The Ultimate Guide to Wellness at Work

 There's a lot of buzz around "workplace wellness" in the HR industry recently, and for good reason.

The modern day work environment, with long periods of sitting, quick takeout meals in-between meetings, and computer screen eye strain, isn't conducive to the mental and physical well-being of your employees.

Having happy and healthy employees has proven to result in better productivity, lower healthcare costs, and less turnover. A wellness plan is a critical strategy for making employees happier, which will ultimately improve your company's bottom line.

Download our complete workplace productivity guide here.

But if you've got a tight budget and limited resources, a wellness program might seem inconceivable at the moment. 

In actuality, wellness programs can save you money in the long-run -- in fact, Health Affairs found every $1 invested in wellness programs saves $3 in healthcare costs for corporations.

Additionally, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to implement workplace wellness initiatives. Here, we're going to explore the why, what, and how of encouraging wellness in your workplace, so you can create a healthier, more productive culture.

The Five Areas of Well-Being

First off, it's important we define "well-being" and explain its broad scope, so you can see all the areas of the workplace you might initiate change.

Gallup and Healthways have developed a "Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5", which defines five essential elements of well-being:

  • Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
  • Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life
  • Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
  • Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community
  • Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

When you evaluate these five elements, you soon realize workplace wellness encompasses a lot more than a fancy treadmill room or healthy snacks.

Each of these five elements reinforce one another. For instance, if your employees feel safe and have a sense of community at the office, they're more likely to participate in group workout classes.

Additionally, financial stress might be a factor playing against your employees physical health -- it's more difficult to eat healthy, go to bed early, and exercise regularly if you're stressed about your budget. Offering a free budgeting class could mitigate stress and help your employees achieve their long-term health goals.

It's critical you take a holistic view when considering the well-being of your employees. Gallup has found, when comparing adults thriving in just physical well-being to those thriving in all five elements, that those in the latter group report 41% fewer unhealthy days, are 36% more likely to say they always fully bounce back after an illness, and are 81% less likely to look for a new job when the job market improves.

However, implementing a wellness program is easier said than done. Now, let's look at some effective wellness program ideas that tackle each of these five wellness elements. 

Employee Wellness Program Ideas

There are innumerable options to encourage and promote a healthier lifestyle at your workplace. Some of these ideas require more money or resources, while others are more cost-effective.

It's critical you take your work culture into consideration when choosing a wellness strategy. For instance, a more competitive workplace might thrive off a monthly team challenge, while another workplace would prefer volunteering for a day.

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