Few things are more important in life than your health. No matter how intelligent, successful, or qualified you are, if you find yourself crippled by disease, chances are nothing else will work. But even if health is paramount to all, it is most important to those in the workplace as they need to earn a salary to provide for themselves and their families.
As we look into this fact, let us explore five different health services all employees want and expect from quality organizations.
Personal Protective Equipment
When we think about personal protective equipment or PPE, most people picture helmets, safety shoes, protective clothing such as reflective vests, goggles, and other devices often associated with the construction industry. While these and others are part of the PPE product range, the COVID-19 global pandemic has taught us that regular, white-collar employees are also in need of protection.
Whether we like it or not, face masks, shields, and plenty of alcohol are part of the new normal. Still, there are ways to make this process a bit more interesting and appealing for your staff. For instance, instead of regular masks, companies can order customized Velcro face masks that serve as adequate protection for employees, increase company unity, and even serve as a promotional tool.
Mental Health
According to the World Health Organization, depression affects more than 260 million people around the world and is one of the leading causes of disability. Even more striking is that there is a suicide every 40 seconds, and individuals with mental disorders die on average 15 years earlier than the general population.
Still, even in the 21st century, mental health issues continue to be stigmatized in all layers of society. It is especially true in certain environments such as families, schools, and the workplace.
Luckily, the corporate world is slowly opening its eyes and beginning to understand that one of the best ways to keep employees motivated and efficient is by providing them with an open space to communicate the issues they are dealing with both inside and outside the office.
Exercise Facilities
Giant multinational companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft can afford to build campuses filled with exercise facilities. In some cases, there are swimming pools, spas, state-of-the-art gymnasiums, and even hiking trails and tennis courts. But this is not something every business can do. There is not enough space nor available financial resources to embark on such a costly endeavor.
This doesn’t mean employees in smaller organizations don’t care about their physical fitness and wouldn’t like their bosses to provide them with assistance in this area. For example, a firm can enroll its members in small business wellness programs or hire a part-time coach to come into the office once or twice a week and teach an aerobics or yoga class in one of the meeting rooms.
Health Insurance
The concept of corporate health insurance is nothing new. Major corporations have been providing health-related benefits to their workforce for decades. But it has perhaps never been as important as now, a time in which we have seen the world ravaged by the effects of the covid-19 global pandemic.
Even though companies are aware that a suitable health insurance program is arguably the most important benefit all employees want, many do not provide one. The reason for this is very simple. They either don’t have or don’t want to spend the money.
Fortunately, the growing need for health insurance has transformed and expanded how this service is provided. Today, enterprises have various options to choose based on accessibility, type of care, and monthly and annual costs.
Healthy Workplace
A healthy workplace can mean one or several things. For some people, it is a job they love and makes them happy. For others, it is an environment where ideas are expressed, and bosses are kind and considerate. Finally, a third group would define a healthy workplace as an office with open spaces, lots of green, nutritious food, and free drinks.
No matter what your definition might be, one thing is certain. Everyone wants to work in this kind of environment as it keeps employees motivated and maintains high work efficiency levels among the workforce.
Companies should look into their available resources and decide what kind of strategy would best serve them in providing a healthy workplace for their staff.
The health services employees want are PPE, mental health programs, exercise facilities, health insurance, and healthy workplaces. By providing these, companies can attract better talent and keep current staff happy, healthy, and productive.