Healthy workplace, Healthy workforce

Having a healthy workplace will result in a healthy workforce. To do this companies should have employee wellbeing at the heart of their company culture.

In healthy workplaces, employees should feel comfortable to approach their managers about any stresses they may be experiencing and healthy working behaviours should be rewarded.

Having your employee wellbeing at the heart of your company culture is a process that should be continually updated to ensure it is working successfully and no one is being missed. A healthy workforce after all is a benefit to the employer. If you create a positive, safe and healthy environment for your employees, you can increase morale, improve your employees’ work-life balance and positively impact your business.

At this present time during lockdown, it is important to adapt your policies to incorporate the individuals working from home and ensuring that they are still motivated and balanced working environment.

Ways to create a healthy workplace and healthy workforce:

Help prevent absence – having a healthy workforce means there is less absenteeism. Healthy workers are motivated at work, recover from sickness quicker and are less likely to suffer from long term illness.

Reduce employee turnover – simply promoting good health amongst workers and creating a positive work environment will reduce employee turnover and therefore reduce recruitment costs.

Encourage physical activity amongst staff – promote walk-to-work or cycle schemes and provide changing facilities as well as encouraging lunchtime walking or running clubs to make it easier for staff to be active every day. Encourage staff to move more during the day. Walk over to speak to a colleague instead of emailing them creating a more personally connected workforce.

Provide options for healthy eating – instead of donuts every Friday, give employees access to healthier food and drink. Provide options such as fruit/snack subscriptions delivered to the office.

A healthy workforce means employees are more motivated and productive, have higher attendance levels and return to work more quickly after episodes of ill health.

Any wellbeing policies need to be realistic and considered in their approach, integrated into management systems, giving both employees and managers the willingness to buy into the idea and make it work.

If you would like advice on how to build a healthy workplace and healthy workforce, then please get in touch.