The corporate world is going through a raging debate over work hours and work culture. Things like work-life balance, stress, and work productivity are up for scrutiny like never before. Some believe that a 70-hour work week is the need of the hour. Others believe a 4-day work week is the future. Amidst all this debate, there’s one underrated solution lurking right around the corner. A corporate wellness program!
Mindfulness or present moment awareness is by itself a wonderful practice. It is also a wonderful way of igniting creativity. -Gopi Krishnaswamy, mindfulness guru and founder of MyLlama, a revolutionary corporate wellness program provider dedicated to inculcating Zen leadership in the workplace.
The delicate balance of work and personal well-being
A corporate organization needs motivated leadership and skilled employees to succeed. The CEO and the higher management set the goals for their organization and lead their people towards the goal. The employees work diligently in their designated roles to achieve the goals set by management.
This is a delicate balance though. Employees can work ‘diligently’ only when they are valued at the workplace and not subjected to the proverbial Damocles’ sword. They’ll be physically and mentally drained out if their whole work life is a constant pressure cooker of deadlines and ’urgent work’!
A corporate wellness program is a good way to restore this balance. People in your organization need the mindfulness and support of such wellness programs more than you’d think. It’ll refresh their minds and make them more focused and productive.
So, let’s understand what a corporate wellness program actually means; why your organization needs one; and how to design one to turbocharge productivity.
What is a corporate wellness program?
If you’re observing a lackluster performance at work and diminished productivity overall, it means there’s an underlying problem. Consider these factors influencing a workplace:
- Stress: Your employees could be severely stressed out under the pressure to meet project deadlines and face burnout as a result. A corporate wellness program can help employees rejuvenate.
- Distrust: Maybe there’s a deep distrust between the employees and the management due to a lack of clear communication. This is a serious issue that hampers productivity. A wellness program will help bridge this gap.
- Hostile work environment: Perhaps there’s a hostile work culture that manifests itself overtly or subtly. Morale takes a deep hit in such scenarios. Specific steps in the wellness programs can address this issue, resolving differences and guiding employees and management to work together toward a common goal.
- Poor lifestyle habits: Work productivity could also be going down due to the poor lifestyle of employees. Things like late-night binge-watching and smoking ultimately lead to health issues and affect work productivity.
A corporate wellness program addresses the above problems and creates a favourable work atmosphere where creativity thrives and productivity reigns. It is a series of techniques and activities to boost employee morale and promote their well-being. In effect, it’s a conscious attempt to create a better work culture.
A lot of this is covered succinctly in Gopi Krishnaswamy’s ‘Creativity Unleashed’. Zen master and founder of MyLlama, Kruishnaswamy has dedicated his life to guide corporations toward adopting a healthier and more sustainable work culture.
Here are the major components of a corporate wellness program:
- Physical
Small changes in habits go a long way in creating a healthy body. Things like timely sleep, regular exercise, and a healthy diet are crucial. A weak and sleep-deprived employee will never be able to focus properly.
- Mental
An employee performs optimally when he or she can work in peace. The stress levels should be manageable to bring out their best performance. Supportive management, regular breaks and planned activities at timely intervals keep the employees satisfied.
- Spiritual
An employee may be physically, healthy, and mentally sound. However, man is a spiritual being and he needs inner peace as well. Yoga and mindfulness sessions are of great help in this regard.
- Social
Your employees spend a major chunk of their life in the workplace. Developing work friendships makes people look forward to a new day of work. Fun group activities are thus a critical component of a corporate wellness program.
- Financial
Every employee works ultimately to earn enough money to support his family. Employees work without stress when they have their financial security needs covered. Sound financial advice from experts helps them manage their money more effectively.
- Intellectual
A skilled employee thrives under challenging situations. Talent often leaves if the work gets stagnant and feels monotonous. Updating knowledge and skills by organizing periodic learning sessions makes them more inquisitive.
Why do you need a corporate wellness program?
