Deadlines. Meetings. Emails. Paperwork. With everything that people handle every single day at work (and not to mention balancing their personal lives on top of it all), it’s no wonder that a record number of employees report feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burnt out in today’s fast-paced world.
Because so much of our daily lives are spent at our places of work, employers have a unique opportunity to promote workplace wellness and intervene with these feelings of fatigue before they become detrimental to employees. As individuals, we naturally strive for optimal wellbeing—but it can be easier said than done without the proper support system in place. If employers recognize the importance of their employees’ wellness and put programs in place to support them, they can foster a happier, healthier, and more productive workplace that helps their people thrive both in and outside the office.
Employees must feel that their employer truly prioritizes their wellbeing at work to feel genuinely supported. Creating a healthy environment that promotes workplace wellness is not only a moral and ethical choice for employers, but also a smart strategic decision that benefits everyone involved.
Wellness must be well-rounded: The four elements of workplace wellness
The term wellness might feel like a broad concept but it’s much more tangible when broken down into four main focuses: mental wellness, physical wellness, financial wellness, and personal wellness.
These areas of wellness are separate yet intertwined. If one component is negatively impacted, it’s likely to cause a ripple effect that throws off the person’s balance. By separating wellness into the individual pillars below, we can more easily focus on the big picture by starting with smaller, connected parts that ultimately form our sense of overall wellbeing at work.
- Mental: Mental wellbeing encompasses both our emotional and psychological health. This looks a little different from person to person, but it generally involves stress management, strategies to foster mental resilience, and taking proper care of our mental state, especially in times of distress. A work environment that promotes connection, empathy, candor, and interpersonal communication is crucial to employees maintaining a healthy emotional and mental balance.
- Physical: Physical wellbeing is all about taking care of our bodies and feeling our absolute best. To many people, physical wellbeing might be equated with self-care. Helping to form healthier habits that lead to positive lifestyle changes, advocating for taking time to get outside, offering health education programs, and encouraging flexible working arrangements are all ways that organizations can create a direct impact on physical health.
- Financial: Financial wellbeing means being well-versed and confident when taking ownership of one’s financial situation. Organizations can help ensure financial wellbeing by investing in programs that empower their employees to make informed financial decisions and improve their financial literacy. By intervening in employees’ financial knowledge, providing information and transparency, and ensuring fair wages and employee savings plans, employers can not only improve financial wellness but cultivate greater loyalty and trust in the workplace.
- Personal: Personal wellbeing is generally the pursuit of personal interests, having a growth mindset, and achieving a healthy work-life balance. When employees feel supported in their personal growth and development both in and outside work, it leads to a greater sense of worth and purpose—therefore helps them feel more engaged, accomplished, and motivated.
Workplace wellness: the bottom line
Recognizing and supporting the four pillars of wellbeing can greatly impact employees’ sense of job fulfillment and enrich their personal lives—and the benefits of investing in employee wellness initiatives are far-reaching. Employers that prioritize workplace wellness will see several gains, including higher engagement, improved employee satisfaction, and better retention rates. Ultimately, there’s no downside to focusing on employee wellbeing when it’s proven to lead to an overall healthier, happier, highly engaged workforce, and a thriving workplace culture.
Learn more about wellness in the workplace and discover tangible steps you can take to create a healthier work environment in Workplace Wellness Interventions: Enhancing employee wellbeing in times of change by Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal, international expert on mental health, resilience, and wellness.
