Employee health and job execution are directly related. Healthy and happy employees improve the mood in the working environment, leading to better work performance and more profits. However, the increasing demands of the 21st century mean more employees are burned out due to work stress.

According to UK health and safety statistics, almost 2 million employees suffered from a work-related breakdown in 2022. Also, there was an estimated £19 billion cost of employee ill-health and work-related injuries in 2022. These figures point to the increasing need to improve health and well-being among employees.

Unlike jobs requiring active body movements like athletics or fitness jobs, most office workers spend hours sitting behind a desk, promoting an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. This write-up discusses improving staff well-being and its gains for enhanced productivity at work.

Ways to Improve Employee Health and Well-Being

1. Identify the Likely Cause(s) of Stress

Stress is among the leading causes of unproductivity in the workplace and can be responsible for reduced job turnout. As a result, you can only improve your employees' general well-being by first identifying why they're stressed. Some probable causes of workplace stress include heavy workloads, disputes with colleagues, long working hours, and job insecurity.

2. Improve Office Comfort

Upgrading the available infrastructure in the office and workplace is essential to promote better employee health and wellness. These upgrades include ergonomic chairs and desks, office ventilation, lighting and noise reduction.

For example, investing in a high-quality height adjustable desk provides more comfort to employees while helping eliminate pains arising from poorly fitted desks. Flexispot offers a vast range of affordable and top-quality desks for proper convenience while working.

3. Create a Collaborative Environment

A collaborative environment supports employees and allows workers to share ideas and visions, leading to better innovation and company advancement. Ensuring transparency and cultivating an open culture is one way to create a collaborative environment in the workplace.

As an employer, you should identify the strengths and weaknesses of each staff and leverage them. Adopt an open policy where interaction between the different levels in the organisation becomes frequent. Also, you can offer rewards and incentives to motivate the staff, thus promoting a positive work environment.

4. Invest in Mental Health and Wellness Programs

Investing in wellness and mental health programs helps reduce absenteeism and healthcare expenses. Employers should be more proactive about their staff's mental health by investing in relevant programs.

The WHO recommends employers implement this by targeting organisational interventions focusing on working environments and conditions. Employers can introduce counselling sessions and invite mental health experts to address the workforce. This can guide the staff in developing proper strategies and interventions.

Likewise, granting workers mental health days to access their cognitive health and well-being will help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in the workplace

5. Introduce Fun Activities

Leisure activities at work greatly enhance mood and ensure everyone isn't bored or jaded with their job demands. Remind employees to take some recess and relax a bit from the stress of continuous work. This help keeps employees smart, boosting their thinking ability and allowing them to develop innovative solutions for your business.

Also, they can take some time off from regular sitting and stretch their legs for more fitness. One good way to encourage this is by using a standing desk at work. Standing desks allow employees to take some breaks from sitting all day, helping improve their fitness, health, and well-being.

6. Employ More Qualified Staff

High work demands and pressure to get the job done in time can take a toll on the overall health of your workers. Recent research reveals that a high workload contributes to poor well-being among workers.

One of the leading causes of this is an organisation's staff shortage. Employers can tackle this by showing empathy and employing more qualified workers to relieve the stress among overburdened employees. This can improve employee loyalty and lower stress in the workplace.

Importance of Employee Health and Well-Being

Maintaining employee health and well-being isn't only beneficial to your employees. It also directly affects work input and output in the workplace. You get an "up and running" work environment that encourages healthy competition and improves work efficiency. There's more positivity, and happy employees are more productive at their jobs.

Also, better employee health and well-being lead to reduced absenteeism from work. Absenteeism negatively impacts an organisation's future, leading to reduced jobs completed, hence lower profits. Employees are happier and experience improved well-being in other areas like social, emotional, mental, physical, occupational, and intellectual health.

Furthermore, good employee health and well-being boost the morale of your workers, as they'll be more motivated to work and finish tasks in a considerable amount of time. Additionally, improved employee health leads to better staff retention. It's in the company's best interest to improve staff retention, as hiring newly qualified staff can be stressful.

Healthcare costs are reduced, and it minimises the likelihood of severe ailment. In addition, employees have a better sense of value when they notice the work done by the employer to keep them in optimal performance. This gives employees a sense of belonging, improving loyalty to the organisation.

Final Words

Maintaining a positive work culture is one of the keys to a successful business, and ensuring your employees are in good health is one way to achieve this. As an employer, it's your responsibility to provide your staff with the necessary support to succeed in the workplace.

This includes taking a proactive approach to ensuring all your workers are healthy and happy, which will significantly benefit your organisation.