We all know that there are plenty of benefits that come with working remotely; an increase in productivity reduces unscheduled absences, eliminates wasted meetings, improves communications, and boosts employee satisfaction. But now that most companies are being forced to work remotely, the morale around working from home has changed as it is not necessarily a perk or one of your many incentives anymore; it has become a necessity.
To keep the health and wellness of your employees at an all-time high during the COVID-19 pandemic, here are some employee wellness program ideas to implement company-wide when working remotely.
Increase the mental health benefits you offer.
Our mental health is changing now that our life has seemingly been turned upside down. We are stuck inside all the time, which can make any person feel anxious and depressed. To bypass this and to invest in the health care of your employees, consider boosting the insurance plan and prescription drug benefits you offer.
You want to make sure every employee has access to an affordable, quality pharmacy, so it is a smart idea to offer prescription discount cards on mental health medication. Doing this will mean the world to your employees.
Encourage time off and implement mandatory days off.
There is nothing saying that you can’t close down your company for a day as a way for your employees to take a day off! Since working from home tends to eliminate the work and home life balance, it is necessary for your employees to take some time off to clear their heads and just relax. Adding more vacation time and paid time off time will work wonders with improving morale and productivity.
Develop a health and wellness program.
It’s easy to get up and moving when you’re sitting in an office all day, but working from home makes it hard to invest in physical activity. Developing a health and wellness program is an easy way to get your employee’s blood pumping and to burn some calories. Best of all, you can do these group activities over zoom, and it only takes five minutes to get everyone up and active.
Welcome new employees in front of the entire team.
It can feel isolating when a new employee joins a remote team as the camaraderie from the office environment is gone. To bypass this, make it a special first day for your new coworker by introducing them in front of the entire team during an office-wide zoom meeting over coffee and donuts.
To make things a bit less awkward, you can have everyone go around and tell fun facts about themselves as well as explaining their position on the team. The new employee will want to know exactly how their job fits in with other members at the company, so make sure this information is front and center and communication channels are open with everyone.
Send out recognition gift cards.
If you have a recognition program in the office, make sure to transfer this to be more digitally centered. Even though everyone is staying home, there are plenty of ways you can treat your employees – especially with food. Consider giving them a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card, or one for a food delivery service like GrubHub or Postmates. Or, you could even give out an Amazon or a Target gift card for those employees that are avid online shoppers.
There are plenty of ways a company can invest in the health and wellness of their employees while everyone is working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. When you incorporate these ideas into your workspace, your employees will thank you.
Interesting Related Article: “Recognizing Employees Can Improve Your Business’ Culture And Atmosphere“