Employee health and well-being: Why is it important?
Prioritising health and well-being at work is more than just a trend—it's a fundamental aspect of a thriving business. When employees feel their best, they’re more productive, engaged, and motivated. That in turn, means better outputs from your company. The way to achieve this is not just through free gym memberships or healthy snacks, but by also creating a work culture that supports mental, physical, social, and emotional health.
So, let's explore why investing in employee wellness is a smart move for your business, the types of well-being you need to consider at the workplace, and practical ways to support your employees.
What is employee well-being and why is it important?
Employee well-being is all about creating an environment that prioritizes the overall health of the people working in your company.
Giving employee well-being its due importance can lead to higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. Investing in workplace wellness not only impacts short-term results but can also go a long way in futureproofing your business’s success. If your company has a reputation for a healthy work culture, it can be easier to consistently attract and retain the best talent, putting you at advantage over competitors.
In a survey conducted by Glassdoor, 77% stated that they would consider a company's culture before applying for a job. [1] And, according to research from the Executive Development Network, 86% of employees would leave a job if they felt their well-being wasn't being considered. [2] Put simply, prioritizing employee well-being is a win-win for your business and the people working in it.
What are the types of workplace well-being?
Workplace well-being is a multifaceted concept that can broken down into four primary categories: physical well-being, mental well-being, emotional well-being, and social well-being. An effective well-being program should follow a holistic approach to the health of employees, resulting in a satisfied and productive workforce.
We'll explore each of these four categories and give you helpful tips to bring them to life:
What is physical well-being?
Physical well-being in the workplace encompasses initiatives and practices aimed at supporting your employees' physical health. This can include efforts to enhance physical condition or prevent illness and injury on the job. Promoting physical health can lead to business benefits such as reduced sick leave, lower healthcare costs, and improved overall productivity.
How to improve physical well-being in the workplace
Some examples of physical well-being strategies include:
- Providing ergonomic workstations to prevent strain and injury. This includes everything from seating and vibration control on manufacturing machinery to keyboards and monitors on office desks
- Offering on-site workout facilities, after-work fitness classes, or subsidized local gym and sports club memberships
- Considering healthy eating, for instance, by handing out free fresh fruit or having healthier lunch options at your facility’s cafeteria
- Providing health screenings and flu shots on top of your mandatory employee healthcare coverage
An integral part of supporting employees' physical well-being is to provide them with a clean work environment, as well as offer them means to maintain their personal hygiene. Ways to achieve these conditions include:
- Making sure handwashing products are easily accessible and equipped with hand soap and disposable paper hand towels. You can reinforce this with hygiene stands for hand sanitiser
- Refilling restroom dispensers regularly, including toilet paper, and if your facility provides showers, hair and body wash too
- Providing disinfectant wipes to allow your employees to clean and disinfect surfaces whenever they need
- Regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces in common areas. This includes door handles, light switches, and elevator buttons
- Placing trash cans and recycling bins around the workplace to encourage tidiness and sustainability
If you're looking for an efficient way to make sure the dispensers in your facility are stocked at all times, find out more about the power of data-driven cleaning with Tork Vision Cleaning.
What is mental well-being?
Mental well-being focuses on employees' psychological health. That involves stress management, mental health support, and fostering a positive work environment.
Addressing mental health needs can help reduce burnout, which affects 44% of American workers, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). [3] Workplace burnout and work-related stress can impact employee happiness and mental health, which end up affecting the quality of their work and even how long they stay in a position.
A report by software company Asana concluded that employees who have experienced burnout in the past 12 months are more vulnerable to: [4]
- Being less engaged (30%)
- Miscommunicating (25%)
- Feeling lower morale (36%)
- Leaving the company (25%)
- Making more mistakes (27%)
Workplace stress can cross over into your employees' personal lives too, which further feeds a cycle of poor mental health. This comes to show that prioritizing mental well-being at work really is a win-win for everyone.
