7 Tips to Boost Employee’s Productivity and Wellness

Welcome to a brand new year, we hope to bring you some useful tips to kickstart a successful 2019.

Every business owner is interested in the wellbeing of the employees- after all, the talent you have in the company is your strength, and they can make or break a business. It is no surprise that the science of wellbeing has gathered a lot of attention from both professionals and scholars.

Let’s talk about the open offices’ trend, which has shaped the working environment for centuries. It was designed to increase communication and collaboration among employees. In the next lines, we will present you 7 top tips to create a happy workplace and boost employee engagement.

1. Healthy Food Offerings

The food we eat defines our energy level. The employees spend a lot of time at the office. It is important to offer them the chance to stay healthy by offering them the possibility to eat healthy within the company. You do not have to allocate a lot of space to create a cafeteria, or to allocate a large budget. A small pantry equipped with healthy options of snacks and delicious beverage will be enough. The results will be seen in fewer sick leaves. An employee cannot function well on a long period of time by eating fast food or at his computer. And it also gives the employees an opportunity to mingle, to chat with each other and to meet with employees from other departments.

2. In Office Fitness

Depending on the space available, you can design a gym with specific equipment or you can hire several trainers to have classes with your employees (e.g. Yoga, Pilates). A Mercer study revealed that in 2016, in Singapore the medical leave cost per employee was $946. By 2030, the number is expected to go as high as S$1973, the cost for productivity loss due to sickness absenteeism for all the employees. Offer the employees the chance to work at the office to have healthier employees and fewer sick leaves.

3. The Office Layout: What the Employee Wants

There are so many options to choose from when we choose the design for the office. But who better to tell you what would work better than your employees? Many of them already know how and when they are the more productive, so why not pick their brains and involved them in the choice?

4. Consider the Geographic Location

Companies today have many offices around the globe. Although it might be a good idea to offer the same benefits to all the employees, we should design the offices taking into account the cultural and geographical specifications. What could be a great office in Singapore might not be a good idea in Berlin.

5. Having Breaks

When we talk about the design of the office, we need to take into consideration the need of employees to have a break. It might be a relaxation room or a game room or just a garden. It should be a space where employees feel good and rest for a few moments.

6. Work On Their Outside Time

Employees who have a strong feel of belonging to the company are happy, productive employees. When we have in mind the productivity and the wellness of the employee, we should consider the experience we offer. Is the company involved in causes they believe in? Does the company offer the opportunity to participate with the team at sports competition?

7. Avoid Combining Too Much

While it is a good thing to consider what the employees want, it is hard to please everyone. Consider what is necessary and what can be done in the available space. If you put too much in a small space, the employees will not feel well and productive.

Think about the investment in the office as an investment in your employees.  You might not see the direct return of investment in a short time, but it is more an investment that pays off in time. Every year, the budget allocated to recruiting is increasing and it becomes harder and harder to find the right talent. Invest in methods to retain and engage the talent you already have.