What is one unique employee benefit a company can offer to enhance its workplace wellness program?
To help you enhance your workspace wellness program, we asked recruiting professionals and business leaders this question for their insights. From unlimited paid time off to pet insurance, there are several ways to improve employee wellness at work.
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Here are 10 ways to enhance wellness your workplace wellness program:
- Offer Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Incorporate Ergonomic Home Office Stipends and Perks
- Normalize Time Offer for Recovery
- Provide Peace of Mind with Pet Insurance Benefits
- Introduce Esports Platforms for Better Collaboration
- Include Digital Wellness Packages
- Provide Annual or Semi-Annual Retreats
- Encourage the Use of Wellness Apps Through Free Memberships
- Offer Fitness Discounts and Specials
- Reduce Financial Stress through Financial Planning Services
Offer Unlimited Paid Time Off
One of my favorite employee benefits at Markitors is our unlimited paid time off. In life, unexpected opportunities and events take place that are difficult to say no to. Therefore, unlimited PTO gives employees this realistic flexibility so that they never have to say no to an amazing, last-minute opportunity. Additionally, PTO is now viewed as a privilege that employees can appreciate, rather than counting the days left of the calendar year that they can take off.
Thylan Le, Markitors
Incorporate Ergonomic Home Office Stipends and Perks
Ergonomic home office consultations are a unique employee benefit companies can offer in workplace wellness programs. Many employers offer a home office stipend for remote team members, however, few employees know how to optimize this perk to ensure that their workspaces are ideal environments. Companies can contract with a consultant that will Zoom with employees, survey the current setup, and offer suggestions for ways to arrange the space as furniture to obtain. This guidance means that team members will have more functional and comfortable workspaces, and employers get more bang out of their buck with the work-from-home setup benefit.
Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding
Normalize Time Offer for Recovery
The simplest thing that companies can do is offer time off to recover from burnout or personal challenge with limited, full, or no pay, without time constraints. By normalizing the concept of allowing people to take time off to look after themselves, companies can encourage people to prioritize their health and well-being. Alongside, leaders and managers should be trained to identify signs of early burnout and personal distress and should be given the tools to empathically reach out to their team members.
Joe Flanagan, VelvetJobs
Provide Peace of Mind with Pet Insurance Benefits
Pet insurance is something all owners think about but many see it as a luxury they can’t afford. By offering pet insurance will provide your employees with peace of mind in knowing their pet is covered should the unthinkable happen and show them your care about their furry friends too.
Amit Raj, The Links Guy
Introduce Esports Platforms for Better Collaboration
There is no doubt that remote work has impacted our work-life balance. Many of us enjoy newly gained flexibility, but there are times when we struggle with unplugging after work and drawing a clear line between work and free time. That’s where wellness programs can offer great support.
At LiveCareer, we introduced an esports challenge to improve teams’ collaboration, facilitate interactions, and strengthen our teamwork when we’re not in the office. After a while, we’ve observed that our employees started bonding on an individual level, and their general job satisfaction increased. This wellness program helped them to stay healthy and allowed them to build meaningful relationships with their colleagues.
We’ve observed that our employees appreciate that our company takes their health and mental wellbeing seriously. This results in higher employee engagement, increased productivity, and better collaboration between team members.
Dorota Lysienia, LiveCareer
Include Digital Wellness Packages
Over the past several years, mental wellness benefits have become increasingly important to employees, and now businesses, through mobile applications, have a unique way to enhance their mental health programs. Today, more companies are including digital mental wellness packages as a part of their overall benefits, providing their employees instant access to professional mental health experts. These apps offer benefits to both the employee and the business, as employees can now address issues almost as they happen, while businesses get the benefit of reducing stress among their team members, making them more productive.
Yuvi Alpert, Noémie
Provide Annual or Semi-Annual Retreats
Companies that are looking to enhance their workplace wellness should consider offering annual or semi-annual retreats to their employees. This would be something such as a spa trip, or a relaxing vacation for the weekend. It’s important to help your employees maintain low-stress levels, and wellness efforts like this can be very beneficial to overall health.
Saneem Ahearn, Colorescience
Encourage the Use of Wellness Apps Through Free Memberships
One unique employee benefit a company can offer to enhance their workplace wellness program is free membership to “Headspace Plus.” As a meditation + wellness app, Headspace offers team subscriptions where employers can create a “team” meditation experience. This is not only a proactive way to incorporate mental health and wellness into the lives of each employee, but also encourages team-building and a strong corporate culture.
David Wolfe, Olivers Apparel
Offer Fitness Discounts and Specials
Giving employees discounts they can use toward a membership at a local fitness gym is a great employee benefit. This will help enhance the workplace wellness program by keeping them in shape and encouraging them to have a healthy work-life balance. The gym you choose could be one that’s close to the company’s office and has a lot of equipment and offers many different exercise classes.
Adam Reed, Crown & Paw
Reduce Financial Stress through Financial Planning Services
Studies show that stress about finances and careers can negatively impact people at work and at home. Help reduce the stress in people’s lives by offering free financial planning and career advice. These are things that people often benefit from but rarely invest in. Savvy employers know this and offer programs that help.
Nicole Fernanandes, Blu Ivy Group
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