Why workplace well-being is essential for employee happiness

As an employer, it’s important to promote workplace well-being to prioritize employee happiness to improve retention and boost morale. From emotional to social well-being, here’s how your company can boost happiness in the workplace. 

Whether your company is remote, hybrid, or in-person, workplace well-being continues to be one of the main contributors to employee happiness and job satisfaction. And for good reason–experts have found that if employees are unhappy at work, they are more likely to be burned out, stressed, overwhelmed, less productive, and have a lower level of happiness. All of these can affect your company’s bottom line and the overall work environment.

Thankfully, many professionals recognize the importance of helping employees find happiness in the workplace. In fact, one study found that 68% of senior human resource leaders rated employee well-being and mental health as top priorities. 

But how can you increase workplace well-being, and what steps can you take to boost workplace happiness? Here’s how you can create a happy work environment where people feel appreciated and respected.

Why is workplace well-being important?

The average person works 40 hours a week, which means that you can spend up to 90,000 hours, or one-third of your life, at the office. 

With so much time spent working, the health and happiness of employees have become an ever-increasing topic of concern. Employee stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction are just a few symptoms that plague the workplace, especially since work impacts employee happiness, self-confidence, quality of life, self-esteem, and personal relationships. 

If these issues aren’t addressed, they can quickly turn into a bigger problem and negatively affect both the company and its employees. However, when a company takes these issues seriously, it can translate into happier employees and a more productive working environment.

Thankfully, it appears that companies are putting a greater emphasis on workplace well-being, as the corporate well-being market in the United States is forecasted to grow to $87 billion by 2026. 

Wellbeing in the hybrid workplace

Hybrid work has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and it doesn’t seem that people are eager to change this. However, maintaining a healthy work-life balance when working from home can prove challenging to an employee’s health, social life, productivity, and performance. 

As an employer, you can improve well-being in the hybrid workplace by checking in with your employees to see how they are mental. Working from home can be easy to blur the lines between someone’s job and their personal life, which can lead to burnout and a declining mental state. 

To enhance well-being in the hybrid workplace, you can encourage your employees to join in on company social events, set work boundaries at home, and take time off when needed. Furthermore, when you see an employee in person, take the time to ask how they are feeling; this shows that you care about them and take their well-being seriously. 

Framework for workplace wellbeing

Like it or not, work plays a significant role in our lives. Well-being is often measured by happiness, stress, satisfaction, and purpose, which is why having a framework for workplace well-being can be beneficial to follow. Here’s what the Surgeon General has to say about the 5 points for creating this sort of framework.

• Protection from harm. Create a sense of safety and security in the workplace for optimal mental health and well-being. 
• Connection and community. Encourage positive social interactions and relationships to foster a sense of belonging. 
• Work-life harmony. Encourage your employees to have a positive work-life balance. 
• Mattering at work. Let your employees know that their life and work have meaning to those around them.
• Opportunity for growth. Offer opportunities for employees to accomplish goals, grow their skills and feel accomplished. 

Seven pillars of holistic employee wellbeing

Over the past few years, employee well-being has morphed into an all-encompassing relationship based on physical, emotional, financial, social, career, community, and purpose. Here’s how these seven pillars of holistic employee well-being can guide companies to further prioritize the well-being of their employees. 

• Physical: This encompasses exercise, sleep, overall lifestyle, and dietary choices. 
• Emotional: This includes focusing on mental health and reducing stress.

• Financial: Financial stress greatly contributes to employee unhappiness, so it’s important to understand how this happiness vs salary graph works in relation to compensation.
• Career: If you want to retain employees, you need to understand their career needs and try to meet them where they’re at. For example, if your employee wants to work remotely, seek more compensation, or improve work/life balance, you can encourage discussions that can lead to chances for increased employee satisfaction.  
• Community: Social interactions within the community play an important role in deepening ties with coworkers and employers. 
• Social: Building strong communities in the workplace can help with feelings of loneliness and improve a sense of belonging and happiness.
• Purpose: Employees tend to be happier working for a company whose set of values matches their own.

   

Workplace wellbeing programs

One survey found that 67% of people believe that well-being at work is a right, not a privilege. This means that employees are looking for companies that align with their values and focus on well-being. 

As an employer, you can make your company more attractive by implementing a program that supports work/life balance, employee happiness, and general well-being. Not only will this promote productivity and reduce turnover for current employees, but it will also make your company more attractive to potential candidates.  

You can do this by offering some high-value employee perks. Learn more about what benefits you should offer with this article.  

Nutrium Care: offer nutrition and happiness to your team

Nutrition is the basis of everyone's health and well-being. Good eating habits are essential to maintain a healthy weight, good levels of energy, and balanced mental health. Unfortunately, unhealthy eating habits may increase the risk of certain chronic diseases and can decrease an employee’s productivity, efficiency, and motivation levels.

This is where Nutrium Care comes in! By investing in our corporate nutrition program, companies can have healthier, happier, and more productive employees. It can also help your company to retain more workforce and become more attractive to new talent.

With Nutrium Care, you can offer your employees follow-up with excellent nutritionists, a personalized food plan, cooking workshops, webinars, themed days, and access to exclusive health and nutrition content (like newsletters and recipes). 

These initiatives can greatly impact your employees’ mental health, as they promote self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.

Interested in incorporating a wellness program? Try Nutrium Care today!

Summary

As an employer, you can promote workplace well-being by prioritizing employee happiness and mental and physical health. This will not only improve retention and boost morale, but it will also boost happiness in the workplace. Utilizing the seven pillars of holistic employee well-being and implementing a wellness program like Nutrium Care can help your employees reduce the risk of burnout, be less stressed, and improve productivity.