Dive Brief:
- More and more employers today recognize that helping employees maintain their wellbeing is a critical part of creating a productive, happy workplace, according to an article at the Harvard Business Review.
- In the past, paying well, providing meaningful work and recognizing employee efforts was enough, but not any more, writes author Ron Friedman, founder of ignite80, a consulting firm that helps leaders "build thriving organizations."
- As the nature of work has changed, many employers are following research-proven strategies beyond typical corporate wellness programs to drive employee wellbeing, Friedman adds. He offers a few of the "most intelligent workplace practices" he's encountered of late.
Dive Insight:
Friedman's suggestions include: facilitate physical fitness; make healthy eating easy; foster mental growth and, finally, pay employees to stop working.
For example, in the physical fitness area, he cites a wide range of studies that have found a direct link between physical movement and mental agility, including "clear evidence" that regular exercise improves concentration, memory, creativity and overall mood. Ideas such as standing desks, onsite gyms and even company bicycles are more prevalent.
Beyond that, he writes, offering perks such as workplace showers, washer/dryers and personal lockers were rare, but with the undeniable benefits of exercise on employee engagement, stress management, and productivity, he says more employers should follow companies such as Patagonia, Hootsuite and others who believe in those investments.
Under the "pay employees to stop working," while the unlimited vacation concept is losing steam (not being used, according to many reports), the idea is "well intentioned," Friedman writes because employers are at least trying to empower their employees to "restock" mental energy on an as-needed basis, ignoring the more traditional notion of scheduled vacation days.
"Great organizations know that engagement goes much deeper than what we do between 9-5." Friedman writes. "It’s about living a sustainable life where mind, body, and spirit are equally nourished."
