How to Encourage Employee Wellness while Working From Home

The 40-hour workweek schedule has remained intact in the current corporate world. Along with that, the concept of working from home is gaining popularity among organizations in recent times. It is a growing trend and a perk that every employee wants (especially during this time of a global pandemic).

However, working from home can affect employee wellness in several ways. Effects like social distancing leading to isolation, finding it hard to maintain physical fitness, lack of enthusiasm and much more. As an employer, you would not want that because it has a high-risk factor that might hamper your business.

Generally, to mitigate these issues an organization adopts a corporate wellness program to keep their employees in good shape. But the best thing is you can always improvise these programs according to your requirements. And with your employees now functioning from their homes here are a few ways to usher wellness for keeping them healthy and active.

Encouraging Employee Wellness

1. Breaks in their daily routine

One of the efficient ways to increase employee wellness while they work from home is by following up their routine. Your employee might be busy with their work or running household chores. And amid all that busy routine, ask your employee to take regular breaks. This will help employees to clear their mind, often keeping them more focused and active.

Furthermore, regular breaks churn out personal and work-related stress in a significant manner. Thus, helping your employee to cope up with the new work environment.

2. Regular Exercises

Be it at the workplace or home, maintaining physical health is essential. There is a significant increase in positivity when one becomes healthier. Working from home can have adverse effects on your employee’s physical health with minimal body movements. Thus, leading to a sedentary lifestyle.

However, as an employer, you can ask your employee to follow a schedule that encourages maintaining physical health strictly. This will help them increase concentration, reduce inactivity, and avoid gaining weight.

3. Social Connectivity

One of the biggest challenges of working from home is the lack of social interaction. Employees, more or less are more productive and creative when they delve in a one-on-one conversation with their colleagues. But working from home diminishes that factor and brings social connectivity at a standstill.

However, with the digital age, it has become possible to stay connected with your employees and peers simultaneously. Talking with them regularly, indulging in online fun activities and doing much more with the help of various social media platforms has allowed to connect us while remote working. This helps employees to keep their morale high, and further keep the bonds intact.

4. Healthy Diet

Keeping your nutrition in check can be a difficult task when your home becomes your office. Employees working from home have the luxury to wander off to their kitchen and have whatever they want. This habit can create havoc by sabotaging weight loss activities and decreasing productivity often.

Help your employees to plan out a healthy diet so that they can keep check of their calories intake. Make sure that you help them include the proper food in their diet plan so that they can sustain their energy without resorting to junk food. Eventually, helping them keep their physique intact and focus more on their wellness.

5. Indulging in fun Activities

Working from home does not have to be always related to office work all the time. One has to keep themselves quite creative and productive with different surroundings. Especially when you are at home, office tasks can become monotonous.

To keep things interesting, employees can take up fun activities to help them freshen up their mind. This will help them reduce their stress and they can start with a sound mind. Thus, increasing their productivity and boosting their morale.

6. Encourage Yoga

While working from home is a perk every employee wants, it can also drain a person mentally. It is because interaction becomes less, and one can hardly go out with all the work pending. This can take a heavy toll on employees psychological health.

To cope up with such situations, you can help your employees by encouraging them to do yoga. Yoga helps a person by calming their mind and help them build their confidence, both psychologically and mentally. Further, assisting employees in generating more focus in their work and becoming productive throughout the day.

7. Set Regular Work Hours

Setting regular working hours can work wonders for your employees. Hand them over a proper schedule defining when they have to work. Also, you can ask them to create a designated workspace so that they can be seated away from distractions.

Specific working hours will help your employees focus more on the job, and they will be able to complete projects in time. Thus, improving their work efficiency and performance.

8. Open It Up

Communication has always been crucial for everyone. And with the rise of work from home concept, it is essential to maintain a clear line of communication.

An employee working remotely may find it challenging to define what is expected of them in the long run, which is why robust communication is essential. If you are able to explain them clearly the goals and expectation, they become less worried about their performance. They take less mental stress and bring out the best in them.

9. Do Not Forget To Recognize

No matter wherever you or your employees are, everyone tends to fulfil their designated jobs and tasks. And in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the corporate world, recognition has become the topmost priority.

With the ongoing pandemic, all of your workforces are working from home and completing their daily jobs. Performing their tasks in the middle of such a panic situation is undoubtedly going to drain your employees mentally. However, if you are able to provide recognition about how everyone is able to work with such strong character will elevate their mood. It will bring positivity and new energy to them. Thus, enhancing their morale and giving them more power mentally to handle situations calmly.

Summing Up

Giving importance to employee wellness will not only reduce your turnover rates, but it will save you millions of money. Your employees are your backbone and supporting them throughout will showcase that the organization has a fantastic company culture. While we can talk about employee wellness all day long in theory, implementing it practically comes down to the leaders. Plan it wisely so that it is beneficial for everyone in the organization.

Mrinmoy Rabha is a content writer and digital marketer at Vantage Circle. He is an avid follower of football and passionate about singing. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com