A Holistic Approach to Employee Well-Being
(Image Credit: Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash)
May is recognized as Global Employee Health & Fitness Month and Mental Health Awareness month. At Life Works Well, we believe in the importance of creating heart-centred cultures that keep employees happy, engaged, and living holistic healthy lifestyles.
The COVID-19 pandemic blurred the lines between work-life balance. As employees had no choice but to shift to remote work, leaders were managing both the physical health of employees and the heightened stress and anxiety they experienced due to the pandemic.
The Oracle and Workplace Intelligence survey found that 7 out of 10 people declared 2020 as the most stressful year of their life and 85% of respondents stated that mental health issues at work negatively impacted their home life.
In a survey conducted by The Workforce Institute, only 20% of employees reported feeling that their employer met their needs at the beginning of the pandemic. As opposed to 33% who said they trust their employers more than before because of how they responded to the pandemic.
Research has shown, employees are prioritizing well-being in their decisions to choose or remain with an employer. As we discussed in our mentor circle last month, employees are looking for environments that value well-being and offer flexibility in deciding how they take care of not only their physical health, but also their mental, emotional, and financial health.
HR leaders have an important role in implementing and supporting employee wellness programs and initiatives. Providing a holistic employee wellness program and showing your commitment to the health and wellness of your employees is key to establishing a healthy workplace.
Addressing Burnout
Burnout is described by the Canadian Psychological Association as constant signs or symptoms caused by chronic workplace stress. The signs and effects of burnout can often go unnoticed by both employers and employees. Supporting employee well-being should start with identifying the signs and causes of workplace stress and determining how you can prevent it.
The Canadian Psychological Association and Workplace Strategies for Mental Health describe the following as indications of burnout:
Emotional Symptoms:
Loss of motivation about work
Decreased job satisfaction
Irritability
Frustration
Anger
Anxiety
Insecurity
Drop in self-confidence
Feelings of incompetence and failure
Cognitive Symptoms:
Negative job-related thoughts
Increased focus on mistakes and errors
Detachment from job
Negative attitudes towards clients, customers, and colleagues
Difficulties with concentration, memory, judgment, decision-making
Behavioural Symptoms:
Lower productivity
Fatigue
Increased errors
Procrastination
Withdrawal
Suspiciousness
Body/Physical Symptoms:
Headaches/backaches
Exhaustion
Sleep problems
Changes in appetite or weight
The Canadian Psychological Association also describes various factors that cause burnout such as:
A lack of work-life balance
Perfectionism
High expectations
Work overload
Lack of recognition or reward
Toxic work environments
Unfair treatment
Conflict with organizational and individual values
Unclear roles and responsibilities
Difficult schedules
The Workforce Institute survey also revealed that 59% of employees and business leaders reported their organization took some action towards addressing burnout but 29% of employees desire more empathy from organizations.
One of the most important aspects of your wellness strategy is understanding and listening to what your employees need. Do they have manageable workloads? Have you set clear expectations of their roles and responsibilities? Do you encourage breaks and physical activity throughout the day? Do you accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities, diabetes, or other health concerns?
Promoting holistic health and fitness in the workplace is an effective way to address and prevent burnout. Applying a holistic approach to employee wellness is supporting the entire body and mind. Here are some initiatives and activities leadership can incorporate in their wellness strategies that support physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellness.
Physical Wellness Initiatives
Most of our working hours consist of sitting at our desks shifting from screen to screen for extended periods. This doesn’t present employees with many opportunities for increased movement throughout the day. One way organizations can support physical wellness is by creating an environment that promotes physical activity and fitness.
Promoting physical fitness can start by providing standing desks in your workplace. Studies show that standing desks demonstrated improvements in job performance, work engagement, occupational fatigue, sickness, presenteeism, and psychological health.
Another way organizations can encourage movement is by incorporating walking meetings. Walking provides several physical benefits to employee wellness including improved posture and reduced health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. More importantly, studies reveal that walking can also benefit our mental health by increasing creativity, reducing depression and fatigue, and improving moods.
Creating healthy workplaces also means remembering that some employees can't participate in certain physical activities. Consider how you will develop accessible and inclusive initiatives to encourage participation from all employees, including remote employees.
Mental & Emotional Wellness Initiatives
While physical activity generates numerous benefits to our mental health, there are initiatives and activities leaders can develop to better support mental and emotional well-being. Meditation and yoga are two activities that are equally beneficial to our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Meditation has been linked to many health benefits including reduced stress, increased memory, better focus, and improved ability to regulate emotions. Organizations can begin to introduce meditation techniques by encouraging employees to take small meditation breaks for a few minutes each day, including beginning and ending meetings with meditation. Applications such as Calm and Headspace are great resources to help employees develop the habit of practicing meditation. Alternatively, leaders can also offer meditation classes that include modifications so it is accessible to all employees.
Similarly, yoga has shown benefits to our physical, mental, and emotional health. Yoga has been linked to improving posture and flexibility, and increasing energy, focus, morale, productivity, creativity, and confidence. Hosting on-site yoga classes or inviting a yoga instructor for in-person and virtual sessions can help reduce stress and promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
Many HR leaders are familiar with the negative impacts of overlooking emotional well-being. Emotional wellness is as critical to employee well-being as physical and mental health. While mental health refers to our cognitive processes, emotional health is the ability to control and express our feelings and emotions.
Employees have spent the last two years of the pandemic trying to manage work-life balance. Supporting emotional well-being can be achieved by ensuring employees have good work-life balance. Emotional wellness is also creating a safe space for employees to communicate their worries and frustrations. Conducting one-on-one meetings or offering mentorship opportunities are both effective ways to encourage employees to discuss their feelings.
Financial Wellness Initiatives
Financial stress is one of the biggest sources of employee stress. Research has shown that 48% of Canadians have lost sleep due to financial troubles, while 43% of Canadians reported financial stress negatively impacting their performance and productivity.
Financial well-being is described as the ability to meet financial needs and feeling secure about your financial future. There are various strategies to promote financial wellness in the workplace. Before you can decide what initiatives are best for your workplace, it’s important to understand the individual financial needs and goals of your employees.
Once you've established your employee's financial needs, you can begin promoting your financial wellness initiatives. The most important component your financial wellness strategy should incorporate is educational opportunities and resources. Many employees do not know how to manage their finances to achieve their financial goals.
Organizations can improve financial well-being by providing opportunities for employees to learn through resources, tools, presentations, and workshops available in-person, online, and through email. Employers should provide a wide range of learning resources to accommodate different learning styles.
Supporting employee wellness and creating healthy workplaces focused on holistic health helps produce employees who are healthy, engaged, and productive.
By applying a holistic approach to wellness programs, organizations can create workplaces that support the physical, mental, emotional, and financial health of their employees.
Putting the heart and soul back into your people is what we strive for.
Life Works Well when you do!