Emotional well-being is just as important as physical well-being and plays an important role in employee health and performance. If an employee is going through a hard time whether at work or in their personal life, it affects their overall happiness and on the job performance. Avoid adding to employee stress with overwhelming workloads or inefficient processes and procedures. And, consider implementing the following programs:
1. Implement an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), employees who are struggling with issues in their personal or work life can speak with a confidential advisor to develop a plan to work through these issues.
2. Provide on-site exercise classes to help employees to cope with daily stressors. These classes could include yoga, kickboxing, aerobics or jazzercise. Classes should be offered at various times during the day including morning, lunchtime and after work.
3. Allow flexible scheduling so that employees are better able to manage work and home life.
4. Create an on-site quiet or meditation room that employees can use to take a break throughout the day. Considering the use of aromatherapy and soothing music to create an inner office Zen experience.
5. Provide a series of on-site classes to help employees with financial planning, stress management, and work-life balance.
6. Host office massage days once per month and allow employees to spend 30 minutes away from their desk to enjoy a relaxing chair massage.
7. Increase the number of paid vacation or personal days and encourage employees to use 2-3 days per year for mental health days allowing them to recharge their batteries.
8. Incentivize employees to get their annual wellness check-up, most employees would be easily incented with a $25 gift card. This is a good time to speak confidentially with your doctor about life stressors that may be affecting your health.
9. In your business is there a time of the year that brings about more stress? How about bringing in a stand-up comedian after a stressful time to allow employees to forget their worries and just laugh.
10. Encourage employees to use their vacation time, you can do this by a “use it or lose it policy” where vacation expires at the end of the year if not used. Also, do not put pressure on employees to work every day without regard to personal time and self-rejuvenation.
Do you have a wellness program in place? If you do, consider adding specifics to it that focus on emotional health, not simply physical health. If you don’t have a wellness program, we can help! Learn more about our free and customizable healthySOLUTIONS programs.
Finally, talk to your employees and ask them for guidance. If you can get a true sense of what is causing an employee to struggle you may be able to work with them to develop mutually beneficially office policies.