The need for a corporate wellness program is best understood with an example. Consider the case of William Shockley. He was a brilliant Nobel Prize-winning physicist who tried his luck in the world of business. He entered the corporate world after his greatest moment in academia.
William Shockley was an eccentric physicist who is considered the father of transistors. His achievements in the development of solid-state physics are unmatched. Shockley’s work is the foundation on which chips and semiconductor technology stands today.
The development of transistor technology became the precursor to the modern digital life. So, basking in this glory, Shockley set up his own semiconductor company called Shockley Semiconductors. Shockley had a real eye for talent. He recruited people like Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce into his company.
Shockley, however, was not a good communicator or a manager. He never treated his employees well and this brewed resentment among them. The result was that eight of the brightest physicists working at Shockley Semiconductor Labs resigned on the same day. Together they founded the Fairchild Semiconductors Corporation and made Silicon Valley what it is today.
Gordon Moore went on to become famous for his Moore’s Law which is still part of school and university curricula today. Robert Noyce eventually went on to become the co-founder of the Intel Corporation. And as for William Shockley – his company closed down and he returned to academia!
If only Shockley knew the importance of a corporate wellness program! The above case study underscores the dire need for a corporate wellness program. A program to keep the most useful human resources functioning at their peak and also retain talent. A program that leads to a refreshing change and elevates the spirits of employees. One that enables them to come back to work with renewed vigor.
Here’s why you should invest in a good corporate wellness program:
i) It complements your business priorities
A corporate wellness program integrates well with your business priorities. Improving the health parameters of employees is only one aspect of such programs. The long-term effects of a comprehensive wellness program make your employees receptive to your vision and goals.
ii) It becomes a part of your corporate identity and brand reputation
Your brand reputation strengthens when you go beyond the mere formalities of group activities and actually address employee grievances. This develops a sense of gratitude among your employees and they are more likely to put their best efforts forward.
iii) It helps you create a healthy working space
A corporate wellness program, as mentioned above, is more than just reducing cholesterol. It acts as a support system for employees in need. It helps them cope with private issues like divorce, grief, loss, and child and parental care problems.
iv) It helps you attract top talent
Salary is not the only concern of the workforce today. Most millennials and Gen-Z who form today’s work demography are more comfortable with an enabling work atmosphere. They would rather opt for a relatively low-paying firm with a peaceful work culture over a big MNC with a toxic work culture.
v) It fosters meaningful connections and improves work productivity
Identifying employee needs becomes a challenge as a corporation expands and employee size increases. Social cohesion is a great enabling factor when it comes to employee satisfaction and work productivity. A corporate wellness program brings diverse people into a single fold and helps build a lasting bond.
What are the benefits of a corporate wellness program?
A well-designed corporate wellness program leaves a far-reaching impact on an organization. It acts as a cohesive force that binds the whole organization and the people involved in a string of pearls.
Here are the major benefits of a corporate wellness program:
1. Reduced stress
Modern corporate life is full of stress. Sometimes the work gets piled up and employees work even on the weekends. Work hours get blurred and some weeks just pass in the blink of an eye. Stress management is essential, now more than ever. A corporate wellness program puts special emphasis on stress-relieving activities.
2. Improved employee health
A health-oriented corporate wellness program is a great way to boost employee health and productivity. Engage your employees in meaningful physical activities like light mobility exercises, yoga, and pranayama. This will improve blood flow and release endorphins. Regular physical activities keep them fit and prevent problems like sciatica.
3. Better retention rates
Organizing periodic corporate wellness programs could be the difference between resignation and retention. If your employees are taking regular leaves even if it means braving pay cuts – they clearly aren’t satisfied and are looking at good opportunities elsewhere. A wellness program at the right time will address such underlying grievances and lead to work continuity.
4. Enhanced morale
A well-designed corporate wellness program can really enhance employee morale. It also leads to reduced absenteeism as employees willingly go to work instead of sharing those corporate slavery memes and reels with each other! They join work on time and bring a positive attitude to work. This keeps them work-driven – a win-win situation for all.
