For decades companies and corporations have not seen employee wellbeing as a factor of success. Employee health is seen as a matter that is of consequence only to the employee, and the only time it becomes company business is when workers are forced to take sick leave or their illness otherwise interferes with productivity.
Fortunately, in recent years, many companies are becoming cognizant of the fact that they can influence employee health for the better. Far from a neutral component or a waste of company money, programs that encourage employee wellness are proving to have great benefits on many aspects of corporate performance.
When companies invest in programs that help employees to pursue a healthier lifestyle, the ROI of employee wellbeing is soon demonstrated to include better productivity, reduced sick time and stronger interpersonal relationships.
Improved Productivity
Optimized employee performance does not occur in a vacuum.
In order for each employee to give their best performance, their body chemistry and cognition need to be functioning well. Unstable blood sugar, brain fog and poor ability to recover during sleep will all take a toll on each employee’s potential for development and profitability.
Corporate policies that encourage better metabolic health can have major impact on employee function and, by extension, on the company bottom line.
Less Need For Sick Time
Sick leave is often seen as a necessary evil. No one wants to lose an otherwise good employee to frequent doctor visits or extended recovery times, but in the modern world with diseases rampant it seems as though there is no other choice.
But when companies set policies that improve wellness and overall health, they quickly discover that the chronic ailments that have plagued their employees can also be resolved.
One return on the investment in employee wellness is more and more employees needing less and less time off for health concerns, which can quickly add up to improved profitability.
Stronger Teams
Setting the whole company on a course toward improved employee wellbeing can offer a surprising sense of unity, as well as a feeling of mutual care and compassion as members of the company participate together in classes, dietary changes and exercise programs.
Sympathy between employees may be increased, along with an increased sense of shared purpose. When teams that work projects together are also forming exercise groups together and trying new diets together, their shared goals outside the workplace often translate to better teamwork within the workplace.
Trust in the company as a whole and its interest in employee success is yet another likely result, making employees more inclined to devote their focus and energy toward meeting corporate needs when corporate policies are found to truly reflect their personal best interests.
All these outcomes and more are likely returns on the company’s investment in employee wellbeing. Beginning a new corporate focus on employee health can be as simple as hiring the right wellness keynote speaker for your next event. Take steps toward permanent change for better health, and watch your employees’ performance improve.
