Employee well-being is taking over employer focus from employee wellness. Well-being-focused initiatives are those programs that address issues such as financial education, career fulfillment, and the employee’s emotional and mental health.

As an employee’s mental health can change at any time, it is important to be conscious of contributing factors such as workload, stress, and the employee’s work-life balance.

If you haven’t done so already, consider establishing a workplace environment that caters to employee mental health support. This can be done by promoting an employee assistance program (if you have one), allow employees to reach out for help or guidance from their HR team or managers through a specific portal or digital method, or encourage the start of an employee support group that meets on a regular basis.

Managers can attempt to address specific employee concerns by paying close attention to the workload spread across their team, facilitate positive, and constructive conversations in a one-on-one environment between the manager and each employee, or even highlight an employee’s success to shine a light on their contributions to morale or bettering the team.

Additional well-being initiatives your organization could adopt include:

• Two-Mile Dine. Compile a list of local eateries with healthier options within two miles of your office. Post publicly or share with employees to inspire team-lunches within walking distance.
• Take the Stairs. If you work in building with multiple levels, urge employees to take the stairs if traveling between one to three floors. Confirm employees know where the stairs are in your building and reinforce stair safety and precautions. Communicate the initiative with employees by sharing the benefits of taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Practice Gratitude. It has become commonplace to close an email with “thank you” or say the words as a reflex in response to the end of a conversation. Being thankful and meaning it can help foster a positive environment and work culture. Be sincere, be specific, and be humble. Practice gratitude in all encounters by showing respect to those around you, showing you trust your coworkers and leaders, and developing confidence in your team by expressing how they have helped you grow in your role or as a leader.
• Shutdown the “Always On” Mentality. Even though it’s not explicitly written out, business leaders and employees who have access to laptops or mobile devices that are tapped into their work emails are many times afflicted with an “always on “mentality. The expectation is that emails should be answered when received, regardless of what time it is. Employers should attempt to squash the “always on” precedent many employees feel is necessary to prove dedication to the role and organization. Support your employees’ work/life balance by restricting evening and weekend email, when possible, to show employees you value their home time as much as they do.

Employers should place an immense amount of importance on supporting their employees’ mental health through improving current benefit offerings or learning about and adding new resources for employees. Contact Vensure to learn more about flexible solutions to help you reach your goals and business objectives.