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Work used to be a transaction.
Workers exchanged time and skills for a steady paycheck, and concerns surrounding employee health in and out of the workplace started and finished with a benefits package.
But times are changing. Ideological shifts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising living costs have changed the terms of the transaction, and workers are demanding better employee health services and wellness plans.
These shifts are much-needed. Workers are stressed and burned out in increasing numbers:
- 67% of workers experience stress once a day
- 15% feel burned out every day
- 53% believe their work quality is worsening as a result
Ignoring the importance of health and wellness in an organization is unsustainable. In 2022 alone, 46.2 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs, with 43% citing poor benefits and 39% citing too many hours as causes.
Workers are now sitting at the head of the bargaining table, and organizations are racing to learn how to prioritize employee health.
What’s employee health?
Employee health describes a worker’s overall well-being. But taking care of employee health is more than just providing sick days and keeping sniffling employees out of the office.
Employee health covers the following:
- Physical health: the absence of illness and the ability to sustain daily physical activities
- Mental fitness: the ability to cope with ordinary stresses and deal with issues such as anxiety or depression effectively
- Emotional health: the ability to manage our thoughts, feelings, and emotions through the ups and downs of life
- Financial health: the ability to spend, save, borrow, and plan for the future without stress
Supporting employee health isn't just good for workers. Healthy employees are happy, which leads to increased productivity, team collaboration, and engagement.
Employee health after COVID-19
The challenges that arose from the pandemic have changed health and wellness in irreversible ways. Organizations had to pivot quickly, addressing flexible workspace needs and accommodating unprecedented health precautions.
Here are a few pandemic consequences companies should help employees address:
Work-from-home stress
Hybrid work or fully-remote workers are finding it challenging to develop a work-life balance. Their work’s six feet away, so they might check professional communication platforms or do extra work more often.
This has increased stress and burnout across the board: 26% of workers feel a lack of interest and motivation, 36% experience cognitive weariness, 32% are emotionally exhausted, and 44% experience physical fatigue.
Physical inactivity
Even though it seems easier to fit in exercise when working from home, inactivity is strongly correlated with remote work, even for previously active individuals.
This might be because a remote worker’s day is increasingly sedentary, so they lack the motivation to get moving. And a more sedentary lifestyle can lead to increased health risks, such as weight gain and heart disease.
Isolation
Humans are intensely social beings and work often encourages socialization and a sense of belonging that brings meaning to a person's job.
Forced isolation during the pandemic and current remote work isolation can cause sadness, stress, and anxiety.
8 benefits of prioritizing employee health
A business is only as healthy as its workforce. The benefits of creating a health and wellness plan for employees aren’t extras — they can make or break a business.
Here are eight ways healthy employees can improve your organization:
1. Reduced absence
Unfortunately, 19% of U.S. workers evaluate their health as fair or poor. And employees with low mental health request four times more unplanned absences.
That's roughly 12 days of absenteeism managers weren't expecting. This adds up: an absence costs about $340 per day for full-time workers and $170 for part-time workers, or $47.6 billion in lost productivity across the U.S.
Prioritizing wellness as a company means less absence and a stronger workforce.
2. Better employee retention
Healthcare costs represent a significant part of the average American's budget — 80% of employees say an employer who values their well-being impacts their decision to stay in a job. And 1 in 6 American workers will remain in a position they don't like to keep their health benefits.
Having employees that feel stuck at work is never a good situation, and strong wellness initiatives make a difference. This wellness culture will make you stand out from competitors and discourage otherwise happy employees from straying.
3. More long-term talent
Employees who demand comprehensive health benefits and wellness programs could offer employers another value: long-term work relationships.
By 2025, millennials will make up an estimated 75% of the workforce — and they care more about work-life balance, childcare, and health and wellness benefits than their baby boomer and generation X counterparts.
Organizations that want to attract talented workers and keep them must offer multi-faceted health benefits and a provider that offers a positive experience.
4. Improved company culture
A company's benefits reflect its values. When leadership actively supports employee well-being, it sends a message that the company values their growth and experience. Millennial workers especially want to know their managers care about them, as employees and people.
