There are business owners who truly care about the health and well-being of their employees. However, conversely, there are also business owners who don’t think twice about this. They provide their workforce with medical insurance and nothing else.

No matter what group you fall into, it’s nice to know that there are changes you can make for the better. There are steps you can take to help keep your employees healthy. And when you do that, you’ll start to realize that workplace productivity is on the rise.

1. Encourage Time Off 

Let’s face it — some employees do whatever they can to make it into the office every day. Even if they’re not feeling their best, either physically or mentally, they still push through because they want to do their job. 

Encourage time off by explaining to your employees how important it is to refresh and recharge every now and again. In the event that someone doesn’t want to take time away, you may need to give them a push in the right direction.

This isn’t to say that you should let employees take advantage of your time off policy, though. However, some employees have a hard time stepping back, if even for a day. Encourage your employees to use an online timer, so they can be more aware of the amount of time they’ve spent at work and avoid overworking.

2. Schedule a Health Fair

A health fair is a great way for employees to gain easy access to a variety of tests. From a thyroid test to a basic blood panel, employees are able to learn a lot about their health without jumping through hoops.

In today’s day and age, virtual health fairs are becoming more popular. While your employees won’t get on-site assistance or testing, they can still learn more about their health and find ways to be proactive about it. 

3. Focus on Mental Health, Too

It’s easy to focus on physical health, but many business owners overlook the importance of helping their employees maintain their mental health. Some companies, such as Instagram, take this seriously. 

That said, you don’t have to be a large organization to focus on your employees’ mental health. Even if you only have a handful of employees, you can take steps to help them keep their mental health and well-being in order.

How to Get Started

Now that you have a basic overview of the steps you can take to keep your employees healthy, it’s time to turn your attention toward action. Here’s what you can do to get started:

• Create a strategy. If all the ideas above work for you, add them to your strategy and get started. But if you only want to focus on one or two right now, that’s fine as well. You need a strategy to guide you.
• Talk to your employees. Don’t attempt to create a strategy on your own. Perhaps some of them want more health insurance offerings, while others are looking for other types of insurance, such as life insurance after a heart attack. Instead, collaborate with your employees to learn more about what they do and don’t want in regards to their health and medical care. Not only does this allow you to engage with your employees, but it can also save you time and money.
• Take it slow. Don’t get ahead of yourself, as doing so can cause more confusion than anything else. Move forward one step at a time, such as by explaining to your staff the importance of taking time away. From there, when you feel that it’s time to do so, schedule a health fair. One small step at a time will add up to big results.

No two companies will get started in the exact same way, but these tips should help. The key is to get started. Don’t continue to sit back and hope for the best. You need to devote the proper resources toward making progress in this area of your business. 

Final Thoughts

Every year, hundreds of thousands of workers across every industry imaginable take time away from their job for health-related reasons. Regardless of their reasons for it, it can nevertheless have a noticeable impact on the workplace.

You can’t completely prevent this time off, but there are steps you can take to do your part. Even if it’s only a minor change to your approach, you never know when it’ll do some good for one or more of your employees.

What steps have you taken to date to keep your employees healthy? Do you have any ideas for the future?