Written by Bellinda Hout Min

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Why Invest in Employee Wellness

Maintaining wellness is essential to improving yourself and your physical and mental wellbeing. Moreover, investing in employee wellness is vital because it engages them in activities that are associated with improving their health, energy, and productivity. Furthermore, it reduces employee turnover and attracts additional talent.

Prioritizing wellness is important because it determines how employees manage their quality of life. By implementing wellness programs into the workplace such as activities associated with personal and professional development, practicing mindfulness, and making healthy lifestyle choices such as attending fitness activities provided by the wellness program, they can all lead to a positive experience in the workplace.

According to statistics focused on wellness programs in the workplace, it is evident that they provide many benefits both for the company and the employees:

• 87% of employees consider health and wellness packages when choosing an employer. ¹
• 67% of employees who work for organizations with wellness programs like their jobs more and this same percentage is extremely or very likely to recommend their employer to others. ¹
• Over 80% of employees whose employers are engaged in their wellness say they enjoy work. ²

To achieve wellness in the workplace, we must first examine the different types of wellnesses.

Types of Workplace Wellness

There are 8 different types of wellness that encompasses overall well-being: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Vocational, Financial and Environmental Wellness.

With all these different types of wellness, there are many options available for companies to choose from and that they can integrate into their wellness program. For example, if your business is interested in incorporating multiple areas of wellness such as physical and social, you may want to consider Team Building on Water. In this team building exercise, organizations can spend learn about team dynamics, problem solving and communication while working together and having fun.

Other types of wellness that you should also consider adding into your program are social and vocational wellness as these allow employees the opportunity to improve their relationships with each other and provide personal satisfaction that aligns with their goals. These can be done by utilizing our corporate training available that can be customized to your needs or by using one of our pre-built training solutions.

*8 Types of Wellness Infographic based on information obtained from the National Library of Medicine. ³

Companies Incorporating Workplace Wellness

There are various companies who have incorporated excellent wellness programs into the workplace to ensure that their employees are properly taken care of while still being effective and productive in their work ethic. Here is a list of a few companies that have established excellent wellness programs for their employees:

Google ⁴

Being one of the largest companies in the world, Google offers a variety of benefits to their employees to aid in their wellbeing. For example, when it comes to Health and Wellness, employees have access to onsite wellness centers and medical advocacy programs for their transgender employees. For financial wellbeing, Google provides regional retirement plans, student loan reimbursements, as well as 1-on-1 financial coaching. Some other extras that Google has are on-site meals and snacks, fitness centers, cooking classes and even art programs for those who want to try out new skills or improve them.

Microsoft ⁵

Another company that places high importance on supporting and investing in their employees is Microsoft. Employees at Microsoft can create their own communities through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and other social and networking opportunities. They also encourage employee growth by offering classes focused on management and professional development. Moreover, Microsoft invests in their employees physical, emotional and financial wellbeing through financial programs and community calls where employees can discuss about anything that concerns them.

Intuit ⁶

Like Microsoft and Google, Intuit offers great benefits to their employees to assist them with their overall wellness in the workplace and in their personal life. Regarding health care, they have an Accolade Health assistant that can help an employee find a doctor, find out the costs of a procedure and other medical advice and information. In addition, Intuit has benefits for their transgender employees including medical coverage for various gender-transition services and procedures. If employees are in need of family support, they have the option to get adoption assistance, learning, social or behavioural support for their child and fertility benefits to name a few examples.

Brock University ⁷

At Brock University, there are various benefits and pensions available for employees such as building retirement income, access to on-site facilities and amenities, wellness, and lifelong learning. Some on-site facilities at Brock include The Zone fitness centre and local hiking trails. As for wellness, Brock offers wellness workshops, classes, and we even host a Wellness Day event during the year. For this year’s Wellness Day event at Brock, staff participated in various activities such as Zumba, Interactive Music Therapy, DIY Fresh Floral Arrangements, Lawn Games and much more. The campus also has many on-site amenities available which include childcare, youth camps and hospitality services.

Conclusion

Incorporating and maintaining wellness for employees is essential for them to thrive and have positive experiences. Wellness programs have been proven to provide many benefits and improvements such as employee’s health behaviours, productivity, engagement, morale, and reduces stress levels. ⁸ There are many resources online that are available for organizations who are interested (and highly encouraged) in bringing wellness programs into their workplace. Let’s continue to strive and create better work environments for employees!

References

1. Wein, D. (2018, August 27). Win With Wellness — Attract And Retain Talent. Forbes.
2. McCain, A. (2022, November 14). 22 Telling Employee Wellness Statistics [2023]: How Many Companies Have Wellness Programs. Zippia.
3. Stoewen, D., L. (2017, August). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian Veterinary Journal.
4. Google. (n.d.). Benefits at Google.
5. Microsoft. (n.d.). Supporting and investing in our employees.
6. Intuit. (n.d.). Amazing benefits to live your best life.
7. Brock University. (n.d.). Benefits and Pension. 
8. Indeed Editorial Team. (2022, October 10). 10 Benefits of Wellness Programs in the Workplace.