Plus, healthy employees are more likely to contribute to their communities, which reflects positively on the company.
5. Better bottom lines
Mental and physical well-being are closely linked to productivity. Employees with strong physical, emotional, and mental health are far more likely to work at their full potential.
Plus, a great way to engage employees is by demonstrating their value — which employee health does. And organizations with high employee engagement have higher-quality customer engagement, stronger productivity, and up to 21% more profitability.
6. Lower healthcare costs
You have to spend money to make money. Investing in comprehensive health programs may lower healthcare costs and insurance claims. Screenings, immunizations, follow-ups, and other accessible preventive measures can keep “low health risk” employees healthy and target “high health risk” patients with manageable issues.
Well-run employee health services can lead to 25% savings each on health care costs, workers' compensation, and disability management claims. All these savings can then be used for project development or organizational growth.
7. Healthier relationships between coworkers
Employee wellness programs that promote collaboration, like fitness challenges, yoga classes, or group meditation, might unify workers. Employees can bond over shared interests and interact outside of work.
Plus, a company that’s open about its commitment to mental and physical wellness may encourage employees to be vulnerable and ask for help when needed.
8. Less stress
People spend nearly 1/3 of their life at work. It's no wonder 87% of employees agree their working environment plays a pivotal role in their mental health. When workers feel stressed or reach the point of burnout, they lose motivation, become easily frustrated, and increase workplace conflict.
How to improve employee health
Here are a few ideas for encouraging great mental, physical, emotional, and financial health in your employees — choose options that suit your organization’s needs:
1. Promote regular exercise
Regular exercise keeps our bodies and minds engaged and helps us manage stress. Companies can actively encourage regular exercise by providing gym memberships, fitness challenges, company sports teams, or on-site or virtual workout classes.
Ask employees to share goals, progress, and achievements on social or professional communication platforms like Slack to encourage conversations about fitness and motivate others.
2. Provide healthy food
We are what we eat. Healthy food results in optimal brain and body power, so providing nutritious options is a great way to encourage mental and physical health.
Try conducting awareness campaigns through newsletters, workshops, or internal communications educating employees about the healthier food options offered at your organization. You could also provide complimentary snacks like fruit or veggies and hummus or nutritional lunch delivery services.
3. Encourage rest
Adults need seven hours or more of quality sleep to function well. People who don't respect a healthy sleep schedule are more prone to stress at work and physical illnesses like high blood pressure and heart disease.
Encourage rest by prompting breaks and checking in on staff who aren't using their vacation days. If you’ve got the overhead and an in-person office, offer a nap room with comfy couches and a no-noise policy.
4. Provide flexible work schedules
Work isn’t our only responsibility. Flexible or reduced work schedules encourage employees to address other meaningful facets of their life, like socializing with friends, taking care of family, or enjoying free time.
5. Re-evaluate pay packages
Financial wellness means employees don’t experience money stress like worrying about whether they’ll be able to pay rent or avoiding social outings to save.
Not all employees feel confident enough to ask for a raise when they’re financially unstable. Evaluate employee pay often, considering the cost of living and dependents. You could also provide financial education programs that teach employees how to invest, save, and spend money wisely.
6. Build an employee assistance program
Employees want to know they’re valued as people, not anonymous workers. An employee assistance program helps workers resolve personal issues that negatively impact their work performance.
These programs serve various concerns, like substance abuse, childcare, eldercare, relationship problems, financial or legal hardship, or psychological treatment for workplace traumas.
7. Encourage movement
As of 2019, more than 80% of U.S. jobs were sedentary. Encouraging movement can reduce the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, such as chronic inflammation and weight gain.
A little goes a long way. Employers can offer standing desks and implement a stand/sit cadence or prompt walking and stretch breaks. They can also provide incentives for those that walk or bike to work or, if working remotely, send daily movement metrics in.
Caring pays off
Placing a workforce’s mental, physical, emotional, and financial well-being at the forefront of company values pays off. It might take some work to turn priorities around, but in the end, you’ll enjoy more satisfied staff and increased productivity levels.
But employee health isn’t just about your employees — you’re a worker, too. Don’t forget to put your health first so you have the energy to care about others.
