Employee Wellness and Its Impact in the Modern Workplace

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One sunny and a breezy Sunday Morning:

Suresh:  Roma, Good Morning Darling? It’s a pleasant day out there, let’s go out, have lunch and fun together. A family day out.

Roma: Neeahh…,Yaaa it’s a good day out there but honey, I have some couple of works to finish and then check on with the kids for the coming week (attending their schools tasks etc.) and I believe, I will be by then totally exhausted. So honey lets plan next week.

Suresh: Ok

Next week comes:

Roma: Honey its weekend, let’s go out as per last week’s discussion. Kids are also excited and ready to rock.

Suresh: Dear, I guess this week is difficult, as I have to prepare a report and submit it on Monday.  Maybe next week.

Roma: Ahammm.. Ok


Does the above echo like your owns in some manner? Do you all relate to it?

Be honest enough to accept it and say a “YES”.

It happens in some or the other form, maybe a pleasant chat like the above with a tinge of disappointment or maybe a heated one with some difference of opinions.

But will have to agree that HAPPINESS and MENTAL Well-Being are being lost nowadays and instead STRESS and MENTAL DISTRESS have taken the front seats.

As we have touched the modern world with so many scientific inventions to make our lives easier and better one, but on the contrary we have also added stress pointers. These stress pointers have led to unhappiness, discontentment, and agony and ultimately have disturbed our well-being.

“Good Business” in this technologically advanced world of so called AI and Machine Learning can only be achieved with “Good Health” – be it mental or physical whatsoever.

“You cannot take care of others or for that matter any business unless you take care of yourself.”

Health & Wellness has been a burning issue for the past few couple of years within the major corporates.

These big shots have realized that employees are the backbone & major stakeholders of any business. Smart employers are now not only focusing on the pay package in terms of money rather they are coming up with robust packages. So considering their health concerns has become the MUST-HAVE’s instead of NICE to HAVE’s.

India has also not been untouched by this notion, though the move is a slower one but the steps are profound.Happiness is the key to good health and outstanding performance in all the aspects of life.The employee wellness programs have turned out to be the best way to fight back these work pressures and stress at the workplaces.

In-order to make these concepts integrate in the daily life of employees, the corporates have come up with different types of wellness programs:

  1. Activity-oriented wellness program – a basic participation program, giving it a feeling of how such programs actually look like – gym passes, aerobics class passes, marathon running pass and etc.
  2. Awareness oriented wellness program – a basic awareness program to enlighten the employees on the healthy life-styles choices. Regular programs within the premises would also turn the silent observers into the stream.
  3. Result oriented wellness program – such programs are more focused on the results or rather ROI of the programs like Weight-Loss programs.

To name a few of the different initiatives taken by different companies are:

  1. Yoga sessions within the campus – companies are tying-up different trainers
  2. Mediation sessions.
  3. Health check-ups of full family like Apollo Munich
  4. Fitness centers tie-ups or gyms within the campus,
  5. Smoke cessation programs
  6. Weight-loss assistance
  7. Healthy Diet Plan
  8. Pregnancy assistance for woman employees
  9. Work time flexibility
  10. Walking meetings, running competition etc.

Wellness is nowadays not only addressed as physical health, but also mental, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, vocational, environmental, and financial factors—all of which combine to make an impact on an individual’s quality of life. And these wellness programs aims in giving a work-life balance.

Hence the corporates have taken serious steps over the past few years to achieve the wellbeing of its employees and so this article majorly focuses on the brighter side of the wellness programs:

  1. Happy Workplace – A positive and tension-free place reflects happiness.
  2. Brings Team Together – Happy workforce combines its energies to build strong teams to accomplish its organizational goals.
  3. Reduced Stress& Depression – it helps to drain out the stress and depression via Yoga sessions or meditation sessions. Balanced focus on work and family life.
  4. Enhances Company Culture – Company culture gets a boosted environment and motivated employees sets trends within.
  5. Reduced Absenteeism due to sickness – More man hours as reduced absenteeism.
  6. Chronic Diseases can be prevented – Diseases are prevented as they are taken care by the tie-up medical associations / hospital tie –ups were regular checkups take place.
  7. Lowers Cost of expenditure on the medical issues – Cost of medical expenses lower, in other way, boosts employees on savings.
  8. Boosting Employee Engagement – It is said an engaged employee creates a better focused work environment.
  9. Boosts Productivity and enhances Revenues – All of the above moves to improved productivity and ultimate goal of revenue generation.
  10. Last but not the least ATTRACT and RETAIN TALENT.

Some of the Companies doing well in their Wellness programs are:

Tata Consultancy Services is readily engaged in regular health screening of their employees. They also conduct stress management counselling and sleep management sessions.

*Johnson & Johnson Pvt. Ltd recently received the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion 2017 from SHRM Body in 2017 –they propagate the concept of “YOU BELONG – Every Perspective Value”

They have initiatives like

  1. Saarthi – for woman employees,
  2. DNA – Develop Network Achieve,
  3. SAKSHAM – for woman empowerment,
  4. Care9 – pregnancy care for 9 months,
  5. Breast Milk shipping – transferring the breast milk to the baby from the travelling mother,
  6. Paternity Leave for 8 weeks.

*Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd.– Received the Employer with Best Health and Wellness Initiatives from SHRM body in 2017.

They believe “Well Being as a key differentiator”

They propagate “Well Being creates Performance and Performance generates Well Being”

Major initiative in this area:

i) Step Up program- care of their employees in turn would generate good business. They took up – Monologue to Dialogue programs, Flexibility at work, Workplace Hygiene, Leadership- focus on the leaders doing their part or not – walk the talk, creating a positive and nurturing Organization Culture.

ii) Program Saathi – counselling employees.

iii) Care Leave – for family member’s sickness.

iv) Adoption Leave – for child adoption.

And many more such initiatives making it the best company for Wellness in 2017. 

Accenture – is also engaged in the well-being of the employees and the bagged the Healthiest Employer in U.S. Initiatives like participation is fundraising walks.It has also considered Homeopathy as a mode of treatment, weight loss programs and diet tracking etc.

All of these above companies are in one or the other way serious about the wellness of their employees. These initiatives have helped them to prevent serious illness, decrease the risk of diseases, help in stress management, and improve physical strength, stamina, contributing to the total health of an employee.In-short it creates a work life balance, employees are valued by all means and a win-win case for both the employee and employer.

And when businesses invest in employees for their well-being it gives birth to supportive work environment and a well-developed positive organizational culture.

The ultimate goal of high productivity is achieved along with high revenues and retention of both customer and employees.

“Bring happiness and smile on the faces of your employees – Be the difference and see the difference they make in your organization.”

*Source of information SHRM website.

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