Each June, in honor of Employee Wellbeing Month, U.S. employers give special attention to improving the health and happiness of their workers.
The truth is it’s always a good time to improve employee wellbeing because the outcomes are so invaluable to your business: higher productivity, lower turnover, reduced absenteeism, and fewer expensive illnesses, to name just a few. So whether you’re looking to launch your first wellbeing initiatives or enhance your existing efforts, here are three high-impact wellbeing programs that won’t cost an arm and a leg to implement:
- A Lactation Program—One way to show your commitment to wellbeing is to help your organization’s mothers return to work after having a baby. A high-quality lactation program offers prescreened referrals to lactation resources … 24/7 access to experienced consultants who provide guidance on breastfeeding challenges and concerns … and breast milk shipping so working mothers who travel can safely ship their milk home. LifeCare’s Mothers@Work program also offers discounted Medela breast pumps and a special kit filled with free breastfeeding products and information. 70% of employees who’ve used the Mothers@Work program say it made them more productive, 92% say it made them more loyal to their employers, and 98% say it reduced their stress.
- Legal and Financial Services—Legal and financial concerns are among the most pervasive and potentially debilitating issues your employees face. In fact, the majority of U.S. workers are now stressed about their finances. You can help employees handle these issues with minimal stress and disruption to their productivity by giving them access to reliable legal and financial services that connect them with qualified attorneys and financial professionals. These services can include in-person and telephonic consultations, document preparation services, and identity theft protection and recovery, among others.
- Work-Life Services—Research has consistently shown that work-life services benefit both employers and workers. One of the most recent examples occurred late last year when the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management issued a series of documents designed to encourage agencies to offer work-life programs because these programs “benefit our federal workforce and positively impact recruitment, retention and organizational performance.” In 2018, 82% of people who used LifeCare’s work-life programs said we reduced their stress levels; 80% reported an increase in loyalty to their employers; and 72% said our programs increased their overall productivity.
In addition to supporting your employees’ wellbeing, these three types of programs also boost engagement, satisfaction and loyalty levels.
Two Halves of Wellbeing: Health & Happiness
The mission of Employee Wellbeing Month is to “spotlight the workplace’s role in helping to create healthier, happier employees.” Although employers have known for decades that healthier employees are less costly to their businesses and provide a competitive advantage, they’ve only relatively recently begun to regard employee happiness in a similar light. This viewpoint is backed by a growing body of evidence proving organizations thrive when employees are happy.
“One study found that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy employees,” writes AIM Leadership CEO Camille Preston in her Forbes article, “Promoting Employee Happiness Benefits Everyone.” “When it comes to salespeople, happiness has an even greater impact, raising sales by 37%. … The stock prices of Fortune’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work for’ rose 14% per year from 1998 to 2005, while companies not on the list only reported a 6% increase,” she notes.
So what drives employees’ happiness at work?
According to MetLife’s recently issued report, “Thriving in the New Work-Life World,” the top five drivers of employee happiness are:
- Trust in the company’s leadership.
- The company’s commitment to employees and their success.
- A culture that encourages employees to share ideas and opinions.
- A workplace where coworkers feel like family and friends.
- Benefits customized to meet employees’ needs.
The report also offers statistics showing that happy workers are more satisfied with their jobs, more engaged, more successful and more loyal than unhappy workers.
Given the relationship between benefits and employee happiness, programs like the three listed above are a wise investment for your business’s future.
If you’d like to discuss the various benefits programs that can help your organization improve employee wellbeing, contact us here or call us at (833) 282-3366.