Goals setting and strategy
Why are workplace wellness and goal setting so important?
First of all, employee well-being is the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of your employees. Various factors influence it, including their relationships with co-workers, the decisions they make, and the tools and resources they have access to. Employee happiness is influenced by hours worked, pay, and workplace safety.
Most of us have goals in life, but to have a goal, we need to identify WHY we need it.
Before setting up a goal, an important aspect is SMART goals.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Agreed
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Let’s break this down a bit. You want to compete in a fun 10k run. Why? Are you looking to lose weight? Get fit? Raising money, raising awareness, or is it just something new, fun, or challenging?
If there is no real reason you want to do it, the chances are actually quite slim of you achieving this goal.
Now let’s look at workplace wellness goals.
Most companies by now know they need a wellness plan. That’s the goal, but WHY do they need one? What do they want to achieve?
Is it to foster a positive work environment for both employees and employers? To reduce employee stress. To increase productivity and improve performance? Or cut sick days and absenteeism? There are so many more reasons why a company would and should have an employee wellness program. Perhaps it is to achieve all of the above?
It is thus important to identify what it is that you and your employees need. The best way to go about this is to start at the end.
You’ve got to get specific on your goal and ask the following questions:
- What do you want your end goal to be?
- Why do you want to start a wellness program?
- Have you asked what your employees want or need?
- What budget do you have for this?
- Who will run or manage this? Will it be volunteers in the company, a wellbeing team or a professional outside the company?
- Can you live with the consequences if you don’t have a wellness program?
Considerations:
Employee goal: better health
Organization goal: reduced absenteeism
Flexible working hours are a great benefit for employees who struggle to strike a work-life balance. Flexible working hours enable employees to work on a schedule that suits them, boosting morale and improving physical and mental health.
Employee goal: stress reduction
Organization goal: increases productivity
Employee productivity will almost certainly increase with more sleep, healthier foods, and more energy. Employees who are tired or stressed find it more difficult to concentrate and work as efficiently.
In order to ensure that your employees receive the most appropriate assistance, inquire about their feelings and whether they require additional assistance.
Employee goal: increased happiness
Organization goal: decrease turnover
Employee turnover can be expensive. The time spent on recruitment, training, and nurturing employees adds up, which is why it’s critical to focus on keeping your current employees.
Employees value you taking care of them and genuinely caring about their health and well-being. 93% of employees say they’re more likely to stay with a company that cares about them.
Set employee well-being goals to increase engagement.
- Decide what matters most to you and your team.
You can perhaps send out a well-being survey to see where your staff is currently at with their overall wellness. This would include physical and mental health, nutrition, emotional health, social wellness, financial health, intellectual and spiritual wellness; as well as workplace wellness. If you are stuck for an all-encompassing survey, you could opt-in to my One Year Plan where the survey is built into the program for you.
- Implement a wellness plan for the rest of this year.
By now, a lot of companies already have a well-being plan, know they need to implement one, or think they are already offering a plan, but it is not truly a complete plan, rather just a tick boxing exercise here and there.
We are nearly halfway through the year, however, it is never too late to start or improve on your plan.
There are many resources online for starting a wellness plan or giving ideas, but if you lack the time, money, knowledge, resources, and maybe even a team to run it, why not consider my One-year ‘Done-for-You’ Wellbeing Program.
- Make mental health awareness, support, and resources a priority.
This could be as simple as implementing things such as Mindful Mondays, No Meeting Mornings, starting every meeting with a 2-minute breathing exercise, introducing walking clubs, fresh fruit, leadership training, etc.. There are so many things that can be implemented, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything.
- Inspire people to consider their health.
This should normally come from the top. Perhaps you have a leader in your business that is a marathon runner or climbed Kilimanjaro. Perhaps there is a manager who is passionate about mental health or someone keen on healthy eating. Use those people to send a message to the rest of the company to motivate and inspire. Send out a message saying something along the lines of ‘If I can do it, maybe so can you!’
- Boost their financial well-being.
This is often a neglected well-being topic. Another thing people often forget is that it affects everyone in the workforce, even the high earners.
Improving your employees’ financial well-being also has benefits for the organization, such as better productivity and reduced absenteeism.
An easy way to start supporting staff on their financial well-being journey is by offering financial wealth workshops or directing them to a company intranet site where they can find financial health help such as budgeting, prioritizing money, and more.
In Conclusion
Workplace wellness & goal setting should not be done half-heartedly. Individual and organisational wellness and the success thereof depend on workplace wellbeing promotion. The evidence shows that changes are needed and that workplace mental health is a serious concern. When developing workplace wellness programs, keep in mind that each person and company is unique. Find and tailor programs to the specific needs of the organisation, ensure senior management commitment, and involve employees in the planning and decision-making process. Most importantly, when looking to implement a wellness program, make sure it meets the needs of both your company and your employees. Establish a baseline, assess the program, and share the results. Now is the time to start making positive changes.
Click HERE to learn more about my One-Year ‘Done-for-You’ Wellbeing Program
