3 Ways to Create a Workplace Culture of Wellness
Workplace wellness issues are specific although the issues around wellness culture are not peculiar to what you need to consider in general wellness. In this article, we will discuss three ways that you can create a workplace culture of wellness.
You might be in a position to determine what your company needs to do to create a workplace wellness culture that will work for everyone. So, what three areas are key in a workplace culture proposition?
Recommend Replicable Standards and Best Practices in Workplace Wellness
One benefit of copying and implementing standards and best practices is that it gives you a better chance at covering some basics that you could easily miss in your organization. When you create a workplace culture from standard templates you worry only about implementing the content of the workplace culture.
Example of workplace wellness best-practice templates to follow – see SHRM:
- Baseline surveys: Some companies are required to get information on workers’ specific health conditions because of risk assessments related to employee’s exposure from work.
- Delegating a leader: Handing a key leader the task of implementing health and wellness programs.
- Bold Stands: Making policies that strongly discourage unhealthy actions like smoking for example
- Motivate employees to make changes by introducing rewards: A carrot and stick approach has been used by many companies to up their health and wellness culture compliance.
- Create a medium for direct or virtual discussion with company management and employees about wellness concerns.
Also, the AHA Journal contains useful descriptions of corporate workplace wellness principles that can serve as a guide. The template is as follows:
- Leadership
- Relevance
- Partnership
- Comprehensiveness
- Implementation
- Engagement
- Communications
- Data-driven
- Compliance
It is important to have a good framework that the majority of your people will follow.
Create Medium for Employee-Employer Rapport and Communication about Wellness
The best leadership policy is one that makes everyone feel included rather than excluded from the work. So, you want to make your wellness policy by collaborating with the people in the company.
your wellness model is more likely to be successful if you ensure that everyone is carried along from the conception of ideas to the implementation. Effectively you and your team will be creating one of the best environments for employee wellness that is based on continuous communication.
Be an Example to Your People and Encourage them to comply with your company’s wellness culture
When you and your people are in great health and mental condition, you will be more productive at work. Knowing this as a leader in your team, you should take champion the course to a healthy work-life that will influence others to follow.
The best way to drive home the idea of wellness culture in your workplace is by leading by example. If you take active breaks in break times, you will be encouraging your team members to do the same too. Some exemplary companies have spaces for indoor activities like table tennis and encourage their workers to be physically active.
Facebook’s example of health and wellness information for employees is a great example of a corporation leading in wellness culture. They shared the benefits of their policies that promote a wellness culture.
Conclusion
You have seen three possible strategies that could be employed in making sure staff in workplaces are doing well. Companies who are open to partnerships and constantly learn to improve will do fine in their business as long as their people are well in their bodies and minds.
References
SHRM 2015, Five Best Practices for Workplace Wellness. Available online at < https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/best-practices-wellness-guide.aspx > Assessed August 27, 2021.
Tannenbaum D, Valasek CJ, Knowles ED, Ditto PH. Incentivizing wellness in the workplace: sticks (not carrots) send stigmatizing signals. Psychol Sci. 2013 Aug;24(8):1512-22. doi: 10.1177/0956797612474471. Epub 2013 Jun 13. PMID: 23765268.