With the rise of remote work in recent years, employers need to come up with new ways to foster a healthy company culture and work environment for their globally dispersed teams.
Creating an employee wellness program is an excellent way to help employees grow. However, when in-person activities are not possible, it can be difficult to know how to implement a wellness program. Remote employee wellness is a hot topic in the virtual world of work, as it has been proven to bring many benefits to both employees and businesses.
In this guide, you'll learn what employee wellness is, the benefits of employee wellness programs, the types of virtual wellness activities, and how to create an employee wellness program to foster a supportive remote work environment for employees.
Employers can promote the well-being of employees in the workplace by providing programs and activities designed to promote and support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees.
Employee wellness programs typically address common work-related health issues, including cardiovascular problems, increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, as well as mental health issues such as stress, burnout, and depression.
Employee wellness programs are designed to help both employees and employers. Work-related health issues can have a negative impact on both parties. Employers implement these programs in recognition that healthy employees are happy employees and are more productive and engaged.
Proactive support programs foster long-term employee retention and increase revenue for your business. In addition, taking a proactive approach to employee health can reduce the long-term cost of employer-provided wellness programs.
Overall, employee health can be improved through the following programs, activities, benefits, and policies:
l Improve the physical, mental and emotional well-being of employees.
l Reduce the risk of employee health problems.
l Minimize employee medical expenses.
Wellness programs can include a wide variety of activities, such as free health coaching, mental health counseling, workplace health fairs, stress management assistance, fitness programs, educational classes, and many more.
In addition, employee wellness can be promoted through healthy workplace policies, such as flexible working hours, mental health days, no-meeting days, and other policies that enable a healthy work-life balance. Even the benefits offered by some employers, such as comprehensive health care plans, free medical check-ups, and annual health allowances, are classified as employee health plans.
Since most employee wellness events have traditionally consisted of in-person events such as health fairs, campus gyms, and on-site counselors, it can be difficult for employers to launch virtual employee wellness programs.
While some employers may choose to abandon these initiatives altogether, the reality is that a healthy remote work culture is just as important as an in-person work culture. Therefore, it is necessary for employers to implement health programs remotely.
Supporting employee well-being through wellness programs can have a significant impact on employees, businesses, and workplaces:
Having a supportive employee wellness plan in place can significantly improve employee morale. Employee morale affects an employee's outlook, satisfaction, and confidence in the workplace.
A company's wellness program may have a direct impact on morale by improving the health of its employees. Employees are likely to be happier with improved health, work-life balance, supportive resources, and company culture through wellness programs.
With happier employees, businesses also reap the benefits of increased productivity and revenue. High employee morale also reduces burnout rates and improves employee retention, which can reduce long-term employment costs.
Implementing employee wellness programs can also improve employee engagement. When levels of stress and burnout are low, employee engagement increases, and this can be achieved through employee wellness programs. For example, employees can stay motivated by setting goals to improve their health and scheduling breaks.
Wellness programs can be stress management counseling, flexible working hours, supportive leadership, and other activities that help employees manage their work life. Healthier, happier employees build better relationships with others and vice versa. Improving relationships with managers and colleagues can make employees more engaged in the workplace.
Employee wellness programs often provide mental health support and resources, such as free counseling, mental health days, classes, and other benefits to keep employees' mental health in mind.
Physical health initiatives in employee wellness programs can also improve mental health. Research shows that mental health and physical health are related, so targeting these areas can lead to happier and healthier people.
Since poor work-life balance can be one of the main causes of declining mental health, employers must prevent this from happening. Wellness programs help employees be happier, stay with the company longer, and complete higher-quality work.
Clearly, employee wellness programs can have a huge impact on employees. However, how do you implement a wellness program for a globally distributed team? Here are some simple yet effective wellness ideas for remote employees that any employer can incorporate into their employee benefits wellness plan.
When you think of fitness classes, you may first think of in-person fitness classes, but virtual fitness classes are now more plentiful than ever. For remote teams, offering free virtual fitness classes is a great way to boost employee health.
