How to Improve Employee Wellbeing: 5 Simple Tips

by Eva McDonnell, Founder/ Director of PerspectiveHR

Workplace Wellbeing isn’t necessarily new, but it is certainly a growing phenomenon. Friday 13th April is National Workplace Wellbeing Day and according to research done in advance of the event, 6 out of 10 employees would be more likely to stay long term in an organisation that showed concern for their wellbeing. There can be an element of cynicism about wellbeing initiatives: that they are too ‘huggy’, and don’t take into consideration an organisation’s commercial pressures or contribute to the bottom line. But Workplace Wellbeing can improve morale, retention and enhances the Employer Brand. Furthermore, when employee absenteeism is a real, tangible measure of loss of productivity, any measures to reduce an organisation’s absence levels should be welcomed.

Large organisations generally have relative budgets to invest in employee wellbeing but what about the SME sector whose employees may have greater workplace pressures but possibly more limited time and resources? The truth is, wellbeing comes in so many forms, it is easy for every organisation to cut their cloth appropriately. The following are a few simple ways that companies and their employees can improve their workplace wellbeing.

For Employees:

Go for a walk.
Get off the bus a few stops early in the morning or head off for a brisk walk on your lunch break. A 30-minute burst of fresh air at some point during the working day is a lot easier than you think and you would probably spend longer procrastinating over whether it is going to rain. (It probably will)

Balance your diet
Diet Coke with a Big Mac doesn’t count. Try eating more fruit and veg during the day and less carbs. And we could all drink more water.

For Employers:

Organise a staff event
The benefits of a few after-work drinks or a game of crazy golf last a lot longer than just the night and gives people an opportunity to get to know each other outside the traditional work setting.

Employee Assistance Programme
Many companies offer EAPs (Employee Assistance Programmes) which is a mix of access to counselling, websites, and articles on a variety of topics. The cost of the programme is cheaper than one might think- and normally includes several one to one confidential counselling sessions for employees.

On-site Exercise Classes
A weekly lunchtime exercise class is a great way to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. A 40-minute Yoga or Pilates class on site is low impact and low maintenance but will see employees rejuvenated and ready for the afternoon’s work without ever having to leave the building.

About the author
PerspectiveHR is led by Eva McDonnell, BA (HRM), LLB, CIPD. Eva has significant experience working across all aspects of Human Resources, including Recruitment and Selection, Performance Management, Employee Engagement and Communication, and Organisational Development and Design. She can be contacted on 0876471907 or at [email protected]