Last week I attended a talk about employee wellness, and one of the talks was conducted by health guru and experienced wellness coach, Barbara Cox.  Here is what I learned about wellness in the workplace, and here is how you can implement small changes which could make a big difference.

Fitness and physical health

As an employer, you can encourage physical health by providing employee benefits such as gym memberships, in-house exercise classes or physical group activities, such as walks or runs.  By encouraging physical activity within your team, you can boost productivity.  Research shows that physical activity can improve concentration, memory, learning, mental stamina, creativity and lower stress...  If you want the best from your employees, encourage physical activity to benefit both your employees and you. Just a few hours a week can drastically change the dynamic and productivity of the office.

Hours Worked

There have been numerous scientific studies that support working less increases productivity in the workplace.

The average working hours in the UK are widely known as 9-5 (40-hour week); however, research suggests that the average worker is only productive for two hours 53 minutes (read more here) in an 8-hour day.  On average, work takes up 1/3rd of our day, but we are only productive 12% of it.

So what do we all do in the other 5 hours and 7 minutes at work?

A study led by the Bureau of National Statistics showed that nearly 2,000 full-time office workers aren’t working for most of the time they’re at work.

The most popular unproductive activities listed were:

1. Reading news websites–1 hour, 5 minutes

2. Checking social media–44 minutes

3. Discussing non-work-related things with co-workers–40 minutes

4. Searching for new jobs–26 minutes

5. Taking smoke breaks–23 minutes

6. Making calls to partners or friends–18 minutes

7. Making hot drinks–17 minutes

8. Texting or instant messaging–14 minutes

9. Eating snacks–8 minutes

10. Making food in the office–7 minutes

According to a recent experiment conducted by the Swedish government, working fewer hours could lead to higher productivity. Reports found that a shortened workday led to an overall increase in productivity. While their baseline was slightly narrow, with the experiment being conducted among 68 nurses working at Svartedalens retirement home. Their working hours were brought down to six while still being paid their eight-hour salary. The principle behind the experiment holds true for almost all industries and professionals.

Statistically speaking, 50 per cent of the nurses expressed to have had more energy after a six-hour workday, compared to 20 per cent of the eight-hour workers. At the same time, a 4.7 per cent reduction in total sick days taken was observed, as well as a noticeable reduction in absenteeism. Furthermore, nurses working the six-hour workdays confessed to being less stressed and more physically active, with neck and back pain in check. One of the metric researchers also surmised that this enabled them to carry out 64 per cent more active work while dealing with elderly patients.

While this experiment was limited to certain professionals in Sweden, companies across the world have and are taking a leaf out of its book. According to a Guardian’s UK-based report, people in the Netherlands work five hours less in a week than in Britain and in Germany, six hours less. Subsequently, at the time of this study, both the Dutch and German economies were flourishing significantly and in some sectors, even giving Britain a run for her money.

Not only is there evidence to show that working a shorter day is more productive, but it is also good for your employees.  Maintaining a good work/ life balance is a top priority for working these days, with more people valuing time over money; it also builds morale,  improves overall health and reduces rates of absenteeism and employee turnover.

It’s not only shorter hours that show an increase in productivity. Flexible working hours have also been shown to help increase productivity and engagement, as well as meet the changing needs of customers – when work is about more than showing up, things get done.

Time outside of work

Family & friends, fun & recreation, romance & significant others

As an employer, your understanding of your employees having a life outside of work is crucial.  People need to have enough time to spend doing things they want to do without having to think about work and other to-do lists. Do all you can to make sure your employees have enough spare time by introducing options like flexible working hours, enough holiday time or even early finishes to reward great work. Thinking that the weekend is enough time for people to have a life outside of work is naïve and can result in low tenure in your staff, not to mention adding stress, pressure and low performance in your employees.

Personal growth, development and academic studies

As an employer, educating your employees through training and courses can enhance their well-being as well as yours.  Having employees who are continuously learning means you have a more knowledgeable workforce as well as a having a happy, progressing team.  Invest in training your team by providing training sessions, courses and talks so your employees are less likely to feel as though the grass is greener in another company.

Community and environment

Being part of a team is great for individual wellness as it brings on feelings of belonging and value.  It’s important to have a close-knit team who can trust and lean on one another for individual sanity as well as company culture. Feelings of animosity or resentment in the office can destroy your culture and the people within it.

Being around the same people in the same environment can often be stressful on employees, so it is your responsibility as an employer to create an environment where people want to be – that could include making the office a welcoming, fun place to work or it could mean mixing people’s workplaces up.  Let people work from home, from a coffee shop or even from another office if you have more than one.

In terms of team building, try doing activities outside of work together, like celebrating birthdays, meals or physical activities.

Wealth

Financial difficulties and struggles can put major stress on people, and as an employer, it is your responsibility to pay your employees a fair rate. Not only should the position and workload be taken into account, but you should also consider things like location, working hours and commute as part of your packages.  Not only will paying a fair amount provide your employees with less financial stress, but it will also contribute to employee tenure and deter people from looking elsewhere for new positions.