Workers today feel quite a lot of stress and pressure. A more technologically advanced work environment often means employees feel obligated to do more work. Plus, with so much at their fingertips, personal downtime is often spent consuming more information, limiting employees’ time to relax or focus on wellness.
In addition to a more demanding schedule with less time to unwind, many Americans feel the added stress of a stagnant economy, which can take a toll on their everyday lives and at the workplace.
While this sounds like an uphill battle, there’s a lot that you, as managers, can do to help your employees feel more positive and productive. Since you and your employees share much of the day together, you can greatly encourage a healthier outlook and well-being.
Not only can you help your employees be their best selves by encouraging them to adopt healthy habits, but healthier employees make for a more productive workforce.
- Healthy employees take fewer sick days.
- Employees with a healthier lifestyle are more alert and less prone to workplace accidents.
- Employees with a positive attitude are less likely to feel the effects of a high-stress environment.
4 Ways to Encourage Healthy Habits for Your Employees
Encourage Your Employees to Use Their PTO
Don’t be a boss who makes their employees feel “less than” for using their allotted PTO. Even if people aren’t going on a long vacation, an occasional day off can effectively avoid burnout.
Support Team Bonding
In this post-pandemic world, managers need to support a cohesive team. Whether you have all employees in the office, all employees working remotely, or a hybrid arrangement; it’s still important that your team is united and feels connected. A cohesive team will band together and be more resilient to challenging times. Consider various ways to get your team together to help create and solidify bonds.
Create Partnerships and Programs that Inspire Wellness
There are several ways you can help your employees choose healthier habits and have access to resources that can improve their overall well-being. Here are a few ideas:
- Work with local fitness providers for discounted services for your company’s employees.
- Encourage employees to spend part of their lunch breaks outdoors for a refresher.
- Choose promotional items that support a healthy lifestyle like insulated water bottles, running belts, or Triblend t-shirts.
Discourage Work During After-Hours
It can almost be too easy to become overworked. With email, work IMs, and files accessible from nearly every tech device, you and your employees may receive plenty of work notifications after hours, even when nothing is too pressing. Some employees have a harder time ignoring work if it’s available at home. Be sure your employees understand they are not expected to work beyond normal hours. This can help alleviate any pressure they may feel and help them create a healthy work-life balance.
Build a Strong Team with the Right Candidates
If you need some new hires to take your team to the next level, contact Expert Staffing.