Company wellness programs have been around for decades in hopes of ensuring that employees are healthy at home and work. While on the surface these programs want to encourage workers to be their best, monitoring what they do off the clock is suspicious at the least. Even startup culture, which usually consists of in-office fitness classes or chef-prepared meals, can feel like a ploy to get employees to stay at work longer.
Now that many workers have been forced to conduct their business at home, making sure they are practicing healthy habits means more than having a salad for lunch.
A 2015 study on workplace health and well-being found that “lack of sleep, financial concerns, and giving unpaid care to family members or relatives” were the true culprits of daily stress.
So how can a company ensure that their employees are taken care of on a deeper level? For starters, offering basic health insurance can alleviate some of these common life stressors.
Business leaders should also encourage workers to enjoy their own hobbies and passions without guilt. For instance, software company Scality has started giving employees more time and money to use towards creative outlets apart from work. This money can go towards home exercise equipment, musical instruments, video games, home improvement projects and more.
Additionally, leaders should discourage working around-the-clock and allow them to take time for themselves. While remote working has been beneficial in many ways, employees have expressed the issue of being “on” at all times.
