Work flexibility is quickly becoming a must-have in the U.S. as work-life balance becomes a central focus for job seekers.

From freelancers to caretakers, employees have different reasons for wanting to work outside the traditional office environment.

And, it’s actually surprisingly more productive for employees, too.

At least that’s the way the 3,000 respondents who took FlexJobs’ annual survey feel — 65% of workers believe they would be more productive working at home than in a traditional office setting.

Some of the reasons:

• Fewer distractions (75%)
• Fewer interruptions from colleagues (74%)
• Reduced stress from commuting (71%)
• Minimal office politics (65%)

There’s no “I” in team, right?

As cheesy as that cliche is, it’s also true.

Teamwork is part of what makes companies successful. If your team isn’t getting along and feels disjointed, morale goes down, quick.

According to one Gallup study, 87% of employees are not engaged at work. As we know, disengaged employees are also less satisfied, less productive, and more likely to leave a company.

If there’s a lack of camaraderie in your office, it might be time for some team building work. 

One of the most common excuses for skipping the gym is, “I don’t have the time.” We know how crazy busy most full-time employees are. And we’ll admit, finding time to exercise during the workday can be difficult! One of the ways we help our employees here at TotalWellness find more time for exercise is by offering free, on-site fitness classes.

Our Wellness Specialist, Crysta, started teaching fitness classes to her colleagues this July (2018), and we’ve seen some major positive impacts since then! We would like to share our experience – along with some tips – about our on-site fitness classes. We hope our interview with Crysta inspires some other employers to try out on-site fitness classes of their own!

With the help of a reliable flu shot vendor, organizing an onsite flu shot clinic becomes simple.

However, ensuring high employee participation presents a more significant challenge. Employee involvement is vital for the success of an onsite flu shot clinic. Without a sufficient number of employees getting vaccinated, there is a risk of a flu outbreak.

As a wellness leader at your workplace, you have the opportunity to promote onsite flu shots and encourage employees to get vaccinated. If this is your first year hosting a flu shot clinic, or if you haven’t achieved desired participation rates in the past, download our free flu shot promo materials and try out some of these ideas for promoting this year’s flu shot clinic at your office: 

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. 

Flu season is almost here! If you keep up with our blog and social media pages, you’ll know we’ve been talking a lot about the negative effects of the flu lately. That’s because we hope more employees get vaccinated this year. The flu is really nothing to leave up to chance. Without receiving an annual flu shot, your employees significantly raise their risk of falling ill with influenza.

But why does this matter to employers? Well, for one, all employers should care about the general health and wellbeing of their employees. Secondly, your company can’t perform it’s best when employees are sick with the flu. In fact, approximately 17 million workdays are lost due to the flu each year. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this equates to $7 billion lost per year in sick days and lost productivity. 

However, through advanced education, proper planning, and corporate flu shots, you can help protect your employees and shield your business from taking a major hit this flu season. To minimize the effect of the flu on your business, there are seven key ways you can help protect your employees: 

When it comes to flu season, you want all of your employees protected. The flu can lead to some serious health risks and put an employee out for a full workweek. Hosting an on-site flu shot clinic is one of the best ways to help protect your employees and prevent an office flu epidemic.

However, things can get a bit tricky if you have remote employees. These employees should have the same opportunity to receive a free flu shot, just like your on-site employees. Just because these employees aren’t physically in the office doesn’t mean it won’t harm your business if they get sick. 

While a sick remote employee can’t necessarily spread the flu around the office, a sick employee is still a sick employee. Their productivity will plummet, and they’ll likely need at least a couple of days to fully recuperate from the flu. 

So, if you don’t want your remote employees falling ill with the flu this year, here’s what to do:

Employee health screenings are one of the most important aspects of a successful workplace wellness program. Why? Because without annual screenings, an employer can’t accurately gauge the health and wellness needs of their workforce. Not to mention, employees are likely to be in the dark about any potential risks to their health.

Biometric screenings are an effective preventative service for your employees. The results obtained from these screenings give employees a snapshot of their current health status. Screening events help employees learn if they are at risk for high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. The results show employees where they might need to make some changes in their daily habits to improve their overall health.

Planning an employee biometric screening is a great step in the right direction in providing preventative healthcare assistance for your employees. However, we know that planning these types of events – especially if it’s your first time – can be a bit challenging. As you begin to plan your event, you’ll probably have some questions. 

It’s likely that some of your employees believe the flu shot will make them sick. In fact, this belief is one of the top main reasons some Americans go unprotected against the flu each year. A 2014 study found that 43% of Americans believe they will get sick from the flu shot. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

For employers, debunking this myth at your workplace is one of the best things you can do to help boost corporate flu shot participation. When employees are uneducated about the vaccine and the danger of getting ill from the flu, they are likely to skip their annual flu shot. With each employee left unvaccinated, your company faces a higher risk of an office flu epidemic.

Not sure how to tackle this common myth at your company? We’re here to help debunk that myth, and explain why the flu shot truly is beneficial for you and your employees.

When it comes to staying healthy during flu season, many employees seem to be complacent. They don’t always take action – and many of your employees don’t think the flu is “that big of a deal."

But why is that? Why are some employees willing to take their chances against the flu, rather than taking one simple step to help prevent it? Well, there isn’t just one clear answer. In fact, the flu season comes with many obstacles that can lead to complacency and inaction. 

Employers need to be aware of these obstacles so that they can address them in the workplace. If employers ignore these factors, they won’t see ideal participation rates for corporate flu shots – meaning their workforce is at a much higher risk of a flu outbreak.