Total wellness is something that more and more people are seeking to achieve in the busy, saturated modern world. So, how can businesses and employers assist employees in achieving total wellness? Let’s take a look.
1. Determine your Goals
What does ‘total wellness’ mean to you and your employees? Is it financial wellness, emotional wellness, physical wellness, or even a mix of everything? What is the end goal – or goals, for that matter – that will enable you to achieve your definition of total wellness? You might ask employees to discuss during an informal meeting, or ask everyone to suggest ideas over email to keep their opinions confidential.
Make sure that you emphasise that these goals should be realistically achievable. Though world peace is always going to make life easier, instead, perhaps you might aim to reduce conflict in the workplace. Similarly, exercising every day might not be feasible, whereas taking a 5 minute stroll every day might be more achievable.
2. Understand the Motivations
Now you know what you need to do, you need to consider why. What is it that is spurring yourself and your employees to improve their wellbeing? For some, it might be family, children, and their partners.
For others, they may motivate themselves by setting a challenge at the end of the year. Indeed, the motivations can range from anything from wanting to reduce anxiety and stress, to simply wanting to better themselves.
3. Consider what Wellness Benefits you might Offer
As an employer, there are a number of wellness benefits that you can offer to employees as part of their contract. This includes private healthcare, discounted gym memberships, life insurance, income protection insurance, group critical illness cover in case of long-term sickness or injury, and much more. Consider which wellness benefits will help employees to more easily achieve their wellness goals and choose the ones most suited to you.
4. Draft a Wellness Plan
Using the things you have learned so far, draft a wellness plan accordingly. Set out what you set to achieve within the workplace, how you will do it, and what employees need to do to get started.
5. Implement the Plan Effectively
Once the wellness plan has been approved, it’s time to get started! Encourage employees to take the first steps towards total wellness using the resources listed in your wellness plan. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback – this will allow employees to ask for things they think are missing, and shows that you are committed to developing their wellbeing.
6. Ask Employees to Record their Progress
Recording progress allows everyone to look back and see how far they have come. It also allows you as the employer to see how effective your wellness plan has been, and thus which areas might need some further attention.
7. Celebrate Wellness Wins
No matter how small the successes might be, celebrate it! Though it might not seem like much to someone else, it will more than likely be an incredible personal achievement for the employee, and so should rightly be properly recognised.
As you can see, achieving total wellness in your workplace doesn’t have to seem impossible. Though this list is by no means exhaustive, these tips will give you the knowledge you need to productively and effectively begin your journey towards total wellness.