There are few better ways to show your concern for your staff members’ mental and physical wellbeing than to implement a comprehensive wellness program in the workplace. Well-designed programs aim to give employees the resources they need to improve their health and foster lasting, positive lifestyle behaviors.
Wellness programs aren’t just good for the employees who engage with them, they are also excellent for businesses. Happy, healthy, fulfilled staff members are more productive, more forward-thinking, and better able to come up with innovative and creative solutions within their roles.
It’s never been easier for companies to introduce wellness programs into the workplace, either. They can harness modern gamification technologies like game-based learning, serious games, and other e-learning tools to create educational and immersive wellness regimes for staff in every department.
Here are the 6 key reasons why wellness programs in the workplace are so beneficial. And how they can benefit and support online corporate training protocols as well.
1. Increased Employee Productivity
Online corporate training enhances the productivity of your employees. However, its benefits will be severely limited if your staff members are ill, fatigued, or battling with mental health concerns.
Employees who take part in wellness programs are less likely to fall ill and deal with ergonomic-related injuries, which means that they will require fewer sick days and less paid leave overall. They also tend to be more energetic, motivated, and driven, which can result in a better office work ethic and higher work output as well.
Healthy staff who feel motivated, stress-free, and alert will be better able to absorb and implement the education offered by your online corporate training programs.
2. Reduced Company Healthcare Expenses
There can be no denying it: corporate healthcare costs are soaring, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread. Countless businesses are battling to fulfill their obligations for providing employee health insurance, particularly in countries like the US where healthcare costs are some of the highest in the world.
Implementing a wellness program can help to keep your employees healthy, both physically and mentally, and reduce their need for prolonged medical care. Some healthcare insurance providers even provide insurance discounts for companies that have workplace wellness programs in place.
Providing your wellness training through serious games and e-learning allows your workers to gain all the skills and benefits involved remotely, while social distancing and keeping themselves safe.
3. Better Teamwork and Cooperation
Online corporate training programs are often centered on encouraging meaningful cooperation and teamwork among staff members and teams. Wellness programs can have a similar effect by helping to foster a sense of workplace community.
Employees who work together to improve their health are more likely to maintain healthy habits in the long run. Using serious games to impart useful knowledge will make the lessons more memorable too.
4. More Satisfied, Dedicated Workers
Workplace wellness programs can give employees the tools and resources they need to thrive, both at work and in their personal lives. These programs can connect your workers with fitness, mindfulness, and leisure activities that they genuinely enjoy, and if you teach wellness training through game-based learning, they will probably enjoy the learning process too.
Wellness programs have the power to actively improve your employees’ lives and their job satisfaction, which will create more dedicated and grateful workers. Happy employees will be more willing to stay with your company long term, which will help you reduce employee turnover rates and retain your talent.
5. Improved Morale
Healthy, fit, and mentally energized employees are confident and display high morale. E-learning is a great conduit for giving your staff the skills they need to boost their confidence and enthusiasm for life. Competitive game-based learning will help them engage with their colleagues and build group morale as they learn; thereby boosting the general culture of your office environment.
Improving your employees’ morale will make them more willing to share new ideas with their teams and tackle challenges with positive attitudes.
6. Attracting More Talented Workers
Talented, highly skilled employees won’t settle for any work environment. They will gravitate towards employers who value them, offer the right benefits, and provide them with the tools and skills they need to maintain their wellness. Many prospective employees will consider your wellness program a considerable perk. Especially if you provide game-based learning opportunities they can enjoy online at their own pace.
Wellness programs show applicants you’re focused on creating a healthy and inviting company culture. Candidates will thus view your workplace as a tempting prospect, not only professionally, but in terms of their health, mental, and social wellbeing too.
In this day and age, it can be truly challenging to attract and keep talented employees. The job marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive, and Millennial and Generation Z workers in particular demand a specific set of benefits from their employers of choice.
To give your business the edge in attracting talent, you may want to sign up with a PEO that can assist you in offering the best benefits. PEOs have access to better deals and a wider pool of perks and programs, and this can boost your appeal with potential talent.
Implementing a modern wellness program based on interactive gamification will appeal to prospective applications too, thus ensuring that you can attract the talent you need.
Creating A Win-Win Situation
Wellness programs have the power to benefit your business and your employees in tandem. Promoting the good health of your staff members will empower them to be assertive, confident, and creative in the workplace, and to make the best use of the teachings of your online corporate training modules.
Gamification and game-based learning can go a long way in ensuring that employees remain engaged and obtain the most value out of their wellness training.
Businesses that offer comprehensive wellness programs will benefit throughimproved employee productiveness, satisfaction and retention, and the ability to attract new talent consistently. They’ll potentially be able to reduce their staff healthcare costs and divert those savings into areas of their operations that urgently need funding and attention.
Clearly, the costs of creating serious games and e-learning modules to provide workplace wellness training are well worth the upfront investment.