Yoga classes in particular are a great class because it is more suitable for people of all fitness levels. Experts also report that yoga can dramatically improve stress levels, mood, and energy. These telehealth activities can connect employees through non-work social activities, which can be especially beneficial for people who work in a virtual office all day.
Another affordable virtual event is the creation of a book club. Book clubs are a great way for employees to socialize, build community, and have fun. Through book clubs, employees are able to connect in meaningful ways that are not related to work, which in turn helps them work well together during working hours.
In addition, book clubs can also be educational. Employees can learn about physical health, healthy habits, reduce burnout, and set goals that fit their work life.
While in-person happy hours used to be more common, virtual happy hours have become more popular for remote teams. Considering the various health concerns of employees, happy hour does not necessarily require drinking. Instead, an employer might pay for an employee's takeout to enjoy virtually via a group call.
Virtual events that allow employees to have fun and enjoy each other's company are a great way to foster healthy relationships and the health of your remote team.
One of the most impactful employee wellness initiatives is offering flexible working hours. Fortunately, flexible working hours are easier to achieve by working remotely. Providing your employees with space to rest so they can enjoy family time, fun activities, and work through personal issues can go a long way in supporting their wellbeing.
A better work-life balance can also improve a person's overall quality of life, creating a positive cycle that leads to happier employees, higher productivity, and higher retention.
Offering free** as part of an employee wellness program is an effective way to improve employee mental health. Treatments can be expensive, so this can be a huge benefit. A great tool for better managing stress, improving relationships, boosting confidence, and promoting mental health overall.
With the course, employees can free up time to focus on themselves.
Another health idea for remote workers is to provide a stipend for healthy eating. Unfortunately, high-quality food can be expensive and not accessible to everyone. Providing a nutritious food allowance can solve this problem. Healthy foods can help employees feel more energetic, reduce health risks, and improve mental health.
An increasingly common employee wellness mandate is a paid mental health day. These days of absence allow employees to rest and focus on themselves when they need to.
Employers can provide relaxation and stress management tips as well as counseling resources so that employees can make the most of this time. In order for this policy to be effective, mental health days should be allowed and encouraged without any problems.
These virtual events are just a few examples of employee wellness programs that can benefit your employees. Virtual wellness activities can also benefit your entire team. Employees can improve teamwork because they gain better morale, work-life balance, health, and confidence through wellness programs.
That's because a healthy mind and body allows us to develop better relationships, be more productive, and be more engaged at work and with others. Supporting a healthy team can create a virtuous cycle that increases employee cohesion, increases productivity, and boosts confidence in achieving team goals.
To emphasize team health, employers can implement team-based wellness programs. This may include team challenges, social events, motivational team goals, and group meals to build wellness together.
Supporting inter-team relationships, in turn, can benefit employers by fostering a better company culture, increasing productivity, increasing revenue, encouraging creativity, and retaining employees for longer.
There are a number of ways employers can implement virtual employee wellness programs for their remote employees. However, in order to reap the benefits of healthy activities, employers should have appropriate strategies in place to create, promote, and support these initiatives.
Here are some steps that all employers should consider when developing a telehealth plan:
Assess employee needs- Take stock of employees' needs and desires to assess which initiatives are likely to be best. Consider collecting feedback directly from employees through surveys and one-on-one meetings.
Set goals- Set goals for the results of employee wellness activities, such as increased job satisfaction, increased productivity, and reduced burnout.
Select a virtual eventChoose from a variety of virtual wellness activities based on your employee needs and goals, as well as activities that fit your budget.
Participation is encouraged- Encourage employee participation through incentives, words of support, and working hours.
Promote inclusivity- Make sure your wellness program is inclusive of diverse employees, such as those with physical disabilities, mental health issues, and marginalized groups.
Prioritize company culture- To improve employee health, you need a supportive company culture. Employers need to prioritize building a supportive culture for genuine employee wellness, rather than using wellness initiatives as band-aids to mask toxic work environments.
Following these steps can lead to a healthier, happier workforce, which can lead to a stronger company.