How to improve mental well-being in the workplace
You can support mental well-being in your workplace by:
- Encouraging a healthy work-life balance
- Offering mindfulness and stress-reduction workshops
- Providing access to counseling services both online and offline
- Fostering a work culture where mental health is openly embraced and discussed
- Creating and sticking to a robust process for dealing with mental health concerns
- Introducing mental health days, allowing employees to take time off to focus on their mental well-being when needed
- Ensuring reasonable workloads, setting achievable goals, and inspiring an open dialogue around deadlines and expectations
What is emotional well-being?
Emotional well-being is about understanding and managing emotions as well as maintaining a positive attitude. By fostering emotional resilience, you can help employees navigate challenges, communicate more effectively, and maintain optimism, which contributes to overall higher performance and happiness rates.
How to improve emotional well-being in the workplace
- Your business can support employees’ emotional well-being through:
- Organizing stress-relief activities
- Offering access to support networks
- Encouraging open communication and emotional expression
- Regularly recognizing and rewarding employees' efforts so that they feel valued and respected
- Providing emotional intelligence development, which can increase their ability to recognize and manage their own emotions as well as react to the emotions of others
What is social well-being?
Social well-being relates to quality of relationships and sense of community. At work, it involves creating an inclusive culture where employees can build positive relationships with their peers and leadership.
Promoting social well-being helps build a strong and cohesive team, enhances morale, and nurtures a sense of belonging, which can improve both individual and organizational performance.
How to improve social well-being in the workplace
Examples of social well-being initiatives include:
- Organizing team-building activities and personal milestone celebrations, like team lunches and social gatherings. Even something as simple as a shoutout of good news in team meetings can boost social well-being
- Promoting cross-department projects and tools to facilitate communication
- Ensuring your facility has communal spaces designated for casual socializing
- Implementing a mentor or buddy system to help new employees integrate smoothly into the company
- Embracing diverse perspectives and ensuring all employees feel valued and included. This could involve activities that help communities within your organization connect and create a sense of togetherness and understanding
How to measure your employees' well-being
Measuring your employees' well-being is all about getting a clear picture of how they're really doing, both personally and professionally.
Regular surveys and quick pulse checks can help you gauge their job satisfaction, stress levels, and work-life balance. It’s also helpful to have anonymous feedback channels where your workforce can safely share honest thoughts about the company culture and leaders.
Keeping an eye on factors like absenteeism, turnover rates, and overall employee productivity can provide you with insights about their well-being. Plus, having one-on-one check-ins or small focus groups can open up more personal conversations, giving you a better understanding of any specific concerns or areas where support might be needed.
Be mindful that when issues are raised, it's important to reassure your employees by keeping them in the loop about how they are being addressed.
By combining these approaches, you can stay on top of your employees' well-being and confirm if your efforts are making an impact.
Who is responsible for employee health and well-being?
Maintaining employee well-being is very much a shared effort involving multiple groups of people in your company. These include employers, employees, government bodies, and occupational health staff.
Employers play a primary role in creating a safe, supportive work environment by promoting physical, mental, social, and emotional health through policies, practices, and resources.
Employees also have a responsibility to take care of their own well-being, actively engage in wellness initiatives, utilize the resources provided by their employers, and voice concerns as they arise.
Wellness in the workplace is even safeguarded at a legal level. Government bodies such as the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission contribute by setting and enforcing regulations for workplace conditions, health and safety, and fair treatment. These include anti-discrimination laws and programs for employee benefits packages.
Occupational health staff such as industrial hygienists also play a vital role in the workplace by promoting employee health, safety, and well-being. They conduct health assessments, manage workplace injuries and illnesses, evaluate and mitigate safety risks, and ensure ergonomic practices. Additionally, they develop health and safety policies, provide mental health support, and organize wellness programs.
Together, everyone contributes to employee well-being, helping create a productive, happy, and healthy work environment.
Prioritizing these key pillars of employee well-being is essential to develop a thriving, productive workplace. When your employees feel supported in the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of their lives, they can feel more engaged, motivated, and committed to their work. Improving well-being in the workplace not only enhances job satisfaction and reduces burnout rates but also contributes to a positive culture that attracts and retains top talent. By investing in well-being, you can drive the long-term success of both your employees and your business.
If you're looking for more specific and in-depth initiatives, discover our top 10 recommendations for employee well-being ideas. For more resources to pass down to your workforce, explore our guides on proper hand hygiene and personal hygiene at work.