Investing in Your Staff’s Wellbeing

Business owners and company directors would agree that having a healthy and happy workforce is paramount to their success, makes the working day more enjoyable and more productive.

The notion of investing in your staff’s wellbeing goes far beyond driving productivity, however, as it can also help to create a healthier work-life balance and mitigate the impact of stress and anxiety in the workplace. According to Deloitte’s annual summary, one in six UK workers is likely to suffer from some form of stress or other mental health condition, meaning that around five million employees are unable to realize their full potential in the office.

Also read: Lowkey Ways You May Be Endangering Your Employees’ Wellbeing — and How to Fix Them

Not only does this equate to a significant human cost, but it also means that 10.4 million days were lost to stress in mental illness, costing the UK economy a total of £6.4 billion in the process.

These figures mean that firms should take a proactive approach to ensuring their staff’s wellbeing, primarily by investing in training and equipping them with the tools to help identify and combat stress. Here are some of the training sessions that can help business and their employees to deal with the specter of stress.

Host Stress Busting Sessions

Organising some training activities that aim to help employees avoid stress is a great place to start. Stress-busting sessions come in many different forms, an onsite visit from someone who can be provided guided meditation is one approach that is cost effective and that can make a real difference.

At the other end of the scale taking the team for a physical stress-busting session is also effective and is great for team building.

Regular physical activity has been proven to prevent and relieve stress, with poor general health contributing to a reduced life expectancy of 15 to 20 years of people with significant mental issues.

Consider Financial Wellbeing

To some, the idea of being schooled on how to look after their financial affairs can come across as unappealing. Delivered in the right way, however, training sessions on financial wellbeing can be invaluable, particularly for younger or venerable team members.

Discussion and advice regarding how to budget, how and when to take out loans, plus how to map and track outgoings are skills that most people will have to master at some point.

Remember, depression and anxiety of all descriptions can contribute to workplace stress, so helping your staff to manage their finances more effectively can relieve significant pressure.

Improve Your Employees’ Time Management

One of the leading causes of stress among workers relates to time management. Those who feel they don’t have time to do their job properly can soon start to experience problems, while those who struggle to arrive on time will suffer from job insecurity that prevents them from reporting instances of ill-health (this affects around 50% of stress sufferers).

Productivity along with quality are likely to be affected over time, and these are clear signs that a downward spiral has begun and that employees are struggling to cope with stress.

Teaching employees how to manage their time more effectively will help prevent these issues from arising and can also act as a good way for employers to gain insight into areas they may not usually encounter.

Up-skilling

Knowledge is power and staff who feel they are doing a really good job are more likely to continue to do so. Training that helps staff develop the skills they already have and that prepares them to take on bigger and better roles is a must. Continued professional development helps workers look to the future and to feel empowered. If this energy is felt throughout a team the results can be nothing short of spectacular.

Investing in your staff’s wellbeing involves a holistic approach where a range of activities is offered on a regular basis. The activities need to be aimed at everyone on the team and the outcomes should not be measured or play a role in any kind of performance review or monitoring.

Employers who offer such activities can look forward to a happy, healthier and more productive workforce.