How Encouraging Employee Self-care Leads to Workplace Success
Your employees are the most important asset to your business. Hardworking, trustworthy staff can help your business grow and maximize your day-to-day productivity.
However, many employees do not understand how to practice self-care or feel that they have to work until the point of burnout — and beyond. However, this is detrimental to not only the employee but also to the company, as a whole.
As a business leader, you can encourage employee self-care through wellness programs and initiatives. Even small changes, like providing healthy food, can make a big difference to employee health and workplace success.
Mental Health
You may not realize it, but many of your employees could be living with conditions like generalized anxiety or depression. You can help these employees by giving them access to a licensed therapist and funding some or all of their sessions. Therapy can make a meaningful difference to your employee’s mental health and help them navigate the challenges they’re facing.
As a leader in the workplace, you can take steps to improve the mental health and well-being of your employees. You can work with a mental health professional who specializes in workplace wellness to redesign your operations. Mental health professionals may be able to spot wellness issues in the workplace and encourage you to make design changes in the office.
Encourage your employees to practice mental health self-care during the workday. For example, if you work in sales, allow employees a short break after a particularly stressful or challenging call. You can also give employees access to relaxation rooms and maintain an “open-door” policy for any employee who wants to discuss any challenges they are facing.
Promoting better mental health can improve your workplace productivity and make for a more supportive work environment. Employees can still have successful careers while navigating mental health challenges. However, they need your support and should be able to access mental health professionals whenever they need them.
Healthy Habits
Some employees mistakenly believe they have to sacrifice their health and well-being for productivity. This is a major misstep and will only result in burnout and declining productivity.
You can help employees form healthy lifestyle habits by promoting a culture of self-care at work. Start with simple steps like funding gym memberships and exercise classes. Employees who exercise regularly avoid some chronic health conditions and benefit from better sleep.
Try to encourage healthier relationships at work, too. Some folks in the office simply don’t get along, but that doesn’t mean there has to be unresolved conflict at work. Instead, try to organize teams and seating so that your staff surrounds themselves with people who support them and their goals. Also, work with them to resolve any disagreements they may have.
Open regular lines of communication with your employees and ask about how they like to spend their free time. Hobbies are an important part of self-care and should be nourished and cherished. If possible, allow employees to work flexible hours so they can attend to their hobbies and enjoy their time away from the office.
If you notice that employees seem stressed, encourage better time management in the workplace. This may mean that you need to hire more staff or reduce employees’ workloads. If you can’t afford to hire more staff, consider automating tasks. This will help employees focus on their roles and reduce the risk of burnout.
Preventative Health
Preventative care is a form of self-care as it helps employees avoid the doctor’s office and keeps them feeling healthy and happy. Major health conditions can derail productivity and cause employees stress, too. However, many conditions can be resolved with a preventative approach to health and wellness.
Preventive healthcare, like regular checkups, getting vaccinated, and screening for health conditions, can significantly improve employees’ long-term health productivity. Employees who take care of their health will have lower blood pressure, greater life expectancy, decreased risk of chronic conditions and improved weight management.
As an employer, you can encourage preventative care by bringing in professionals and running “health days” at your place of work. Consider initiatives like screening for conditions like cancer and offering free blood work. Encourage employees to take time out of their work day by reducing their workload and extending deadlines.
If you notice that employees are not taking up preventative healthcare offerings, you may want to reconsider your benefits and insurance package. Ask employees how robust they find their coverage and make changes if necessary. Some employees may not realize how far their coverage extends, so be sure to remind folks about the coverage afforded to them.
Encouraging preventative self-care can lead to greater productivity in your workplace. Employees who cherish their health will need less time off due to chronic illnesses and will likely benefit from better health and well-being.
Conclusion
Self-care can lead to a more productive, healthy working environment. You can promote greater wellness at work by funding therapy sessions and automating tasks that jeopardize employees’ work-life balance.
Interview employees if you find that uptake in wellness initiatives is low. Some employees may not have the time to visit the gym or attend screening sessions. If this is the case, you need to make changes to your operations to ensure that all employees can get take preventative measures to protect their health.