5. Higher productivity
There’s no way a stressed and overworked employee can perform his or her duties and maintain the desired quality simultaneously. On the contrary, an employee returning to work with a fresh mindfulness session conducted under a corporate wellness program is much more likely to bring a fresh perspective to work.
6. Limited hiring and talent acquisition problems
A workplace with high employee approval ratings doesn’t have to sweat over regular hiring and talent acquisition problems. A corporate wellness program helps maintain the enthusiasm levels of employees and keeps them anchored to their jobs. Only a company that conducts regular recruitment drives deals with such headaches.
7. Reduced healthcare expenditure
A corporate wellness program offers an organized physical and mental approach to influencing employees’ lifestyles. The combination of physical, mental, and spiritual exercises keeps employees fit and strong. They are able to kick off bad habits like smoking and late-night fast food cravings. This leads to reduced medical insurance claims and less healthcare expenditure.
How effective are such wellness programs in real life?
A corporate wellness program isn’t just a new-age fad that corporations try to fulfill their CSR responsibilities. It has brought real changes in the corporate workplace and given a real boost to business.
Here are a few examples where such wellness programs have shown good results:
1. Johnson and Johnson
The wellness program started by Johnson and Johnson is one of the major corporate success stories. The wellness program started by the company has given great results.
- Number of smokers dropped by two-thirds since 1995 at J&J
- The company saved a massive $250 million on healthcare costs in the last decade
- It got a $2.71 return for every dollar spent
2. Healthwise
The CEO of Healthwise, Don Kemper, leads from the front when it comes to ensuring employee health and wellbeing.
- A monthly all-staff meeting is conducted at the company where wellness reports are presented
- Healthwise sponsors an Annual Wellness Day where employees reflect on their health goals
3. Chevron
This is a company where 60-70% of the jobs are safety-sensitive. It means there’s an element of risk for employees at the workplace. Chevron has strict fitness standards for its employees.
- Chevron implements a corporate wellness program with a minimum requirement of 10K walking steps per day for each employee.
- The company also builds infrastructure to treat various diseases in countries with poor health infrastructure setups.
How to design a productive corporate wellness program?
There’s no fixed one-size-fits-all approach to enhance employee motivation and productivity. The needs of different organizations are different. The corporate wellness program should thus be tailored to your organization’s needs. However, there are some common themes that have proven effective in most cases.
i) Regular health checkups
A fit employee is a productive employee. Conduct periodic health assessment drives to identify employee health issues and poor lifestyle habits. This will also prove to be a valuable assessment tool to keep an eye on employee burnout.
ii) Financial incentives to kick off bad habits
Provide enticing financial incentives to employees who achieve their fitness goals. This will motivate others to be healthy as well. For instance, a Kick-the-Habit campaign with a reward system can instill a sense of healthy competition among employees to get out of damaging habits.
iii) Hiring a vendor to address deeper employee grievances
Hire an experienced vendor to carry out a comprehensive corporate wellness program to see concrete results. A professional experienced in corporate wellness will be able to design a streamlined and focused program that will benefit your employees.
iv) Leadership commitment
Lead by example. Make sure the leadership participates in the program to inspire the employees. As employees look to their management for guidance, the latter will be more involved if the management takes it seriously.
v) Program Evaluation
Measure the program outcomes and reflect on your achievements and failures. Set targets and collect data to see if your employees have reached those goals. This will show you the way ahead and unlock design thinking.
Key Takeaway
Naysayers will always be skeptical about the effectiveness of wellness programs. The truth, however, is that a corporate wellness program brings tremendous benefits to organizations that implement it earnestly. Several companies have saved money after they started such a program. Their employees adopt a healthy lifestyle, kick off bad habits, and be physically and mentally fit.
They also experience a more peaceful environment at work and manage stress much better. Many employees have even gone on to admit in exit interviews that a well-designed corporate wellness program was the reason they stayed on. These programs are essential from both the talent retention and the overall employee well-being point of view.
