Workplace wellness once meant having a breakout room with foosball tables, beanbag chairs and kombucha bars. Now, companies are having to scratch beyond the surface to ensure that their workers are healthy both physically and mentally.
In a post-pandemic workplace, companies will have to make the extra effort to nurture innovation in the workplace. At the heart of this innovation is some of the fastest technology integration our society has ever seen. This acceleration includes augmented reality collaboration tools, air purification systems, contactless payments and more that make working from home or in an office seamless as possible.
Still, wellness for a remote workforce has been more difficult to navigate. However, business leaders have begun to recognize the importance of encouraging their employees to be engaged in virtual fitness classes and even digital socialization with colleagues with events like Zoom happy hours.
Along with emphasizing how essential keeping up with physical and mental health from home is, employers also need to lead with more empathy. This means becoming more adaptable to the evolving world around us, and being open to changing their managerial strategies to better suit a distributed workforce.
Leaders should also listen to what their employees need in terms of a work environment. While some thrive in a home office setting, others are finding it hard to focus on work. By offering a hybrid work arrangement that allows workers to make their own choice, businesses can continue to thrive.