This articles on workplace wellness is adapted from posts on Goomi.
Are your employees satisfied and productive? Many business owners would answer, “Of course they are.” Not so fast. According to the Gallup Organization, 70% of employed American workers admit they’re disengaged at work. That costs U.S. businesses about $500 billion in lost productivity—every year.
This can be especially disruptive for a small business. You need everyone operating at peak productivity. That’s why you owe it to your company and your staff to create a workplace wellness program that engages your team. Offering wellness programs is part of creating a great company culture, which helps you attract and retain skilled hard-working employees.
Think about how you and your employees spend many your days. In this age of power-meetings and drive-thru lunches, self-care is a universal challenge for everyone—no matter how large or small your company is. Most of us spend the majority of our time at work sitting behind a desk for countless hours a day—day after day. We’re sedentary at work, while driving to and from the office, and even at home. We need to break this chain of inactivity.
Getting started
So, how do you do this? Where do you start? As the business owner it’s up to you to set the tone. Offering wellness programs tells your employees you care about their wellbeing and are actually willing to invest in them. Wellness programs can take many forms, and you can work with professionals to craft one that’s best for you, your staff and your budget.
Many companies will work with you onsite, at your convenience. A wellness program can be as simple as providing your staff with after-work yoga classes, lunchtime meditation sessions, 10-minute massages, and healthy cooking demonstrations. Rejuvenating employees during the day and encouraging them to continue healthy habits outside the workplace, reduces their stress and increases their energy. This, in turn, boosts productivity.
Mika Leah, the president of Goomi Group, believes there’s no better way to boost staff camaraderie and improve communication than to sweat through a fitness class together or uncover creative solutions about you’ve been through a meditation.
Workplace wellness ideas
Leah has some other suggestions for business owners:
Start a walking group. You don’t necessarily need to lead the group. You can delegate that task to a trusted employee.
Encourage employees to take breaks throughout the day, even if it’s just to stretch for a minute or so. Then at 3 PM every day, have them take a three-minute break to close their eyes and just breath.
Host a Pot-Luck Healthy Snack Break, asking employees to bring recipes to share.
Think about stocking up on things like exercise bands and yoga mats so employees can take a relaxation break when they need one.
If you have the budget, workplace wellness can extend to office furniture. Take a look at these relaxing office chairs or these ergonomic desks.
You can outsource the wellness activities to companies that can bring trained fitness, yoga, meditation, massage, and nutrition experts directly to your workplace.
Even small changes like these create a ripple effect—helping everyone at your business feel and think better, so they can lead better lives, you can grow a better business.
This article was adapted from some posts on Goomi Group’s website.
