Your people drive your company, even during times of uncertainty. As a leader of your organization, you would do well to give a lot of your attention to creating a company culture with a built-in appreciation for your employees. But how do you find the middle ground between a great company culture and your business’s bottom line?
The truth is that workplace wellness doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. You just need to be a bit creative. Consider implementing the following small changes that can make a big difference to your employees.
Flexible Working Hours
Today’s workforce values work-life balance more than ever. The pandemic has only served to illuminate that fact. If you can find a way to allow for some wiggle room with your employee’s working hours, it can go a long way toward improving their everyday experience without costing you a dime.
De-Stress Zones in the Office
Your team commits a large portion of their lives to being in the office and working toward achieving company goals. There will be some days when either in-office or external stressors become too much for them. If they don’t have a place to go where they can find a little peace, it’s highly likely they’ll become burned out, leading to significant turnover.
Creating areas in the office with a focus on calm and relaxation rather than work can be a great way to help your employees find that inner peace, not only on their bad days but on any day. Comfortable seating, plants, and warm light won’t break the bank, but they can certainly reduce stress.
Hobby Clubs or Groups
Isolation is a serious issue today, not just in the current business landscape but in society in general. Even if your workforce is interacting on a daily basis, if it’s all about work and more goal-oriented than connection-oriented, you shouldn’t assume that strong relationships are being built between employees.
If you’d like to inspire some genuine connections as well as team building and employee engagement, you can create clubs based on mutual hobbies your employees share.
Whether it’s an exercise group, a book club, or anything else, providing a way for your team to connect that has nothing to do with work is a great (and inexpensive) way to improve workplace wellness.
Voluntary Benefits
Offering great benefits is one of the most straightforward ways to engage employees and improve retention, particularly if the benefits you offer are unique. But the thing about unique benefits is that sometimes they’re a bit too niche and can wind up costing you more than they’re worth.
If you want to offer benefits that make your company stand out, sometimes the best way to do it is to make them voluntary. If an employee stands to gain something from these benefits, they can opt in; if they think they’re not worth it, they can opt out. The freedom of choice alone will enhance workplace wellness.
Wellness Workshops
If you really want to improve workplace wellness, you can tackle the issue head-on by offering wellness workshops. These programs will not only raise awareness about mental health in the workplace but also provide your employees with skills that can help them improve themselves in all facets of their lives.
Holding wellness workshops offers another benefit to your organization, as well — it allows your workforce know that workplace wellness is important to you. It’s a simple enough gesture that won’t cost you all that much but can make a big statement about your company’s values.
Bring Your Pet to Work Day
There’s a reason why therapy animals are so popular today: pets relieve stress, improve moods, and simply make the world a brighter place. Allowing for a “bring your pet to work day” can bring all of those benefits into your workplace, foster connections, and add another day on the calendar that your workforce will look forward to.
Building Your Company Culture with the Right Benefits
Strong employee benefits are an integral part of the foundation of any great company culture. Benefits Advisory Group can help you build that foundation. Contact us today and let’s get you set up for success!