You might have heard health is wealth, but did you know that an employee’s health significantly impacts their performance at work? As important as employee health is, it is usually overlooked among the other ambient factors that drive employee performance.
For an effective and efficient workforce, let’s dive into four reasons why organizations must focus on employee wellness and health.
Healthcare Cost Savings
When organizations wholeheartedly focus on employee wellness, they save on high healthcare costs (for employees and the company). If you take care of employee health timely, they will have fewer medical claims and lower insurance premiums. Furthermore, it offers health screenings, vaccinations, and wellness incentives to promote employee wellness and reduce healthcare expenses significantly.
Another bright side of these healthcare cost savings is that the money can be reinvested into wellness programs in the future, creating a positive feedback loop. Now that the workforce senses that you are investing in their health and valuing their wellness, their performance improves.
Positive Interaction with Colleagues – Team Collaboration
When organizations link employee wellness incentives with programs like group fitness classes, team-building exercises, and social networking events, their mutual relationships are impacted, resulting in a connected workforce. This also creates a team environment where everyone works together towards a similar goal, promoting the organization’s mission and vision.
Undeniably, healthy employees are more likely to interact positively with their fellow workers due to patience, cooperation, collaboration, and employee wellness.
Employee Wellness Gives Way to Employee Engagement
It is a natural fact that when individuals feel good mentally and physically, they better engage and perform at their work, as employee engagement is a critical factor in bringing out creativity, problem-solving, and innovative plans to reach organizational goals.
Organizations can leverage employee wellness programs by providing on-site fitness centers, counseling services, wellness challenges, etc. This valuable and caring environment boosts employee performance and health and improves employee productivity.
Employee Wellness Impacts Attendance
You might agree that on the days when you feel physically and mentally fit, you don’t want to miss work and think that you will be the most productive. This is because employee wellness plays a vital role in attendance and absenteeism.
If your workforce is healthy, they will take fewer sick leaves, and the workflow will continue without any disruptions. However, if some of your employees are going through chronic illness and the organization isn’t doing much about it, there will be increased absenteeism. To support employee wellness and health, it is better to create a work culture that promotes preventive healthcare, stress management, and a healthy work-life balance.
Final Thoughts
Employee wellness is not just a nice-to-have option; it is a strategic business decision that promotes employee performance and reduces absenteeism while saving healthcare costs. Whichever strategies you decide upon, always know that a healthy employee is productive, and investing in their well-being is investing in your organization’s success. So, what steps will you take to prioritize employee health in your organization?
