective in improving their well-being. This can be done through various channels such as one-on-one coaching sessions, group workshops and educational videos.
• Focus on communication: Communication is key for any successful wellness program. It is important for companies to provide tools and resources for employees to learn more about how they can improve their well-being holistically. Employees should also receive regular updates from their leaders about company initiatives related to wellness programs so there’s more transparency about what’s happening within the organization.
• Pick Sustainable long-term goals: Wellness programs are all about helping employees live healthier and happier lives at work. But to be successful, wellness programs need to have long-term goals, because wellness is a long journey.

To create a successful program that will last beyond the initial launch, you need to start with the end in mind. That means having a clearly defined goal and strategy for how you’ll achieve it. It also means having a plan for measuring how well your program is working and adjusting as needed along the way.

Communication is key: plan an event to explore options with your employees

Wellness programs should be designed to help employees make small changes in their lives that can result in big improvements over time. The goal isn’t to get workers off the couch and into the gym (although that’s great), but to get them making small changes that eventually lead to better health — whether it’s taking more walks during lunch hour or swapping out soda for seltzer water at home.

The bottom line is this: companies who invest in wellness programmes for their employees will boost productivity, reduce absenteeism and sick days, make a smarter recruitment strategy, improve employee loyalty and commitment towards the company. Have a solid wellness program at hand and you can be assured that your business will not just survive but thrive in the long run.

If you feel like your level of communication with your employees is suboptimal and you would like to start gathering feedback on wellness programmes that might fit their needs, you should start by hosting a wellness-centred event for your team. Meet face-to-face and lay down your ideas for a wellness programme, while also inviting feedback and celebrating company culture in a pleasant environment. It will be the first step towards a revolution in your HR policy.

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