Corporate Wellness

INTRODUCTION

Our employees’ health and well-being are critical issues that we must consider. Being healthy is not the same as not having diseases, and well-being does not depend only on the physical aspect; it is also an emotional issue.

Of all the conditions that affect our well-being, work stress is one of the main ones. This is caused by a high-pressure load at work and the imbalance between work and professional life.

In recent years, poor work-life balance has a constant, as digital technologies mean that we are connected to work 24 hours a day. Let us remember that stress has disastrous consequences for the company: it is the cause of 30% of sick leave in Spain 1 and represents a total annual cost of 80,000 euros for all affected companies

This is because:

According to the same study, these employees have a lower risk of workplace accidents. In addition, If the staff is satisfied and comfortable in their position, they will present up to 33% more energy and dynamism. A happy worker is a motivated worker. It’s a fact that motivation closely linked to performance. Workers engaged and motivated in their work are up to 31% more productive. The happy employee with his work shows more creativity and adapts better to changes.

1. Corporate wellness: the physical well-being of employees

The first concept that comes up when we talk about business policies committed to their employees’ health is that of corporate wellness. This term, which means “well-being” in Spanish, has its primary objective to lead employees towards a healthy and satisfying life.

The wellness programs focus on physical well-being through actions that promote healthy living. For this reason, when we talk about corporate wellness, we are not limiting ourselves to a few specific steps but to a wide range of measures that are collected in the following categories:

Promotes healthy eating.

For example, if your company has a kitchen, provide natural products to your employees. On the other hand, if we have a vending machine, replace the snacks with healthier options.
It is possible to hire a nutritionist to advise our employees to eat through talks on healthy eating.

Organize physical activities.

We are talking about actions that promote healthy living and, at the same time, enhance the company’s image: for example, by organizing a solidarity race, we encourage staff to exercise and, incidentally, generate a feeling of community among employees. We can also give exercise sessions during the break or organize soccer tournaments among the staff.

It helps the employee to improve their work-life balance.

As we have seen, one of the leading causes of stress among workers is that they do not successfully combine professional and personal life. Thus, actions such as enabling teleworking will undoubtedly improve the balance. Offering a flexible schedule is another measure that will facilitate the employee’s conciliation. This action will also allow you to find time to do some physical activity during the working day.

Invest in wellness.

A gym or yoga room inside the offices is not uncommon in large companies. Although this is not the case for most companies, having a gym is a valuable asset for potential employees. An alternative for small and medium-sized companies may be the co-payment of the gym fee. However, it should note that it can promote corporate wellness without the need for significant investments. An example is the adjustable standing desks, which significantly impact employees’ health by improving their physical posture.

2. The impact of corporate wellness

When we talk about this type of measure, we are not referring exclusively to worrying about employees’ health. Plans aimed at promoting well-being have a positive impact on both staff and the entire company since:

Improve productivity.

It is a reality that those physically unwell employees will work less efficiently than healthy workers. So, as corporate wellness implementations designed to prevent illness and alleviate stress, there is a direct relationship between the level of corporate wellness and overall productivity.

Increases the quality of life of the employee.

These measures directly impact the quality of life of the worker, who, in addition to improving health issues, also strengthens social bonds since many of the corporate wellness measures are designed to be practiced in a group.

Power creativity.

In this case, corporate wellness policies are important since regular physical exercise prevents diseases and helps our cardiac system t. For example, it has shown that physical activity as simple as walking can improve our creativity by 60%.

Reduce costs.

Because we promote the healthy life of our workers with corporate wellness policies, we reduce phenomena that are harmful to our

Improves the image of the company.

Corporate wellness policies are the order of the day in the world of work, and more and more companies are concerned about the health of their employees. Those companies with a corporate wellness plan will be more attractive to attracting and retaining talent. By implementing these measures, we generate an intangible of great value in the company without the need to increase the wage bill.