Employee Wellness Blog

Is it possible to be surrounded by co-workers eight hours a day and still feel lonely? Unfortunately, the answer for many employees is “yes.” Loneliness is a more dangerous issue than it may sound. In fact, research found that loneliness and social isolation have the same effect on a person as 15 cigarettes a day when it comes to healthcare costs and outcomes. 

According to research from TotalJobs, 35% of surveyed employees don’t have any strong relationships at work. This is important for employers to note because when employees feel lonely at work, they tend to feel disconnected from their job. That means that not only does their emotional wellbeing suffer, but their work performance suffers, too.

The good news is that workplace loneliness can be an easy fix. With a bit of help from management and a leap of faith from employees, no one has to feel alone and isolated at work. Keep on reading to learn more about the perks of positive work relationships and some tips on how to combat workplace loneliness. 

While “work-life balance” might be a popular buzz term in the past few years, many employees have yet to reach a positive relationship between their work life and personal life. A survey from earlier this year conducted by FlexJobs found that more professionals are struggling with work-life balance now than they were three years ago. The survey analyzed results from over 1,200 employees to determine how work impacts their work-life balance, relationships, health, stress levels, physical fitness, and more. 

Unfortunately, the survey didn’t reveal good news. According to its results:

• Only 30% of employees are currently satisfied with their work-life balance, compared to 45% in the same survey administered three years ago
• 37% of employees reported being stressed by their level of work-life balance – up from 29% in 2015

It was also noted that work was a top source of stress, with 86% of survey respondents reporting that work “conflicts with their efforts to take care of their overall health.” So, what can employers learn from this survey? Many studies have shown that traditional office schedules do more harm than good when it comes to employee health, productivity, and overall job satisfaction. 

For a working parent, the workday doesn’t stop at 5 p.m. You still have to pick up your kids from school, rush them to soccer practice, find time to run to the grocery store, and then somehow cook a healthy meal. It’s a stressful lifestyle. And if you’re not careful, that stress can sneak its way into your daily work life.

A new survey by the Business Performance Innovation Network (BPI Network) collected data from 2,000 working parents across North America. Nearly two-thirds of the survey respondents claim they have experienced parental burnout – with 40% of those cases being described as “significant” or worse. This new report details just how big of a problem parental burnout is in North America. 

Parental burnout is more than just a family issue – it’s an issue for corporate America. Many factors of modern work life contribute to parental burnout. In fact, nearly 30% of parents reported that work-related factors are primary contributors to parental burnout. This included the challenge of both parents working and parents feeling exhausted from work. 

You spend a majority of your waking hours at work – which means you spend a majority of your waking hours with your co-workers. It should come as no surprise, then, that all those hours together could have an impact on your wellbeing.

The relationships you have at work can either improve or harm your wellbeing. Having positive relationships with your colleagues can put you in a good mood and make the workday more enjoyable. However, feeling lonely at work or having negative relationships with your co-workers can lead to an unpleasant work experience. 

If you’re unsure of how your work relationships could be affecting your physical and emotional health, here are a few things to consider:

Employee wellness is best with a hands-on approach. Activities such as wellness challenges, health coaching, and employee wellness days provide employees the opportunity to truly dive in and take control over their health. One of the most underrated hands-on employee wellness activities are lunch and learn sessions. They’re easy, engaging, educational, and most importantly, effective. 

Lunch and learn sessions are exactly what they sound like – a presentation or training session hosted over the employee lunch hour. They provide valuable information for employees in an informal setting. Employers can utilize lunch and learn sessions to compliment their workplace wellness program and further educate employees about the importance of their health.

If your company has never hosted a lunch and learn as part of your employee wellness program, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity! Take a look at some of the benefits of hosting a lunch and learn session, plus some tips for hosting a successful one at your company.

Many innovative companies are looking for new, effective ways to boost employee wellness. The power of mindfulness has been on the rise for many employers that are looking to help improve productivity, boost mental-wellbeing, and reduce some stress in the workplace – and for good reason. Research has shown how practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can train your brain to better process emotions, stress, and help you focus on the present moment.

One of the most popular ways to practice mindfulness is through meditation. Meditation is a mind-body practice that’s been used for centuries to promote calmness, improve physiological balance, and improve overall health. There are many studies that have demonstrated how beneficial regular meditation can be on the mind and body. Which is why more and more companies are starting to offer a meditation program for employees.

If your workforce deals with stress, emotional health issues, or low morale, you’ll likely benefit from implementing a meditation program. Meditation programs have a lot of amazing health and wellness benefits that will have a positive impact on your employees. Let’s take a look at some of the powerful benefits of implementing a workplace meditation program:

Being happy is an important aspect of health and wellness. When you’re not happy, your body feels it. It’s challenging to stay productive and focused, and you’re a lot less likely to make healthy choices when you’re feeling unhappy. Because happiness is so vital to wellbeing, the United Nations declared March 20^th the International Day of Happiness. It’s a day to recognize and celebrate the importance of happiness in lives of all different people around the globe. 

The International Day of Happiness should remind employers of the value of a happy workplace. Since many Americans spend a good portion of their time in the office, it’s important that they work at a company that prioritizes employee happiness. A principal responsibility of an employer is to create and promote a happy work environment. A happy work environment is not only good for a workforce, but it’s good for the bottom line, too. According to LiveHappy.com, unhappy employees cost employers $300 billion each year in lost productivity. 

There are many different reasons why a happy workforce is critical to the success of a company. An office that is filled with happy, engaged employees who love their roles is guaranteed to have more loyalty, less stress, and better recruitment outcomes. Some of the top benefits of a happy work environment include: 

Employee Appreciation Day falls on Friday, March 2nd this year. If you haven’t taken advantage of celebrating Employee Appreciation Day in the past, now is your chance to do so! Expressing gratitude and letting your employees know you appreciate them is one of the best ways to keep employees engaged and motivated in the workplace. 

However, many employees don’t feel appreciated by their employer or company. A report from Globoforce found that 40% of surveyed employees claimed they weren’t recognized at all over the past year. This is unfortunate because both employees and employers benefit from employee appreciation and recognition. Employees who feel appreciated tend to be more loyal to their company, view their boss as trustworthy, and feel more satisfied with their role. 

If you haven’t planned something special for your employees yet, no need to worry. Check out some of these ideas to show your employees that they are appreciated:

This year, we made an effort to provide our readers with relevant and helpful content for workplace health and wellness. With a few weeks to go, we've published 96 articles this year, so there is good chance you may have missed a few. To help you out, we compiled a list of our 10 most popular blog posts of 2017 and provided a summary below. Feel free to comment your favorites in the comment section below! 

#1: 7 Tips for Promoting Positivity in Your Workplace

A positive work environment boosts employee wellness. Which is why it’s no surprise that our most popular blog post of the year is all about workplace positivity. Practicing positivity and optimism has been linked to numerous health benefits, increased productivity, and less stress. We included seven tips to help you promote positivity at your company. Some examples include:

• Using positive messaging
• Expressing gratitude
• Knowing your mission

Check out the full blog post here!

Each year, more and more employers have realized that the strict nine-to-five workday schedule is outdated. Too many hours spent in the office can lead to chronic stress, poor health habits, and low job satisfaction.

In contrast, employees with flexible work schedules have been shown to have higher levels of job satisfaction and less absenteeism, along with reduced rates of turnover. By simply offering employees the ability to choose their own hours and work from home when needed, employers can improve the overall health and wellbeing of their employees.

If your company doesn’t currently offer some type of flexibility for your employees, we urge you to consider these five employee wellness perks of a flexible schedule: