Perhaps there are a few sadists in the world who intend to put profits above the health of their employees, but, fortunately, they are few and far in between. Most employers these days know that good employee morale improves business.
Unfortunately, bosses don’t always know how to take advantage of this fact of life. You might be losing out on some serious growth by only doing the bare minimum for your team’s health. A good health insurance plan is just the first step to creating a super productive environment by prioritizing employee welfare.
Small changes in your office’s routine will yield huge returns over time. Even just implementing one or two of the things on this list can seriously impact your employee’s daily lives in a positive way.
Here are 5 ways to promote your employee’s collective health while also maximizing returns. One pro-tip to supercharge these strategies? Enlist your employees in their implementation! Just taking the time to listen to their thoughts will really boost their moods. Good communication is at the crux of all of these tips, so take care to prioritize that above all else.
1. Team Building through Exercise
Fitting in exercise on the daily can be a struggle. Some people have no problem balancing a 9-to-5, a family, and a consistent gym routine. For those of us without Superman proclivities, however, the juggling act is more difficult.
Talk to your employees about incorporating regular group classes into your office’s weekly schedule. The employees on your team who are looking to incorporate more physical activity in their lives will be ecstatic at the notion of allotting some (paid!) work time to their physical wellness.
If you have the budget, you should invest in some professionals to guide the class. Otherwise, you can just encourage your employees to meet in the break room for a refreshing group stretch.
2. Choose the Right Management Software
Your choice in software can make or break your burgeoning business—as well as your employees’ morale. Clunky and unintuitive software can throw a serious wrench into your team’s work. Over time, cumbersome user interface or long wait times will frustrate the end users (your employees) and bring your office’s productivity to a grinding halt.
The same principle applies to the software you choose to manage time off and medical leave requests. Teams of all sizes present unique scheduling challenges, so having a program which relieves even a fraction of this burden is invaluable.
When you are choosing a leave of absence tracking software, take care that your employees find the software as useful and intuitive as you do. There is no point in investing in a program if half of the end user base can’t figure out how to use it!
3. Mandating Breaks
There are no “buts” about it: breaks are essential for maintaining a healthy team. They are uniquely restorative, helping to increase productivity and reduce decision fatigue. Unfortunately, though all employees have a right to take regular breaks, some office cultures are not conducive to exercising that right.
In highly competitive or fast paced office environments, employees might feel pressured to skip breaks in favor of grinding through their workload. At first glance, you might appreciate this single-minded dedication to getting the job done. However, a frazzled, overworked employee is not doing anyone—least of all the team at large—any favors.
Enforce regular breaks for your team and follow up to ensure that they are following through. Though this might frustrate your more ambitious employees in the short term, you will see great returns in the long run—while winning some serious “cool boss” points.
4. Implement an Open-Door Policy
If you haven’t already implemented an open-door policy as manager, welcome to the 21st century! An open line of communication between you and your employees is imperative to the long-term success of your team.
But it’s not enough to just say that there is an open-door policy and expect that your employees will be chomping at the bit to share their deepest anxieties about the business or their performance. You need to be an active participant in making your team feel comfortable.
One easy way to do this is to ensure that your door is, literally, always open. To keep your personal workspace a safe space for your employees, relegate difficult or confidential conversations to another, private room in your office. The idea is to keep “scary” conversations separate from your primary space as a boss.
5. Redecorate
When it comes to redecorating for a healthier workplace, a fresh coat of paint in the break room is just not going to cut it. If you want happier, healthier employees, your main concern should be sunlight. Are they getting enough of it at their desks? If it’s not possible to increase the amount of sunlight your team basks in, you can try encouraging them to take their breaks in the great outdoors.
Something else to consider in redesigning your office’s vibe is your employees’ ease of access to water, coffee, and healthy snacks. Even if you can’t spend the money on snackfood every day, a healthy, delicious snack once a week waiting for them in the breakroom is sure to brighten every employee’s day.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
