Boosting Employee Wellbeing
It's not often said, but one of the most important responsibilities an employer has within their role is that of supporting the physical and emotional well-being of their employees. This is essential, as not only will staff work better in an environment that is supportive and encouraging, but it will set you apart as a company that values its members and is somewhere that people enjoy working.
But how can you best go about this? We would argue that one of the most effective ways to cultivate a positive and supportive workplace is to lead by example. If employees see the boss taking steps toward a better work-life balance and ensuring they are looking after their own well-being, they will feel encouraged to do the same. So here are our suggestions for steps you can take to help support your employees' well-being.
Lunch Breaks
So often, when we are swamped with work and deadlines approaching, the temptation can be to grab a quick lunch from the vending machines and eat at our desks while we carry on working. But ensuring that we take that time to step away from the screen, to pause in our day and fuel our bodies with a decent and nutritious lunch is vital. Members of your team may also feel hesitant to take a lunch break if the boss is seen to be working through.
Bonding Activities
Encouraging your team to form friendships will help them produce better work. By putting on group events, you will help people get to know each other on a deeper level and form those friendships. Maybe you could all take a lunch break together to celebrate someone's birthday in the office? What shared interests do people have? Maybe you could start an office book club so you can all read and discuss something together that isn't related directly to your current projects. People will enjoy work more if they find ways to get along with the people they spend their day with; encouraging those friendships makes for a happier team.
Happy Environment
A huge factor in how people feel during their working day is their physical surroundings. What tone does your office set? Ensure the work environment is well lit, comfortable, clean and pleasant to be in. You can help encourage this by bringing in plants or doing your bit toward keeping a tidy space.
Work-Life Balance
The ever-elusive work-life balance. Burnout is a real issue within any industry but can be prevented by encouraging employees to strive for that balance. Support your employees to value their time outside of work as their own. Make sure they are logging off when they should be, and don't expect communication outside of work time. Again, they will feel inclined to be checking emails outside of office hours if that is when you are sending them. So, in order to encourage work-life balance in your staff, you need to be striving to achieve that for yourself.
Flexibility
Life is about more than work, and many people may have things happening in their personal lives that they sometimes want to give priority. Many employees will have children who need their time on occasion; maybe you do too? If your employees see you taking time to work around family commitments, again, they will feel more comfortable doing so as well. Make it clear to your team members that when they need to, they can move their working day around and be flexible with working from home to fit in those all-important doctors' appointments and school plays. Your staff will feel all the more valued by knowing that their family's needs are seen as important by their employer also.
Curating a supportive work environment is one of the most effective ways to encourage staff to produce good quality work; a happy team is a productive one. This will also impact a positive employee experience and improve retention rates. What steps are you taking to ensure the well-being of your employees?