An Effective Organizational Wellness Program Can Increase Team Engagement and Productivity
Take a moment and think back to your childhood...playing in the playground with your friends. It always felt good when everyone played nice and had a good relationship with each other. However, as soon as someone got upset, got an attitude, or didn’t like someone just because, it changed the environment from a feel-good to a dreadful experience.
I was born and raised in Philly – “The City of Brotherly Love”. My family is originally from South Philly; however, I spent most of my childhood in the West Oak Lane/Mount Airy area which seemed foreign to many people from South Philly. My house was smack dab in the middle of the block directly across the street from the basket court with the Recreation Center to the left, a swimming pool to the right, and a big open field behind all of it. Everyone congregated on my steps (porch) because without fault every day (especially in the summertime) you could witness various groups playing nice and having fun until one person comes along and an argument ensues, a fight breaks out and the dynamics shift in a blink of a second.
I mention that story because the same is true within the workplace. The dynamics of a highly effective team can change in a quick second; however, as professional working adults, we know there are profound consequences of having shouting matches or physically putting our hands directly on someone we don’t like or disagree with. Additionally, with the stressors of deadlines, feeling like you’re not valued on the job, feeling overwhelmed and burned out professionally and personally, some people turn inward negatively meaning they don’t socialize with others, or they display a negative attitude and/or unhealthy behaviors such as absenteeism or even presenteeism - all of which impacts team morale, lowers team engagement, and decrease the team’s productivity and performance.
Therefore, it is imperative that in any organization, company, or business, leaders promote organizational wellness from the top down to improve camaraderie, productivity, and ultimately profitability by investing in the holistic wellness of their people.
People want to feel valued; they want to be seen and heard, and they want their time and energy spent at work to matter. We are not talking about people who clearly exhibit performance issues and cannot handle the job (that is a whole other subject). Even if you are a solopreneur or small business with two or more team members, you want to build camaraderie and play nice with others – not because it feels good, but because it establishes a culture of trust, healthy communication, and improved performance.
Why Organizational Wellness?
Well, most organizations have formal programs focused on physical and now - mental health. These efforts are usually limited to activities focused on some fitness activities, injury prevention and disease management, such as smoke-free policies, health screenings and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). However, many companies are not taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to employee wellness and are missing opportunities for greater financial savings through improved productivity and customer service, lower turnover rates, fewer sick days, and reduced absenteeism/presenteeism. Taking a more comprehensive and holistic approach to wellness focuses on creating specialized programs that begin with engagement, education and training.
The benefits of establishing an Organizational Wellness Program from a holistic approach are two-fold.
From an Organizational Readiness Perspective, the benefits include:
Improved Employee Behaviors
Reduced Healthcare risk and cost
Improved Productivity and Performance
Improved Employee Recruitment and Retention
Healthy Workforce Culture/Team building
Sustained High Employee Morale
Higher Employee Engagement
From an Individual Readiness Perspective, the benefits include:
Healthy Lifestyle Habits/Behaviors
Improved Productivity and Performance
Stronger “Soul, Mind, and Body”
Focused Work/Life Priorities
Accountability
Higher Job Satisfaction
Here are a few wellness strategies that you can implement:
Lunch and Learns - Focused on mindset training and mindfulness activities to help people to develop healthy lifestyle behaviors and habits that enhance individual well-being and quality of life.
Financial Fitness Classes – Detailed classes on financial readiness
Specific Wellness Campaigns such as:
Mindfulness Mondays
Time to Move Tuesdays
Mid-week Mental Check-ins
Thankfulness Thursdays
Fitness Fun Friday
Virtual Health and Wellness Platforms/Apps – there are many online employee wellness platforms and Apps such as Burnalong, MoveSpring, and Wellable along with many others.
Integrated Health Coaching – Individual and Teams
Customized Assessments – Biometric and Health Screenings, Behavioral/Personality - DISC, Myers-Brigg, Enneagram, etc.
The bottom line is that an effective organization wellness program will provide all companies, big and small, with a competitive edge. It promotes a culture of healthy behaviors and well-being that in turn leads to increased engagement, productivity and ultimately profitability. Additionally, it can make a significant difference in the long-term success of the organization - building energetic, effective, and healthy individuals and teams; thus, transforming your organization or business for the better.
For more information and services to help you to Elevate2Wellness, check out my website at https://www.elevate2wellness.com/.