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Who really wants to work in an environment that is mentally and physically exhausting?
Dealing with rude bosses and nagging co-workers can put a toll on your overall health. Unfortunately, this is the reality many people have to face every day.
Correcting this issue comes down to the employer creating an environment that is healthy. Maintaining a high-stress, high-pressure working style will only hurt your business.
For one, these environments lead to increased (37% more) absenteeism, 60% more defects and errors and 18% lower productivity. Stress and absenteeism go hand-in-hand. One survey shows 12% of workers call in sick due to job-related stress.
When productivity decreases due to disengagement and absenteeism, you can imagine how it affects your profits. But what can an employer do to change this around?
Here are five tips for creating a work culture that will improve employee health and productivity.
Promote and Foster Social Connections
Your employees are human beings. This means they need to connect to other human beings throughout their day. Since most people spend eight or more hours daily in their workplace, it’s important for social connections to take place there.
This simple strategy has shown to help improve the physical health of workers. For instance, they aren’t sick as often, recover more quickly from surgery and aren’t as depressed. In turn, they are able to work and perform better.
Be Empathetic to Your Employees
Again, your employees are humans, which means they have feelings. It’s easy for bosses to forget this when they’re barking orders, ridiculing mistakes and using harsh language.
Being empathetic to your workers can help ensure they aren’t stressed out or upset by any given situation. There are various occasions where empathy is needed - such as when an employee is pregnant, has a baby, loses a loved one or still learning the ropes of a new position.
Offer a Helping Hand
You’re the boss, but does that mean you should kick back and watch your workers struggle?
When you notice employees falling behind or in need of assistance, offer your helping hand. After all, you know the job better than anyone, so who better to help?
When employees see the boss helping out, it makes them feel more inclined to do their jobs better. Even more, it turns workers into loyal employees.
Clarify and Align Core Values
Confusion in the workplace can be very stressful, especially when the boss isn’t empathetic or clear about the values. In other words, explain the culture of the workplace.
If you don’t already have one created, then you need to write down the vision you have for your workplace. What characteristics do you want your workers to display? Maybe it’s honesty, integrity and humanity.
Share these values with your employees and make sure to push it. Hire only those who fit the criteria and crack down on employees that act against the company’s values.
Give Employees Physical and Mental Space for Breaks
Spending eight hours a day in one place is stressful enough. When you can’t get away from the hustle and bustle, it can really wreck your nerves. One way around this is to have a special quiet place to get away.
Providing this in the workplace can help improve employee health, both mentally and physically. You can make it a mandatory thing or an option for workers to take a “me time” break.
Don’t Neglect Employee Health
Remember, your employees are the backbone of your business. If their health fails, then they won’t be able to perform for your company. With the above tips, you may set a foundation for a healthier workspace.
At Work Fit, we help businesses large and small with creating safer workplaces. Some of our services include injury management, ergonomics, wellness management and injury prevention. Contact us today and let us work together to help you keep your employees healthy.
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