7 Innovative Employee Wellness Ideas That Would Really Work

Every good leader knows that an organization can only be as good as the people in it. Leading a team requires more than just telling people what to do. As a leader, you have a responsibility to get the most out of the people that you work with, and this often means taking care of their physical and mental needs where possible.

Employee Wellness programs are an excellent way for an employer to help improve both the physical and mental health of employees. And it's not just for their own good, either. Employees in better health are more productive with higher morale, reduced absenteeism, and improved workplace camaraderie. Also, a good employee wellness program can help you to attract top talent when a potential employee is choosing between working for you or for your competitors.

If you're thinking about starting an employee wellness program, or you already have one but want to make sure it's the best it can be, you're in the right place. Check out some of the ideas below, and you can have a happier, healthier, more productive workforce.

1. Offer a Flexible Work Schedule

The days of the nine to five jobs are over. In an increasingly connected world, hours of work are continually shifting. It's a trend you can get ahead of by offering your employees flexible work hours.

Flexible schedules can be a lifeline for employees who are raising kids or caring for aging relatives. The flexibility to take time off when needed or work from home sometimes can make a huge difference in an employee's quality of life. A healthy work-life balance is essential to employee well-being, and flexible hours are one way to achieve it at no cost to the company.

2. Offer Healthy Meals and Snacks

We’ve all heard it before. You are what you eat. The food people consume can have an enormous effect on their energy levels and productivity. And over the longer term, poor diets led to chronic health problems that mean more sick days and more absenteeism.

You can't tell your employees what they should and shouldn't eat. But you can help them to make better choices by providing healthy meals if your workplace feeds its workers. You can also make sure that any vending machines have healthy options available.

You could even consider setting up a food co-op. Reach out to local farmers or food providers to bring in fresh and healthy produce to the office once per month, and allow your employees to purchase these foods at a reduced group rate. If the produce store comes to them, your employees are much more likely to take advantage and make smarter choices.

3. Promote Fitness Culture

We know now that long periods of sitting at a desk are one of the leading causes of poor health. A study from Cambridge University has concluded that a sedentary lifestyle is as dangerous to people's health as obesity. Yet so many modern offices are still set up the way they used to be, with workers hunched over their computers all day. Getting your staff up and moving can have a massive effect on employee wellness.

One great way to do that is to opt for standing desks. Allowing employees to spend a few hours on their feet each day will help them to burn more calories and stay in better shape. You don’t need to replace every desk in the office, either. Just having the option of a few shared standing desks can make all the difference.

Some companies have gone even further by installing an indoor walking track. Like a running track, an indoor walking track is a loop that people can use to get some miles in without leaving the building. You could even think about encouraging people to use it by offering prizes for distance covered and personal bests.

4. Provide Employees With The Ultimate Breakroom

Regular breaks are key to ongoing productivity, and providing your employees with a comfortable and pleasant room to take their breaks in will do wonders for their overall morale. A good break room gives employees a space to step away from the stresses of work and regain their composure, allowing them to focus better when they return to work.

But there’s more you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle. If your workplace can handle it, think about getting some games such as ping pong or football. As well as busting stress, these games will help to keep employees active in their downtime. Even something as simple as a basketball hoop in the parking lot can help promote exercise.

5. Make Your Office Pet-Friendly

People love their animals. And having pets in the office can go a long way towards increasing job satisfaction and reducing stress. Pets have been shown to reduce stress in a number of ways and can have a calming influence at the office. Even an aquarium with fish can help people de-stress. Or you could allow people to bring their dogs to work, thereby helping with that work-life balance.

Before implementing a policy like this, though, make sure that none of your employees have allergies or phobias, and that this is something they will all support. The last thing you want to do is create more disharmony in the work environment.

6. Encourage Employees To Take PTO

Time off from work is something we all need sometimes. Often, employees don't want to take the time off that they should in case it makes them look unmotivated or lazy. Make sure that your employees know that they need to take the time off that they are entitled to. A personal day now and then can have a huge effect on productivity.

Just because your employees are physically in the office doesn't mean they're productive. If an employee has other things in their mind, you may not be getting their best work out of them. Help improve employee morale by encouraging them to take the time they need for their personal life, and you'll find that you have a happier and more productive workforce overall.

7. Start A Smoke-Free Policy

We all know the dangers of smoking. And these days, virtually all workplaces are smoke-free. But enacting and enforcing a smoke-free policy not only at work but also in company vehicles is one of the best things you can do for employee health.

And if you genuinely want a smoke free workplace, you can go even further. Consider offering employees in need of it some help with access to smoking cessation programs. You might even subsidize nicotine replacement patches and gum or other anti-smoking techniques. This will send a clear message that you are genuinely interested in the health of your employees.