What comes to mind when you think of workplace wellness? If you’re like many people, you might picture taking the stairs, going on walks with coworkers over lunch, or participating in a company-wide 5K to earn a fun freebie. While physical fitness is pretty important, wellness is a lot more than that.
“Workplace wellness” is a holistic term that deals with the whole self. It has to do with how stress affects you, what your finances look like, and whether you’re able to connect with others in a satisfying way. It has to do, too, with where you see yourself in your life path. For example, if you’re making progress on your dreams, you probably feel better than if you’re frustrated at work.
Focusing on wellness at work comes with big payoffs. Here are eight reasons to introduce workplace wellness to your team this year:
1. Wellness means you don’t get sick as much.
Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Even so, the facts are kind of amazing. Workplace health programs have been shown to bring average sick days down – and lower costs associated with health coverage, workers’ compensation and disability – by about 25 percent.
2. Wellness makes you happier and more resilient.
When you’re part of a team that gives back to your community, morale soars. In a Gallup survey, 89 percent of workers said that companies that promote volunteerism had a better working environment than those that don’t.
3. Wellness means you feel comfortable within your team.
It’s all about diversity. In another Gallup poll, companies that combined gender diversity with employee engagement saw a 46 to 58 percent boost in financial performance.
4. Wellness means you’re moving towards your goals.
Career development is really important – it’s actually the top driver in employee engagement, according to Aon Hewitt. People want to know they’re going somewhere – and that their employer cares about their goals. When career planning is part of the mix, employees are much more likely to feel motivated.
5. Wellness means you’re financially stable.
Sometimes, you can solve one problem by preventing another. As it turns out, when employers provide financial wellness programs to their team members, turnover can drop in a big way – resulting in a 56 percent gain in retention. When team members are financially stable, they’re less likely to search for new jobs.
6. Wellness means you’re glad to show up.
Who wants to come to work stressed? No one, that’s who. In fact, one million employees miss work every single day due to stress. When you reduce stress, you reduce absenteeism too.
7. Wellness means you’ve got friends.
Having a friend at work makes you seven times more engaged in your job. Those relationships make a huge difference, for the employer as well as the employee.
8. Wellness means you’re efficient and productive.
Did you know that companies in the United States lose $300 billion every year because of problems caused by employee stress? Bringing those stress levels down can make companies more profitable and employees more engaged.
Convinced yet? We hope so – because when you focus on holistic workplace wellness, everybody wins.