For most of us, our lives are made up mostly of work.
Companies are learning that acknowledging – rather than denying – this fact is not just the right thing to do, but also a sound business decision .
In a recent interview , Life is Good founder Bert Jacobs emphasized that focusing on things like employee wellbeing has an often under-acknowledged business benefit for organizations.
According to Jacobs, focusing on employee wellbeing and purpose is “a smart strategy for building a strong business….The organization only hurts themselves if they’re not working in the best interest of everybody at their organization.”
Why is this the case? Employee wellbeing is linked to employee engagement and productivity , and your organization becomes stronger across the board when you make it a priority.
In a hurry? Check out some of our favorite recognition & rewards platforms guaranteed to improve employee wellbeing at your company:
Your company isn’t the product you make, your intellectual property, your patents, or even the customers you serve. First and foremost, your company is your people. (Literally. The word “company” comes from the military, and simply refers to a body of soldiers.)
Before we get to brass tacks, first a quick note on what we mean by employee wellbeing:
“Employee happiness,” “employee engagement,” and “employee wellbeing” are terms that are often thrown around interchangeably. While they’re all related, they mean different things and imply different strategies.
What’s the difference?
Specifically, employee wellbeing is about how your job – your duties, expectations, stress level, and environment – affects your overall health and happiness.
And while it certainly includes things like exercise and nutrition, well-being isn’t just about physical health. It’s about mood and cognition, and less tangible factors like a sense of purpose. Above all, it’s about understanding your employees from a holistic perspective, taking into account the totality of their lives, and considering their overall quality of life.
Easier said than done, we know. But we’re here to help.
Get Your Free Guide to Boosting Employee Motivation
Here are proven and powerful ways to boost employee wellbeing and motivation at your company.
Once you’ve gone through our list, check out The Assist to discover more ways to boost employee wellbeing and create a thriving culture at work:
“One thing The Assist has helped me immensely with is keeping our company culture alive during this new shift to remote work. It is important for us to have a team who is happy and healthy and The Assist has provided tons of options to help make that possible for our team.” Julie P., The Assist subscriber
1. Throw Down Fitness Challenges.
Fitness challenges are one of the best ways to kickstart your company’s wellbeing into gear.
Why are they so effective? Fitness challenges unlock the spirit of fun and friendly competition. Peer involvement will encourage greater participation, and inspire your team to push themselves further than they would on their own.
Here at SnackNation, we recently launched the “Walk it Out” step challenge, during which the entire org received Jawbone fitness trackers, and logged our steps daily – you can also use a recognition platform like Bonusly to build custom fitness challenges.
The goal was to “walk” from LA to San Francisco as a team over the course of 4 weeks – that is, log the 772,000 steps between LA and the city by the bay.
In addition to the team goal, prizes were awarded for individual step leaders after each week. It was that combination of shared and individual goals that held the key to the program’s success. Our team felt a sense of togetherness and esprit de corps as we strove for common goals, and celebrated individual leaders throughout the week.
Fitness challenges don’t cost much to launch (fitness trackers are great, but definitely not required), and provide outsized benefits to your organization, fostering both team building and overall wellbeing.
2. Make Recognition and Praise Part of Your Company’s Culture.
One of the most desired – and easiest to implement – wellbeing initiatives is simply to recognize employees for their effort and achievements. A recent survey shows that 70% of employees say recognition makes them feel emotionally connected to peers while another 70% say recognition makes them happier at home. The impact of a recognition-rich culture cannot be understated.
Mo makes it really easy to build recognition and praise into your company’s culture to create a positive work environment . With Mo , all employees are empowered to give recognition, increasing the frequency and stickiness of praise throughout your organization.
This is especially effective for Millennial employees, who are accustomed to receiving praise from a very young age. Being part of the so-called “self-esteem generation,” they often crave recognition more than a pay raise.
A handwritten thank you note, or formal recognition program – like Mo , for example – all go a long way towards creating a positive emotional environment that supports wellbeing.
Or you could do a “Crush It Call”. Here’s how we do them at SnackNation HQ:
3. Recognize your top talent with gifts that inspire wellbeing & connection.
While employee wellbeing during business hours is vitally important to the health of your company, you might be losing out on an opportunity to help staff recharge, relax, and experience new things.
With experiential gifts , you can reward an employee with a chance to check something off their bucket list with a customized experience.
While the productivity gains we’ve received through remote and hybrid work may be benefiting the bottom line, the downside is that they’re masking a workforce on the verge of burnout. Why not recognize your employees’ achievements with rewards and gifts that support their wellbeing?
Blueboard is an experience-based rewards tool that offers employee wellbeing gifts designed to rejuvenate, reconnect, and inspire. Imagine offering your employees their choice of a kayaking trip for two, a pottery class, a month at their favorite yoga studio, or a VIP museum experience with the family.
With Blueboard wellbeing gifts, employees are empowered to celebrate with experiences that challenge their comfort zone, introduce them to a new hobby, or that offer connection and quality time with their loved ones. weekend treats to better help fight employee burnout, recognize their wins, and support better work/life balance. Here are some ideas for employees to fill their special weekend:
Golf round at a local course they’ve been wanting to try
Weekend vacation at a resort
