How Employee Wellbeing Impacts Your Company

If a company is a car, then the employees are the parts that make the vehicle operational. A car is only as good as the parts that it is made of and the same applies to any business. Because of this, it is in the best interest of a company to ensure that their employees are happy and healthy. Otherwise, it is probable that the parts that make the car work will walk away from their roles. Companies around the world are beginning to take notice of treating and nurturing their employees affects their operations and bottom line. How a person is doing matters just as much as what they are doing. Ian Fuhr, the founder and CEO of the Sorbet Group, put it best, “If you do not treat people with the respect they deserve, do not expect any kind of commitment to your productivity goals and target.”

What are the many ways employee wellbeing impacts a company? We spoke with ten different business executives to discover their opinions on this. 

Productivity

Roman Taranov is the CEO of Able, a weight management service accomplished through one-on-one coaching. He believes that when employees are healthy, their professional efforts and accomplishments increase. 

“Overworked or mentally bothered people do not make for good employees. The way and time that an employee works for their employer has a direct correlation on the wellbeing of that person. If the employee is healthy, their ability to concentrate increases and they are able to be more effective with their time. Productive workers are one of the biggest influences on a company’s ability to make money. In order to make this a reality, employees should be treated with care. Passionate people make for productive workers and if your culture is debilitating in some way this cannot be achieved.”

Reduction in turnover

Hush offers products which aid in the pain management and healing throughout the process of getting a tattoo. Their CEO, Ubaldo Perez, suggests working towards employee wellbeing because achieving it will lend itself towards retaining current hires. 

“No person wants to work for a company that is damaging to themselves. More and more people are realizing that their job does not define their entire life and are happy to take their talents elsewhere if problems continue to arise. Happy employees want to continue to work for the company that enables that happiness. If you prioritize personal wellbeing, you’ll spend less time trying to fill empty seats. New hires can add additional levels of stress and a loss in effectiveness. You want to keep the people who know your company best.”

Desirability 

The modern wave of people are far more aware and protective of their health than those that came before them. They take this into consideration when deciding where they are working. Span Health is a health coaching service powered by data. Their CEO, Patrick Samy, advises placing an importance on employee health for this reason. 

“We’ve all heard stories of past generations working 10 plus hour days for years on end with little to no vacation. It was common for the workplace to be the decision maker in many lives. The current generation is beginning to trend away from this idea and instead valuing their wellness. If you’re looking to add or extend these people within your company, demonstrate to them consistently that their health is equally important as their work.”

Savings

Nathalie Walton is the co-founder and CEO of Expectful, an app-based holistic care experience for mothers and pregnant women. She believes that treating employees with consideration to be a sure-fire way of cutting costs. 

“By constantly looking out for your employees, you should be achieving a healthier workforce overall. Not only is this a nice way to treat people, it comes with benefits. First, healthier people don’t need as many sick days and work will not have to be made up for because of this. This extends to mental health as well. Second, people who feel as though they’re being treated with respect and care will not want to leave. This saves you from spending money on new hires.”

Morale

The Quality Edit is a resource for discovering the most useful and highest quality products available online. Their co-founder, Lauren Kleinman, has realized that the well-being of employees directly correlates to their thoughts about the company. 

“The attitude that people carry themselves with is influenced by the surroundings and circumstances, especially one where they spend a lot of time such as their workplace. If a workplace is built on negativity it will cause people to resent it more as the days wear on. The flip side to this is that when companies treat their employees thoughtfully, these people will respond well to this and it will be reflected in the way they think and talk about the company. Positive attitudes create for a much healthier and more welcoming environment.”

Mental Health

One of the most popular topics of today is mental health. As the world has become more aware of how critical it is to look after it, shoving things under the rug is no longer an option. MitoQ is a health and wellness brand offering supplements which target the mitochondria. Their head of customer acquisition, Shaun Price, spoke to how a healthy workplace can be a benefit in this area. 

“If your company takes the initiative to not only demonstrate the value of its employees but also stress the far-reaching impacts of mental health, your workforce will respond well to this. People have become cognitive of where they’re at mentally and what is affecting their status because the conversation around mental health has become very prominent. If your workplace is a negative factor, multiple areas within the organization will suffer.”

Company Image

Amanda E. Johnson is the CMO of Nailboo, a company offering salon quality nails done at home by using a nail kit. She believes that a company which prioritizes the well-being of its employees will be seen differently by those on the inside and outside. 

“Word spreads quickly throughout a company and even spreads into the personal lives of those who work there. If new hires who come onboard are told about how well people are treated, this will shape the way they think about the company and talk about it with others. When this happens, there are ripple effects as outsiders will be more inclined to engage with your company. No company wants to be viewed as the villain in any story and treating your employees well will help avoid this.”

Customer Experience

Seraphina Therapeutics offers a fatty acid based supplement which provides cellular resistance and general health benefits. Their CEO, Stephania Venn-Watson, suggests that a company which demonstrates concern for its employees will provide better assistance to its customers. 

“When people work for a company that treats them well, they tend to express it with their demeanor and language. Doing so extends further than you may think. Customers will take notice of employees who are upbeat and engaged far more than those who seem to slog through their workday. Seeing as customers are the driving force behind any business, giving them a wonderful experience should be a priority. People remember their interactions and positive ones will form the right kind of connections.”

Hiring

Companies that can demonstrate their concrete efforts to care for their employees can use this to their advantage when seeking to add new employees. People want to work for places that value them. Vaster offers custom mortgage solutions. Their Vice President, George Fraguio, suggests this approach. 

“We’re in an era where employees are hard to come by. People are quitting in droves and some of this is due to the fact that they don’t appreciate their working conditions. It’s been proven that those seeking employment want more than just a paycheck. They want a job that will propel and not deplete them. Mental health resources and a culture of well-being will go a long way in showing prospective hires that you are worth working for.” 

Absenteeism

Michael Jankie is the founder of The Natural Patch Co, a company which specializes in adhesive patches that offer health benefits. He considers one of the key advantages of looking out for employees to be the fact that they are less likely to call in sick. 

“Excessive stress and physical conditions can cause employees to miss work which causes problems for both parties. Sometimes these things are unavoidable because of the nature of them. However, if a company works to alleviate as many of these problems as possible instead of suffering through them, work attendance will not suffer as much. Good healthcare programs, time off, support for mental health, and work from home options can all work to your advantage here.”

Employee well-being may be a more recent development in the business world but it is vastly essential to the success of a company as discussed by the experts above. Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, summed this up, “We are embedding health and well-being at the heart of our business strategy because our people are our greatest asset, and we recognize that a healthy, happy and committed workforce is vital to our business success.”