Unlike the staff neglect of Taylorism – a management model that focused on efficiency and profits rather than staff wellbeing and productivity – many businesses are now investing in health and wellness programmes for their staff as business culture continues to evolve towards a more balanced work/life culture. However, as a fairly recent development, many businesses struggle to see value in it, disregarding it as a trend, rather than a viable business investment of which you will reap benefits for years to come.
How, exactly, can corporate wellness benefit your business though? What can you expect from an employee wellness program? As we launch our new corporate wellbeing services, we’ll be addressing all of your concerns and outlining the positive impacts it can have on your workplace, both culturally and monetarily.
Improve Employee Health Behaviours
The primary aim of corporate wellness programs is to improve the health and wellbeing of your staff, and create lasting habits to benefit your business for years to come. At Sussex Facilities Management, our programs are dedicated to helping staff adopt and maintain healthy behaviours, which, in the long term, will help reduce the risks of developing chronic diseases and illness.
Our programmes include both nutrition and fitness advice and are tailor-made to suit the requirements of your business. This may include guidance on consuming the right balance of vitamins, minerals, fibres, fats etc, as well as correct portion sizes, consuming enough water, and advice on quitting smoking or limiting alcohol consumption. All of these factors will help to achieve one single common goal – improving the productivity of your workforce.
Improve Productivity
You would be correct in thinking that the productivity of an individual is influenced by many factors, but many underestimate how much of this can be blamed on the persons’ health and wellbeing.
Poor productivity is also known as presenteeism – the act of being present at work, but without actually doing any work.
According to a recent research survey by Population Health Management, smokers are 28% more likely to have high levels of presenteeism (and thereby low levels of productivity) compared to non-smokers, whilst those operating without regular exercise were 50% more likely. Even more alarming is that those who consumed an unhealthy diet, with a lack of grains, fruits and vegetables, who are 66% more likely to experience presenteeism than their healthy counterparts.
As a business, this is a significant concern, as the level of productivity across your workforce will doubtless have an impact on your level of performance and bottom-line profits.
Improve Staff Retention and Recruitment
Whilst there is no scientific data on this subject, it is reasonable to assume that incorporating a corporate wellness program into your employees work package will have a positive contribution to staff retention and recruitment. These days, competition can be fierce, especially if you’re in a highly saturated market, so employees expect more than just a salary. Flexible working, a modern office environment, and staff culture are all important factors to an employee, and the same goes for a benefits package.
Now this doesn’t have to be as lavish as those received by employees of Microsoft and Google (free gym membership, onsite health clinics etc), but if you are able to include free wellness into your benefits package, it will make it a great deal easier to find (and keep) the best candidates for your company.
If you’d like to know more about our services and how the team at Sussex Facilities Management can help, contact us today on 01444 812 171, or by using our contact page. We’d be delighted to hear from you.
