A healthy work environment is critical to the success of any small business or corporate office. Research shows that employees who work in a healthy place trust their employers more, have higher productivity, and require fewer absences. Whether you own a business or work as a financial planner for a business, considering ways to make your business a healthier place could add up to bigger profits. If you’re thinking about taking the first step toward making your business healthier, read on for things to consider.
Climate Control and Air Quality
It only makes sense that employees would be more motivated to work for someone looking out for their best interests. If you’re hoping to ensure it’s a healthy place in which to work, start out by taking a closer look at your HVAC (heating, cooling, and air conditioning) systems.
Maybe you run a business with a warehouse in New York. Being in the Northeast means your company resides in a place with four seasons. Central air and heating will make a big difference to the quality of life for workers in your warehouse. If you aren’t sure whether upgrading those systems would add up to a financial payoff, take a look back at past performance reports. Look for trends on how employees performed during the extreme heat of summer or on colder winter days. If you notice trends, it might be work looking into those upgrades and improving the work environment.
The same applies for air quality. Clogged ducts, poor ventilation, and more can all add up to employees getting sick. The global pandemic has made it clear how important it is that any building have proper ventilation. To keep your employees healthy, now is a great time to take on an air quality project.
Wellness Programs and Trainings
Many companies are seeing jumps in productivity after implementing wellness programs. These programs work to educate employees about how to live healthier lifestyles, become more financially savvy, and more. A free course on something like retirement planning tips for individual investors can add up to happier employees who are, in turn, more motivated to work hard.
Mental Health Supports
With anxiety and fear at an all-time high in the United States due to current events and the global pandemic, many companies are offering in house or outsourced mental wellness programs that include free visits or visits at reduced rates to licensed therapists. Offering employees tools for coping with challenging times, economic uncertainty, and juggling online or remote working is making a big difference in their employees’ ability to meet expectations.
Team Building and Networks
While every wellness program is unique, some companies are adding fitness challenges and team-building activities to keep employees engaged, connected, and loyal to their companies. Often in conjunction with financial incentives, this is helping businesses retain top employees in an uncertain market. With many people working remotely or on hybrid schedules, team-building activities are also serving as a way to root employees to their new and virtual office spaces.
At the end of the day, the more well-balanced and healthy any business is, the better its workers will perform. Like any business arrangement, things always go better when transactions are mutually beneficial. By talking to your employees about ways to make your company healthier, you could include them in the planning process, but could also use that feedback to make changes that will pay off long term. The best part is that there are no wrong answers when it comes to how you approach making your company healthier. Whether you start with a wellness program or mental health supports, your employees will feel more valued and know that you care about them. This will translate into them working harder for you in return.
