Wellness in the workplace
What does wellness in the workplace mean to you? Some things that first come to mind may be desk yoga or a healthy work-life balance. But wellness can extend to many facets of day to day work life. Mental wellbeing, emotional wellness, physical health; these are all just some of the areas HR managers can explore when it comes to improving employee retention.
Plants, even by themselves, check off a couple of wellness boxes, offering social opportunities, improving the quality of the environment, not to mention the physical and mental benefits. So if you’re looking for simpler ways to improve wellness through the environment, plants are always a good first step.
Wellness can actually be separated into seven handy pillars: mental, physical, social, financial, spiritual, environmental, and vocational. As we restructure office life to a post-COVID world, let’s take a look at some of the creative ways companies and managers can revitalize corporate wellbeing programs and initiatives around the workplace following these categories.
1. Environment, office design
In the past, we’ve talked about how biophilic design can improve employee productivity, mental wellness, and physical wellness. The addition of natural elements like exposed wood, natural lighting, water features, and of course plants can help employees feel more in tune with their work environment by relieving stress and supporting circadian rhythms.
Indoor plants
Windows for natural lighting and ventilation
Irregularly patterned or textured rugs to mimic outdoor surroundings
Natural materials i.e. wooden boxes, etc.
2. Physical health around the office
Maintaining your physical health is vital to wellness overall, and there are many perks companies and brands can offer that improve employee health in shared spaces.
Hand sanitation products that increase usability
Gym memberships/office gym
Quiet spaces or designated yoga areas in the office
Healthy food and snacks
Incentivize cycling through accessible bike storage
Ergonomic keyboards and seating
We asked Julian Hernichel, co-founder of Plantclub partner adrop, to lend their expertise for this pillar of wellness. Adrop is a German company revolutionizing the way we think about our daily hand hygiene routines through integrating design into hand sanitizers. When asked why workplaces should pay special attention to the physical environment they provide for their employees, Julian noted:
"A study in Denmark states that workers in shared environments had 62% more days of sickness absence, ultimately negatively affecting businesses and causing a loss of productivity. Our experience with our partners tells us that the attractive design is incentivizing employees to actually use the dispensers and that sick days are noticeably reduced.”
As we move into a post-COVID world, old norms like compulsory mask-wearing may fade into the background, but simple everyday steps to safeguard your health are what brands like adrop are working to take into the future.
adrop’s touchless hand sanitizer merges sanitization with design.
3. Vocational wellness
This pillar of wellness is all about giving purpose to the employee and fulfilling wants and desires through self-discovery and the gaining of knowledge. For HR managers, this can mean workshops, bringing guest speakers in, flexible schedules that allow time for classes and experiences outside of work, and of course a healthy work-life balance.
Hybrid work presents the challenge of not being able to log off for some, and in the case of Belgium, the government has even agreed on a new Labour Deal that strengthens employees rights to “disconnect”. This kind of boundary between work and life can be added in as a perk to employment.
Flexible hours
Workshops that introduce employees to new skills and present social/collaborative opportunities (read more about the Plantclub workshops)
Vouchers for classes that can be taken outside of work i.e. language or night classes
Group volunteer opportunities
The right to disconnect
This group took part in a Plantclub Christmas workshop, which was a fun way to wind down the year. Learn more about Plantclub’s workshops.
Looking for more tips on what kind of incentive programs and perks you can implement to increase employee retention? Check out our guide to employee benefits!
Plantclub.io provides you and your colleagues with the benefits of plants, wherever you work. Rent office plants and transform your space into a green oasis, with flexible monthly membership options to suit your size. Diversify your employee perks with a dedicated company store, where you can give green gifts and your team can buy plants for their home office. Book a time to chat with us today.