Small ways to boost employee wellbeing

With people under an increasing amount of stress at the moment, the mood is low in many workplaces and it’s increasingly difficult to get employees to engage with work in a positive way. This puts employers in a difficult position, especially in smaller businesses where they know all their staff personally and don’t want to put them under additional pressure, but where they must keep productivity high enough to contend with rising costs. Some are treating this as a spur for improvement, however, and are finding that small changes can make everybody feel a lot better.

Provide water and healthy snacks

When affected by stress, the body is much less efficient at balancing energy and hydration levels throughout the day. This means that fatigue can set in, or workers can find themselves struggling to concentrate. This isn’t good for long-term health, and it isn’t necessary. Providing healthy snacks such as fruit and flapjacks means they can get an energy boost when they need it, and encouraging them to sip water while they work increases their alertness, making everything else less of a strain.

Refresh the workspace

With Covid still present in the population at high levels and flu also a risk, fresh air in the workplace has never been more important. It also helps to raise energy levels. In winter, when opening windows is not an option, make sure you have a good air filtration system in place. Letting as much daylight as possible into the workspace has a positive effect on mood and bringing in plants has been shown to reduce stress levels. Even minor redecoration can make the place feel fresher and more welcoming.

Take a health-based approach to substance abuse

During lockdown, a lot of people found that familiar means of coping with stress turned into bad habits. If you’re working drug and alcohol testing into the workplace routine, bear in mind that the people it catches may really not want to be in that position. By treating it as a health issue, you can get them the support they need to turn their lives around. Even if you need to suspend them in the meantime for safety reasons, you may be able to retain a high-value employee and assist them in dealing with a problem which affects them most severely of all.

Relax the dress code

It was previously believed that uniforms led to people being more productive, but the pandemic has revealed that, in fact, people are more productive when they’re more relaxed. If you don’t specifically need your team to look a certain way to impress visitors, why not switch to a business casual approach? This means that your employees will feel more able to express themselves and bring their whole selves to work. It will make for a friendlier workplace in which it’s easier to form real connections.

These may seem like small things, but they can make a big difference in the atmosphere of the workplace and to individual employees’ wellbeing. If you want to do more, try asking them for their suggestions and giving them a chance to help design the business environment themselves.