Why workplace wellness is important for sustaining a healthy culture

It's no wonder that employee well-being is a top trend for the 2023 workplace. Investing in wellness programs can have a lasting, positive impact on your work culture, including tackling burnout, creating big returns on productivity, retaining top talent, and even improving your brand image. Here’s how to invest in your people and build a healthy culture that starts with a strong wellness strategy.

Boost productivity with wellness

Now more than ever, workplace wellness is a critical factor in driving productivity. With several trends negatively affecting workplace morale, including quiet quitting, financial stress, economic instability, and burnout, improving culture can be the key to motivating employees.

Ceridian's 2022 Pulse of Talent survey showed that 81% of respondents experienced burnout in the year prior to the study, with one-third of respondents feeling less focused and just over a quarter (26%) planning on taking a leave of absence/sick leave.

Organizations can address this problem by supporting both the physical and mental well-being of their employees. This can mean revamping your wellness strategies by offering resources to employees for managing stress and improving work-life balance.

There are many tools that organizations can leverage to address burnout and boost productivity. One way is to encourage employees to take time for themselves in the form of short, frequent breaks during the day to take a walk or recharge. Since mental and physical health go hand in hand, you might even consider investing in gym membership discounts. Initiatives like these can recharge your people’s mental energy and improve their focus.

Organizations should also consider the role that technology plays in employee wellness. Tools like surveys can track employee sentiments and engagement. Regular feedback provides meaningful insights into how employees are feeling and helps leaders make data-backed decisions to improve wellness strategies. Another example are technologies that help organizations create the right blend of benefits that provide a variety of coverage options to employees at the best price.

People need to be in a healthy state of mind to produce their best work, and employers play a critical role in fostering this. An employee who is less overwhelmed will be more engaged in their work leading to higher achievement, job satisfaction, and less absenteeism.

Combat turnover with better balance

An unhealthy culture can be the culprit for high turnover. It’s no surprise that in recent years, the workforce has changed, and people are not ready to sacrifice their well-being for a job that doesn’t value them. Ceridian’s 2023 Pulse of Talent survey showed that 70% of respondents are a flight risk, which means that they are interested in a new position or actively looking. Investing in workplace wellness offers a powerful solution to this problem by creating a culture that attracts and retains employees. With 49% of respondents expressing that flexibility/work-life balance is a key factor for them in their job, it’s clear that wellness initiatives are a valuable way to cultivate a culture that employees won’t want to give up.

A wellness-based culture has many benefits. It can make employees feel supported, valued, and respected by their organization. It can empower them to feel like more than just a number. A study from Achievers showed that culture was a key indicator of employee satisfaction and over 65% of respondents would stay in their current job because of the workplace culture itself.

Another plus is job loyalty. Employees are more likely to remain loyal to their workplace if it isn’t their main source of stress. Research from Deloitte shows that 62% of employees are more likely to stay with their current employer if it contributed more to their well-being.

There are many ways to upgrade your wellness offerings. Ceridian’s 2022 Pulse of Talent report showed what employees would like to see – the top responses were mental health days (41%), flexible schedules (40%), and additional benefits coverage (31%).

Hybrid/remote work can improve flexibility and facilitate a better work-life balance. When employees are in control of their schedule, they can create more time for well-being and feel less overwhelmed.

Mental health days are another great tool to reduce turnover by improving work-life balance. A much-needed break creates more personal time so employees can return to work energized and less stressed. It also shows that you care. At Ceridian, we introduced a “Wellness Day” program where we are dedicating two days during the year to log off from work and focus on yourself.

You can also update your benefits packages with access to mental health services or coverage that your employees consider important.

If you want to retain your employees, fostering a culture of support can make an impact. A strong culture can be difficult to find elsewhere, giving employees a reason to stay.

When organizations prioritize the well-being of their employees, they show that they care about their people. Turnover and culture go hand in hand. How you invest in your culture speaks volumes about your retention strategy. 

Streamline recruiting with a strong brand

Investing in your wellness strategies is not just great for employees, it's also a powerful business strategy for you as the employer. It’s common for employees to talk about their jobs outside of work, both the good and the bad. Employees are essentially culture ambassadors of their organization and if you have a great culture that promotes well-being, employees will feel excited to spread the word – improving your brand image.

According to a Ceridian recruiting report word of mouth is highly beneficial to the job search and hiring process. Seventy-five percent of respondents believe that the current employees of a potential employer are the most significant source of information when determining if an organization will be the right match for them. So, investing in your workplace culture should be a top priority because the more satisfied an employee is with their workplace, the more likely they will advocate for their employer.

The same study also showed that 48% of respondents were most influenced by company culture when deciding whether to accept a job offer. People want to work for a company that is known for a strong culture that puts employees at the forefront.

Investing in wellness initiatives is a step in the right direction to building a healthy culture that supports employee's mental and physical well-being. So, by upgrading your wellness programs, you have the power of creating a competitive brand image that can attract top talent to your organization and make your current employees proud of where they work.

As we look to the future, organizations need to ask themselves if their employee strategies align with the reality of the current workforce. Following the pandemic, the Great Resignation, and increased rates of burnout, change will have to take place to maintain growth and success. A strong wellness strategy has the power to reinforce your culture so that you can maintain productivity, retain your top talent, and improve your brand image along the way. It’s time to recognize why workplace wellness is the key to an empowered workforce.