Organizations worldwide are focusing on developing a conscious wellness policy to ensure productivity from their employees. A richer life, self-care and efficiency are the goals of the wellness approach. Since employees are the prized possessions of an organization, their wellness is of utmost priority, specially in the current scenario.
The universal definition of wellness includes but is not limited to mental and spiritual well-being and organizations are actively participating in supporting their workers’ mental health. It touches the physical, emotional, and intellectual aspects too; an individual’s interactions with his/her environment and their attitude and process of attaining their life-goals.
The top 5 trends being adopted to manage employee wellness are:
Wellness apps and software
In the age of virtual work and communication, employers have welcomed applications and software to manage employee wellness.
The apps like Welltok (health management), Strava (to track workout performance), Headspace (for meditation), Power Nap App, etc. are an effective way to motivate and track wellness.
Wellable, Limeade, MoveSpring, Unmind, Woliba, League, etc. are some of the several wellness software for organizations to manage employee wellness.
Corporate wellness programs
All major organizations have a strategic wellness approach in place which includes wellness training and programs designed to educate employees and improve their mental and physical health.
Employers today incorporate various health activities in the schedule to take care of employees’ well-being. Wellable, TLEX Synergise and APEX are some programs that have helped organizations reduce their health-care costs and absenteeism while improving employee health, retention, and productivity.
Stress management
Owing to the Corona pandemic, the stress and anxiety levels in employees have skyrocketed. Nearly two-thirds of US employees say they are stressed almost all the time at work. Fatigue, anxiety and physical ailments were found in 81% of workers according to the report from Ginger. Investment in corporate meditation and yoga programs has been found to provide much needed resilience and relief to the workers. Also, rather than providing wellness benefits when it is too late, these corporate programs help to prevent build-up of stress in the first place and hence the host of diseases that follow. Training managers to identify health challenges, ensuring health check-ups, workshops against drug addictions and encouraging physical activity in the workplace are some of the preventive measures in practice.
Stress and burnout are the most common issues organizations face today while managing employee wellness. Hence the step towards stress management through wellness programs and software makes complete sense.
Telehealth
Virtual appointments, health education, monitoring and health information services among other things comprise telehealth. Patient-client contact in current times has been made effortless through these remote technologies.
According to Wellable’s report, over 85% of employers plan to invest in telehealth.
24/7 access to a healthcare provider, flexible appointments and answers to health queries when the physical health centers are closed are some of the many benefits of telehealth.
Family wellness
Apart from employees’ personalized wellness through health coaching, meditation programs and self-care subscription services, assisting employees in taking care of their families’ wellness greatly affects their professional outputs. From organizing events for families to childcare arrangements, supporting employees beyond the walls of office positively effects their efficiency at work and helps them in maintaining balance in their personal and professional life.
In conclusion, proactive steps for employee wellness management and leveraging technology for the same are what companies have engaged in. They are supported by the proven results of corporate wellness programs that attest in saving lifestyle disorders in around 30% of employees. Accenture’s corporate wellness program has been acknowledged in the US for offering its employees a complete health package that includes everything from dieting to alternate medicinal methods like homeopathy. Employers globally are developing their own approaches to deliver employee wellness management.