During the last couple of months, Essential Vitality has promoted two key weeks for well-being: International Week for Happiness At Work (25-29 September) and National Work-Life Week (2-6 October).
Although they’re run by different organisations, both weeks encourage employers and their teams to open up a dialogue, and find ways to carry out their workplace responsibilities in a more healthy, mindful way.
Taking inspiration from these events, we’ve compiled some ways that you can make your workplace a more engaging, supportive environment.
Happiness
Did you know that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy employees?
A positive working environment with happier people is proven to lead to:
- Increased productivity
- Better employee retention
- Less absenteeism
- Increased engagement
So, how can you improve the happiness in your workplace? Some examples might be:
- Listen to your employees, and ensure that they feel like they’re being listened to
- Recognise and reward your people for their contributions
- Develop and maintain a positive working culture and environment
- Consider offering benefits or rewards programmes that promote well-being and happiness
Another way to promote and encourage happiness in the workplace is to encourage employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Work Life Balance
According to The Happiness Index, your work-life balance can have a big impact on your life in general. Whilst it may seem obvious, there is an intrinsic link between your well-being at work and your overall well-being.
Work-life balance can affect health and relationships, as well as productivity and performance at work.
As an employer, it’s essential to ensure that your people are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. At the same time, it’s important for employees to take responsibility for their own well-being and address any issues they might be facing and/or seek help when needed.
From a management perspective, some ways to promote work-life balance could include:
- Encouraging your team to use all of their annual leave
- Ensuring that everyone takes regular breaks throughout the day
- Making room for flexible or remote working practices
- Asking your team what would work best for them
- Leading by example by using annual leave, taking regular breaks, and avoiding contacting employees out of hours (where possible)
One way to address both happiness and work life balance in your workplace could be by planning a well-being strategy. This could include training sessions, encouraging discussion and transparency, or even bonuses to encourage health and wellness – such as discounted gym memberships, subsidised healthy lunches, or on-site massage.
On-Site Massage sessions allow employees to step away from their desk, helping them to de-stress and feel revitalised.
As well as showing your employees that you appreciate them, rewards initiatives that encourage health have a positive impact on happiness.
What activities has your company found effective in helping to promote a good work-life balance? Please get in touch – we’re interested to know!
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