What does a healthy work environment look like? What do employees really value when it comes to working?
These are questions that employers rarely ask, but they should be. In any case, the environment at your workplace is crucial to the success of the enterprise, so let’s figure out how to improve.
In this article, we will cover the process behind creating a healthy environment.
Keep reading to learn more.
Start With Wellness
The first step to all health is the encouragement of wellness. What does that entail? In simple words, you create a routine program for the movement, exercise, and mobilizing aspects of the human. This can be a weekly yoga session before work or pilates after work.
Through this process, not only do you encourage your employees to look beyond their immediate boundaries, but to experience new things that can extend beneficially into other aspects of their life.
Not to mention, the bonding part of it all.
Feed to Health
Healthy eating is healthy living. And no, it’s not about strict dietary restriction. It is not deprivation from what you love. It’s about making what you eat result in you feeling great, being full of energy, and improving your general outlook on your entire life.
A healthy environment cannot last without healthy eating. If your environment is great, but your employees are groggy and tired from eating junk snacks in your lobby, then you’re doing something wrong.
Don’t let them skip meals because they have to work. Pay for their lunch, make them go out. Cater to their needs, provide them with healthy meals all throughout the day.
Breaks of Need
Encouraging your employees to overwork themselves is a bad idea. Why not do the opposite? Encourage them to work less, but better.
If they can take breaks without letting you know, that’s a start. They are not your kid who is going out for a sleepover, they work because they are responsible. So let them be responsible.
If they need to take a break to alleviate muscle fatigue, eyestrain, and gain their focus back – just let them do it. How about installing apps on their desktops that remind them to take breaks, because some are just not eager to.
Environment Itself
Covering those ephemeral aspects of the environment haven’t touched on the environment itself. Working in a comfortable and clean office has a tremendous impact on the success of your enterprise.
The office should get direct sunlight, all throughout the workday. The furniture should comfort your employees when they are on break or discussing the scope of the projects at hand.
If you can’t have sun, use bright lights. There’s a direct correlation between work performance and lighting. Create an atmosphere that you want your work to represent.
Fulfillment
All employees want their work to feel like it matters. And for this to happen, the organization has to know the purpose behind its existence. Why do you exist? What purpose do you serve? Who do you help?
Once there is a direct initiative for these questions, then the individuals can map out their own contributions to serve the greater purpose. Write it down, elaborate on each position, and let them know what they are for.
Even a commoditized industry has the capacity for purpose. Even if you’re selling clothing, your purpose could be to deliver satisfaction. All of your new employees could be funneled through a directed route of training, where they all do customer satisfaction for example. This will ensure that everybody sees the value of the work and understand the process behind satisfaction.
Perk It Up
If you think that paying more to your employees will increase their happiness in the workplace, think again. Perks are more valuable to employees, so research the most important ones, and provide just that.
Compensation is nothing but a threshold, it’s not the scorecard for accomplishment. Any perk that improves the quality of life in and out of the workplace is of higher value and shows that the company cares about the employees.
Unlimited vacation, child care, paid leave, health and wellness memberships, etc. All of these are a given, and should not be overlooked.
Invest In Growth
Personal development is practically a basic human need, so treat it as such. If you’re in a position to provide the means for it, why not? Employees need to grow to feel fulfilled.
When an employee feels stuck, they will be the first to look for other jobs. They want to be lead, and told that they can grow, and here’s how you can do it.
You can subsidize education for team members, so that they can take classes online, purchase online courses, attend conferences, etc.
You can host learning sessions where team members present something they are passionate about to the rest. A book club can work as well.
Encourage employees to share their professionals and personal goals for the year, make this public. Help them achieve it, break down the goals, set benchmarks. Provide them with the means to achieve these goals realistically.
Check out this BE Offices article for the socially distanced office.
Healthy Environment At Your Workplace Achieved
Now that you know how to achieve a healthy environment at your workplace, you are well on your way to ensuring that your customers are satisfied, happy, and healthy.
After all, that’s what matters because the backbone of your enterprise is the employees themselves. Without them, the company does not run. So take responsibility for their wellbeing, and they will take responsibility for yours.
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