If you truly want your employees to be healthy, taking a holistic approach to employee wellness is key. Health goes beyond what your employees eat and how often they move. Numerous lifestyle factors play a role in your employees’ overall health and wellness. For example, elements such as stress, financial wellness, and social relationships all contribute to your employees’ mental, social, and emotional health – which is just as important as physical health!
It’s important for employers to understand that the environment in which employees work plays a huge role in their overall wellness. If your company doesn’t support and promote a holistic lifestyle, many employees will neglect important aspects of their health. Employees need encouragement to go beyond healthy eating and exercising to achieve a life of holistic wellness.
Read on to learn how holistic wellness will positively affect your employees’ health and their work performance:
Mental health benefits. Many of your employees neglect their mental health. Most don’t understand that mental health issues can be just as serious as physical health issues. Mental health issues are both physically and mentally draining. They can cause major distractions at work and negatively impact overall work performance. However, when employees focus on taking care of themselves and practice holistic activities such as mindfulness, they significantly boost their mental health and help prevent mental health issues from arising.
Less stress. Employees who are encouraged to live a holistic lifestyle tend to have better stress management skills. Coping with and reducing stress is a major element of holistic wellness. Activities such as meditation, yoga, and practicing mindfulness reduce stress and anxiety naturally. Employees who manage stress effectively will be more productive, happy, and much more pleasant to be around!
Healthier habits. Living a holistic lifestyle builds healthy habits and behaviors. Eating well, exercising regularly, and prioritizing mental health are all healthy habits that contribute to holistic wellbeing. Employees who practice these habits on a daily basis are supporting their physical, mental, and emotional health.
Heart health. It’s no secret that less stress means better heart health. Managing stress and focusing on mental health can help reduce blood pressure to support a healthy heart. Other holistic factors such as eating healthily and exercising regularly also support cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol levels and strengthening the heart.
Positive mindset. Holistic wellness emphasizes the power of positivity and a healthy mindset. Employees who practice a holistic lifestyle are much more likely to be a positive presence in the workplace and be happier at work.
So, how do these perks of holistic wellness translate into work performance?
Mindful employees. Mindfulness in the workplace boosts productivity, attention, and focus. A 2016 study by Case Western Reserve University suggests that “injecting a corporate culture of mindfulness not only improves focus, but the ability to manage stress and how employees work together.” Incorporating mindfulness training into your workplace wellness program will not only help employees become more mindful in their personal lives, but in their professional lives as well.
Healthy employees. Employees who practice a holistic lifestyle by eating well, moving more, and supporting their mental and emotional health are generally healthier people. Eating healthily and exercising regularly reduce the risk for diseases and boost immune systems. You can expect more productive workdays and less absenteeism from healthier employees.
Positive employees. Positivity is contagious. Promoting holistic health and wellness will put your employees in a better mood and help strengthen staff morale. Positive attitudes will help your employees accomplish tasks faster and communicate better with colleagues. Mayo Clinic even suggests that positive thinking, along with a good attitude, will help improve mental wellbeing. They also claim that keeping a positive mindset helps develop better coping skills while dealing with stressful situations at work.
To maintain a healthy workforce, employers must remember to focus on more than just physical health. While certain aspects of physical health such as weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels are crucial to employee health, employers shouldn’t neglect the other important factors such as financial wellness, stress management, and mental health. Encouraging employees to eat well, move more, and live a happy, full life is the key to optimal health.
How do you promote holistic wellness at your workplace? Share some ideas in the comment section below!
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