Article provided by Simply
Employee wellness is an important priority as a business owner. This article takes you through ways to improve the health and wellness of your workplace and your staff.
Technology is constantly improving the health and wellness of employees.
From using a standing desk to improve posture, to access to employee counselling to cellular applications that monitor fatigue, technology continues to work for the safety of your staff. Rapid innovation impacts every corner of business operations and workplace health, wellness and safety are no exception.
Employers are now, better than ever before, able to monitor employees’ health, provide wellness and mental health counselling, reduce physical stress, and keep personnel out of harm’s way. In addition to protecting workers, safety technology can help boost employee morale, reduce turnover, and control business insurance costs.
An investment in workplace health and safety will never be a waste.
Workplace health and wellness methods that you should consider investing in
Wearable technologies
Safety in the workplace is improving through wearable technology that can track biometrics, enable calls, scan barcodes, and detect exposure limits to harmful elements. Wearable technology can also determine work-related illnesses to prevent them in other employees. Wearable tech is now available widely and is increasingly accessible. It can drastically help lower the frequency and severity of injury to workers. It could be a physiological monitoring device that can track heart rate and general physical wellness or an environmental monitoring device that alerts staff when air quality is dangerous or when a temperature change could cause harm. It could also be proximity detection technologies that notify your employee when they are too close to a hazardous substance or piece of equipment or entering a harmful area without the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
Safety mobile applications
Cost-effective technology includes applications that assess, monitor and improve workplace safety. These apps allow workers and managers to evaluate task safety and working conditions, report any unsafe conditions or make suggestions for improvement. Furthermore, measuring noise hazards or providing safety tutorials and guidance on what to do in the matter of an emergency. In turn, the application can be used by employers to remain compliant, support workplace safety and look for ways in which they might improve. Many applications are available, and several of them are even free.
Investing in employee health and mental wellness
Employers across the globe increasingly recognise the need to invest in their staff’s physical and mental health. Implementing programs and systems to encourage employee wellness and safety is vital to ensure employee success in the 21st century.
While business owners in South Africa have been slow on the uptake and struggle to acknowledge that investing in employee wellness is affordable and important, they seem to finally be realising that investing in employee wellness is worth every cent.
The value of counselling through difficult times
Counselling services can help staff navigate difficult life situations, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disasters, financial stress, and organisational change stress. It provides the tools and insights to manage mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
1. Improve productivity
Investing in your staff’s mental and physical wellness leads to a workplace that is more efficient and a space that has improved productivity and an environment and a body of staff that knows they are valued.
2. Improve employee retention
The “perks of a job” are undoubtedly a drawcard for the new generation in the workforce when selecting career paths and businesses for which to work. Those who work for you want to know that they mean more to the business than just a number on the payroll; they want to see that you care about their health and wellness.
3. Increase morale
Better health leads to healthier mental and physical attitudes about work, and a better overall lifestyle, leading to better overall workplace morale and increased workplace productivity.
4. Decrease absenteeism
We all know that time costs a business money, and time that is not worked is money lost. Fewer health issues mean decreased absenteeism and fewer sick days. Staff granted access to proper therapy through a wellness programme provided by your company are less likely to need time off work due to an improved overall mental state.
5. Reduce healthcare costs
With proper wellness programs in place, employees will enjoy better overall health, which leads to lower healthcare costs both for employees and employers.
Insurance wellness offerings
Insurance providers who have added wellness offerings included in group insurance cover offer both inbound and outbound telephonic counselling options for mental wellness. Examples of the health and wellness support that is offered include:
Clinical profiles
Environment adjustment, adjustment, depression, anxiety, grief/bereavement, suicidal ideation, acute stress, chronic stress, traumatic stress, physical abuse, substance abuse, and other addiction.
Personal profiles
Matters about children, family, relationships, physical issues, ill health, anger management, personal development, divorce.
Workplace profile
Workplace bullying, performance, absenteeism, career development, high-stress work environment, burnout, job dissatisfaction, workplace conflict, harassment, and retrenchment.
The high cost of workplace accidents
When evaluating your occupation’s health and safety policies, staff compensation and insurance options, employers need to address and consider more than what the premiums are and what a claim will cost in the case of an incident. Workplace injuries can affect morale and productivity – and ultimately cost your company a great deal due to turnover and absenteeism.
Ask your insurer, or an occupational risk manager, about ways you could improve your workplace safety. They will be able to assist you in identifying technologies that are best suited to your business while making sure you are also covered properly on paper.
Remember: Employee safety is your number one responsibility.