work places should strongly advocate the importance of breaking the stigma associated with Health and strive to promote Mental Wellness. Considering how the definition of wellness has changed in recent years, office wellness programs must be designed to evolve and stay true to the current lifestyle requirements of the workforce across all age groups, gender, life stages and generations.
Create and employ a holistic approach to wellness, leveraging aspects of physical health, preventative health care, and of course, mental health. Experts suggest that organizations should implement a ‘Mental Wellbeing Guideline’ for employees to help maintain and improve their mental wellbeing.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Srikanth Karra, CHRO at Mphasis, recommended: “Have special initiatives focused solely on mental health as part of wellness programs that include free counseling sessions, a wellness app that promotes habit formation and a ‘No Panic Manual’ on managing stress and anxiety. On the human resources front, extend the health insurance policy to cover all employees and dependents for Covid treatment, as well as add new policies related to leave and medical emergencies. A wellness calendar should be designed with the diverse requirements and needs of employees in mind and packed with programs on relevant topics and activities.”
He advised: “Incentivize some activities and challenges by rewarding with coupons, giveaways, etc. Offer special discounts on gym memberships, fitness centers, and online fitness programs. Care deeply for employees and their loved ones and invest over and over again.” time consistently in preventive healthcare The company should encourage all employees to take regular blood and health checks by partnering with reputable labs in all locations Partnerships with these labs should enable unique offers and exclusive discounts on care packages preventive medical care Provide access to Mental Health Surveys, Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s), Health Magazines, etc., which helps them access health news and trends This allows them to make informed decisions regarding their well-being and stay on top of their health requirements.In addition, they have access to Yoga and expert mindfulness videos and guided meditation audio clips in the wellness app that helps employees relax, rejuvenate and improve I’m energized all day. These videos should be a click away and employees can access them whenever they need them.”
According to Ruchi Ahluwalia, group personnel director at Quess Corp, better health and wellness policies lead to higher levels of engagement; which, in turn, results in better retention, increased productivity, satisfied customers, and ultimately, happy families. She said: “A toxic workplace can cause a host of problems that affect people both mentally and physically. Therefore, take a holistic approach to employee health and wellness. Set the benchmark for employee precedence in the workplace. A safe work environment is created for the benefit of all employees. Even as we move into the post-pandemic phase, a flexible work schedule must continue for employees to prioritize work-life balance. Most importantly, we have links that extend emotional wellness awareness, counseling and emotional support to all employees 24/7. Introduce wellness leaves that allow employees to take breaks and encourage stress-free living. Focus on fostering mental wellness and a healthy emotional state for all employees.”
Stating that for any organization striving to create a safe work environment, it is essential to follow a bottom-up approach that allows employee voices to resonate with managers and leaders, Akshay Raje, Head of People and Culture de Scaler, explained: “These voices should be the drivers of policy change in an organization. With such an approach where decisions are made based on feedback and shared opinions from employees, any business can truly foster a safe and healthy work environment. Psychological safety at work allows employees to thrive. An employee’s well-being is closely related to health and productivity. Some statistics show that employees in good physical, mental and emotional health are more likely to perform in the workplace than employees who are not.
He suggested: “Follow an open door policy where decisions are discussed with employees. Founders are required to facilitate online open house sessions every 15 days to keep people updated on the latest developments on the business front. This forum should provide an opportunity for people to share their challenges and complaints, which helps us develop initiatives that meet their needs. Initiatives such as 14 days per year leave policy, flexible work schedules, hybrid work, extended Diwali, and year-end leave for the workforce are some examples. Conduct programs to raise team awareness on creating and facilitating a healthy, harassment-free workplace, specifically from a POSH policy perspective. Host multiple such workshops both on the floor and for remote teams. Additionally, recognize the need to offer stigma-free therapeutic solutions to employees with an online emotional support and counseling platform that focuses on mental wellness. Offer meditation and yoga sessions for our employees.”
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