As a business owner, you should always seek to invest in the overall well-being of your staff. When your employees are not at their best, it begins to reflect negatively on the company. Unhappy or unhealthy employees lead to low office morale, more sick days, increased health insurance costs, higher turnarounds, and much more. Employers who are willing to go beyond the competitive salaries and comprehensive health benefits find that productivity is improved and the employer/employee relationship is greatly improved.

So how do you keep your staff happy and healthy? Though the professional atmosphere is only half of the equation, there are a lot of things employers can provide their staff that would make a great impact on their physical and emotional well-being. Below are a few suggestions you might consider.

1. Incorporate a Wellness Program

Wellness programs are ideal for encouraging improved employee health in the workplace Civilized Health. The program is designed to provide extra perks to health and fitness programs/events that health insurance coverage may not pay for. This program can include but is not limited to options like discounted gym memberships, preventative health screenings, weight loss programs, addiction treatment programs, and more. Based on your company’s budget, you can incorporate a few or all of these ideas into your wellness program.

2. Employee Massages

Massages are great for a bunch of common health complaints. From relieving stress and boosting immunity to improving sleep and lowering blood pressure, massages can greatly impact your staff. To implement this in your office, you’d simply need to find a qualified massage therapist. Many independent therapists travel and bring with them portable massage chairs and tables to cater to the needs of their clients. Hiring a massage therapist even once per year could make a huge difference in how your employees feel physically and mentally. You may even want to throw in an essential oil diffuser from Revive for greater relaxation during the massage.

3. Healthier Food Choices

Junk food is often easily accessible in the workplace. Eating the wrong types of food on a regular basis along with sitting for long periods of time is a recipe for disaster. If you want to improve the health of your staff, investing in healthier food choices will help. Whether this means requesting healthier options in the snack machines, providing healthy snacks in the cafeteria or providing health programs that will teach them how to prep healthier meals, your staff will appreciate your concern for their health.

4. More Time Off

Employees who are overworked are at higher risk for health issues like chronic stress or burnout, high blood pressure, and workplace accidents. Working long hours can also lead to trouble at home, depression, and low morale. Employers can do their staff a favour by giving them more time off. Giving each of your employees an additional vacation day for every year that they’re with the company is one way to reduce turnover and make your employees happy. Another option might include incorporating a summer schedule where employees are allowed to work four-day weeks during the summer.

Going the extra mile to show your employees that you care about more than just their professional skills benefits everyone. It allows your staff the ability and resources to properly care for themselves and their families while improving their productivity in the workplace. When you want to build a team of staff that puts forth the extra effort, you’ve got to be willing to do the same in return. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on how you can begin to show your staff that their happiness and well-being are a priority.